JKM’s mixed-use development in Wellington advances

Wellington Village Council members gave initial approval to a zoning change that will allow a 60-plus-acre mixed-use project that will include 191 multifamily units, medical offices, a daycare and an assisted living facility.

John Markey, managing principal of Boca Raton-based JKM Developers, and Brian Terry, principal of West Palm Beach-based Insite Studio, gave council members a preview of their plans for 1351 South State Road 7 during a meeting Tuesday.

Lotus Wellington, as the development is called, is expected to feature 49,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 2,500 square feet of a bank with a drive-thru, 40,000 square feet of medical offices, 17,000 square feet of office space, a daycare facility for up to 210 children, 150 independent living units and 110 assisted living beds, in addition to the 191 apartments, according to documents submitted to the village.

The proposed project is north of the Wellington Regional Medical Campus. The hospital wants to put a surgery center and a pediatric unit at the development, Markey said.

The project will also feature 28.4 acres of open space with a lake, cypress preserve, dog park and greenway, according to the documents.

Robert Hicks, a resident of the nearby Black Diamond development, told the council he’s concerned about the effects of paving over wetlands on the site.

The rezoning would only affect 10 acres of the project yet to be zoned for mixed use. The rezoning request is expected to appear before the council for a second reading on Dec. 8.

JKM bought the development site in 2019 for more than $14.25 million, according to records.

Other proposed JKM developments include the mixed-use $30 million Tamarac Village, and 378 apartments and townhomes at the Cortina development in Boynton Village and Town Center

Other proposed multifamily developments in the Wellington area include Sheldon Rubin’s 348-unit multifamily project.