Wellington rejects new uses for two golf courses

Finding new uses for his money-losing golf courses apparently won’t be easy for Wellington-based developer Glenn Straub.

The Wellington Village Council unanimously rejected Straub’s proposals to allow all sports, without a special permit, at his Wellington golf courses, Palm Beach Polo and Country Club and Polo West.

Straub, who says the golf courses are unprofitable, amended his proposal for Polo West to allow only equine sports there.

But the village council rejected that proposals, too, over the course of an eight-hour council meeting that attracted a large crowd of opponents, including many who publicly criticized Straub’s proposals as threats to their safety  and their property values.

As a result, Straub plans to convert Palm Beach Polo and Polo West from private to public golf courses “in order to increase golf revenues,” may his attorney Alexander Domb said in a prepared statement.

Straub says his golf courses are unprofitable. His rejected proposals to allow all sports on the golf courses also would have allowed construction of access roads connecting Palm Beach Polo and Polo West to main roads. [WPTV] — Mike Seemuth