WELLINGTON — Mark Bellissimo's team has won the blessing of the village's equestrian board for its proposed new showgrounds next to Wellington International.
Wellington's Equestrian Preserve Committe voted 4-1 late Thursday, Feb. 15, that the project, which would replace the longtime venue of Equestrian Village, would comply with village code. It also imposed several conditions on its construction, including the doubling the number of permanent stables to 440.
Joan Sloan, the committee's new chair, said throughout the meeting that the new horse center proposed by Wellington Lifestyle Partners needed to offer better amenities for horses, riders and visitors than those available in Wellington.
"For us to compete on the world stage and to continue to be the destination, we have to offer up more stables in these new showgrounds," Sloan said.
The vote clears the way for Wellington Lifestyle Partners to begin planning the key part of its proposal for the village's 9,000-acre equestrian preserve. The plan would bring two luxury communities with 207 residences to the area, where development is restricted. It also required the village to do something it never had before, remove 96 acres from its preserve, to allow for the construction of one of the communities, known as The Wellington North.
The village's Planning Zoning and Adjustments board will review the project's compatibility determination on Feb. 28 and issue recommendations for the council to consider for its final vote scheduled for March 5.
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Sponsors says new venue will bring improved, safer showgrounds
Wellington Lifestyle Partners will build the new showgrounds on 144 acres that sit below Wellington International on the northwest corner of South Shore Boulevard and 40th Street South, also known as Gracida Street.
Doug McMahon and Paige Bellissimo, who are leading the project for WLP, said the new horse center will double the showgrounds offered at Wellington International and make operations safer by consolidating all equestrian sports to one location.
They said the new showgrounds are crucial for Wellington to keep its stake in the equestrian industry and compete with venues such in Ocala and Sarasota. The complex "will further support and promote Wellington as the Horse Sport Capital of the World," WLP wrote in its justification statement.
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The Village Council approved WLP's plans to remove the 96 acres form the preserve to build The Wellington North and South on Feb. 8 under the condition that by 2028 the company build a new equestrian facility for dressage riders, hunters and jumpers. It will replace the facilities at Equestrian Village.
WLP also agreed to revert the land to the preserve if it fails to meet the council's requirements for the new showgrounds.
Daniel Rosenbaum, the attorney for Wellington Lifestyle Partners, told the equestrian board that it was important to build flexibility into the plans to ensure the showgrounds can be used in coordination with the future owners of Wellington International. That complex, at Pierson Road and 140th Avenue South, has been for sale for months.
"The reality exists that you're going to have a new operator who's going to come in at some point," Rosenbaum said. "The natural process here is very clear. There really is only one path forward for the new operator to work with Wellington Lifestyle Partners."
What will the proposed new showgrounds include?
The arenas and other buildings on the 144 acres would be up to 25 feet tall and have a maximum capacity of 6,000 people. The combined showgrounds with could host up to 15,000 people.
According to WLP's site plan the new horse center will feature the following:
- A 78,000-square-foot covered arena.
- A 3,000-seat international arena.
- A derby field.
- A 1,500-seat VIP hospitality area.
- A 1,000-seat special events pavilion.
- 1,204 stalls. WLP could raise the number to 1,500 with village approval.
- Schooling areas, lunging rings and competition rings.
- 5,100 square feet of retail area.
- A 210-seat Restaurant.
- Other ancillary buildings/facilities including restrooms, administrative offices, manure bins and shade structures for fans and vendors.
The new horse center would operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Weekend peak events at the new showgrounds will not be allowed to occur simultaneously with those at Wellington International.
Committee wants better equestrian facilities than Wellington has now
The Equestrian Preserve Committee voted 4-1 minutes before midnight that new horse center's proposed site plan was compatible with the surrounding areas, with Haakon Ganges dissenting. Committee members Richard Cunkle and Rachel Edelman were absent.
Members said they favored the expansion of the showgrounds at Wellington International but that they needed WLP to commit to building and operating showgrounds featuring considerable upgrades to the facilities now found at Equestrian Village and Wellington International.
"We paid a high price for this. We need to make sure that we get it right," board member John Bowers said, adding, "The land rights have already been given up.
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The equestrian board issued the following recommendations for the project's standard manual:
- Add 220 additional permanent stalls for a new total of 440.
- Require hospitality tents to be at least equal the quality at the media center tent at Wellington International.
- Require a minimum of 30 feet in between show rings.
- For WLP to provide adequate fencing between barns and adjacent parking areas.
- Provide for schooling hours to start at 6:30 a.m.
- Require mats in all stalls.
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her atvpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism:Subscribe today.
