Schickedanz Building Group won the right to build 25 two-story homes in Wellington on vacant land that was previously set aside for equestrian uses.
The Wellington Village Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the rezoning of 10 acres of land by 50th Street South and 120th Avenue South. The developer’s attorney, Brian Seymour, told the council if they voted against the zoning plan, his client would have the right to pursue 201 apartments in buildings up to three stories tall under the state’s Live Local Act, so long as they included affordable housing. The builder could also construct a 75,000-square-foot commercial development or an equestrian operation with stables, a riding ring and manure processing facilities on land adjacent to single-family homes, he added.
The mayor and some council members expressed concerns over the latter development possibilities. Councilwoman Maria S. Antuña said the proposed single-family neighborhood is “the best outcome,” adding that it was better than developing the property as commercial. “We all know what Live Local does and what it will do,” she said.
So the new zoning will enable West Palm Beach-based Schickedanz to build a single-family home community called Islepointe, with each home priced at an average of more than $3 million, Seymour said. An affiliate of Schickedanz paid $4.5 million in 2021 for the property, referred to as the Pod O parcel by village officials, according to property records.
The rezoning is essentially an amendment of the 1,560-acre Orange Point Master Plan crafted in the 1980s and 1990s that gave rise to more than 750 homes at nearby Isles at Wellington and dozens of houses in neighboring Windsor Bay Estates.
After initially opposing the zoning change, homeowners associations for Isles at Wellington and Windsor Bay supported the project after the developer gave unspecified cash settlements to both associations and promised to enhance a 50-foot-tall berm between the future Islepointe and existing neighborhoods. The developer also agreed to not allow the homes to be rented out and to contribute $280,000 toward a new pathway outside Islepointe’s future entrance.
Support was not unanimous, though. A handful of homeowners in Windsor Bay still opposed the project. One, Brian Solomon, told council members the two-story homes would be too tall, and his view from his master-bedroom would be unobstructed if the height were limited to just one story. But Seymour said his client already agreed to scale back his project from an original 72 homes and would not consent to one-story homes.
Established in the 1970s as a community of polo fields, showjumping tracks and other equestrian activities, Wellington has garnered increased attention from developers and real estate investors.
Related Ross Chairman Steve Ross intends to acquire the village’s 70-acre K-Park site for $47 million to build a mixed-use development that will include 500 residential units, 180 hotel rooms and Wingrove Academy, a preK-12 private school for 1,700 students that will open in 2028.
In August, the village council OKed zoning changes for developer Mark Bellissimo’s Marketplace at Wellington project that will include an 80-room hotel, an 89-unit condominium and 117,000 square feet of commercial space.
That same month, the heirs of Anheuser-Bush paid $24.5 million for the 42.1-acre Palm Beach Equine Sports Complex, an equestrian facility built in 1979 with six riding arenas, 336 stalls, a 17-acre pond, a private lounge and apartments for staff.