Is more development planned in the Wellington Equestrian Preserve area?

WELLINGTON, Florida – More and more developers want to build in the Equestrian Preserve in Wellington, a 3,600-acre area that was originally intended to be reserved for equestrian sports.

Village of Wellington documents show that developers McCourt Partners and Discovery Land Company plan to build a new residential neighborhood on the site of two polo fields. The project will include 40 single-family homes with a private equestrian club that will feature amenities such as a pool, golf simulator and petting zoo.

Wellington Village

The proposal comes after Wellington City Council agreed to build homes in the conservation area earlier this year in February, despite fierce protests against the proposal, which led to ten days of hours-long meetings with people crowding into council chambers.

One argument WPTV repeatedly heard from residents about this proposal earlier this year was that it would potentially leave the space open to other developers, ultimately eliminating space for equestrian activities.

Now residents’ fears may be coming true as another developer is trying to build homes in the Equestrian Preserve area.

“The first domino was touched when (city council) approved Wellington Lifestyle Partners’ (proposal) in February, and now we’re pretty quickly on two more,” said Maureen Brennan, owner of Wellington polo team Iconica.

Former Wellington mayor Bob Margolis raised similar concerns in October 2023, saying he believed the approval would allow other developers to buy and build on land in the conservation area.

“When you open the door, it remains open for others,” Margolis said.

WPTV contacted every current Wellington Council member and board member upon approval in February and we are awaiting a response.

If approved by the council, the project would result in the removal of 80 acres from the conservation area.

The village said there was no official comment on the precedent.