In a series of meetings being held this week, the Wellington Village Council in Florida is set to take a final vote on plans that could dramatically alter the show facilities that host the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.

The meetings, which begin tonight and continue Wednesday and Thursday evenings, are a follow-up to meetings in November where the council gave a first vote of approval to the plans submitted by Wellington Lifestyle Partners. The plans were first unveiled more than a year ago and have shifted over time in response to concerns from the council, Wellington residents, and the horse show community. They include minimum requirements for what must be built on the expanded show grounds by 2028.

The council will take its second and final vote on land re-zoning and changes to the village’s comprehensive plan required to redevelop the land involved, as well as voting on changes to the village master plan that are required to build the facilities proposed on the expanded show grounds. Several members said in November that their continued support depended upon more information being provided.

[Editor’s note: Wellington International is owned by the Global Equestrian Group, which also owns The Chronicle of the Horse.]

What’s At Stake?

The proposal would more than double the size of the existing Wellington International show grounds. In exchange, Wellington Lifestyle Partners is asking to remove 96 acres from the village’s 9,000-acre Equestrian Preserve Area, established in 2002, a mix of low-density residential and commercial properties and equestrian competition venues, including the current home of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival and a grass derby field, and have that land re-zoned to allow them to build a higher-density residential development of 96 units with golf, tennis and other amenities.

The expanded show grounds would then host hunter, jumper and dressage competition. If Wellington Lifestyle Partners’ plan is approved and the promised facilities are built, all three sports would operate on one contiguous piece of property that is larger than the two current properties.

Wellington Lifestyle Partners wants the land rezoned to allow construction of two new housing developments—the one on the Equestrian Village property, which would be taken out of the equestrian preserve to be developed, and one adjacent to the existing Wellington International show grounds.

What Would The Expanded Venue Look Like?

The expanded Wellington International show grounds is proposed to include multiple competition, schooling and longeing arenas and feature a 3,000-seat, 206,000-square-foot stadium with retail, dining and other amenities, a derby field, and a separate compound for Fédération Equestre Internationale competitors.

The resolution being voted on details the minimum requirements for new amenities on the expanded show grounds to include the following, and construction of these amenities to be completed by the end of 2028:

• A 350-by-400-foot grass derby field and a 200-by-350-foot schooling area
• A 350-by-250-foot main arena with minimum 1,000 seats and 200-by-220-foot schooling area 
• Additional arenas suitable for three 20-by-60-meter dressage competition rings and three 20-by-60-meter schooling areas
• A minimum of 200 permanent stalls
• A 140-by-200-foot longeing area
• Five ringside shade structures for viewing
• A 150-by-250-foot covered arena

The expanded show grounds would also include two new entrances, an additional parking lot, and new and lengthened turning lanes. Proposals to improve traffic flow and consolidate venues to the southwest are intended to ameliorate traffic congestion at the intersection of South Shore Boulevard and Pierson Road. (Click here for the full map of the proposed expansion.)

Proponents of the redevelopment plan and expansion say it is necessary because the number of horses competing at WEF has continued to increase, while the venue simultaneously is seeing growing intrastate competition from the likes of World Equestrian Center in Ocala and TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City. Major improvements to Wellington International are required to maintain the facility’s standing as the premier winter equestrian competition destination, they say, and the proposed housing developments are the trade-off for acquiring the land necessary to build those improvements.

What’s The Status?

Since the plan was first unveiled in September 2022, Wellington Lifestyle Partners has repeatedly revised its proposal, reducing the number of residences in the proposed new developments and also offering to donate 59 acres to become a public park, if its application is approved.

At the Wellington Village Council meetings in November, the council voted 4-1 to approve the Wellington North development and change the zoning to remove that parcel from the equestrian preserve; Vice Mayor Michael Napoleone was the sole “no” vote. (Four votes in favor are required for approval.) The Wellington South development was approved by a vote of 5-0. However, several council members said their votes were contingent on securing more information and commitments from Wellington Lifestyle Partners.

The November vote was based on a “first reading” of the application; a second vote is required for final approval, and that vote will take place at the meetings this week.

The council also will vote on the details of the expanded show grounds (available here), including determining the proposal’s compatibility within its zoning district and considering an associated request for amendments to current zoning that would allow certain structures, such as the proposed 206,000-square-foot stadium, to be built up to 50 feet high instead of the current height maximum of 25 feet.

What Do Opponents Say?

One contentious part of the proposal is the removal of land from the equestrian preserve. Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee voted to recommend denial of the rezoning request last year in part over concerns it would create a slippery slope for removing more land from the preserve in the future.

The smart-growth non-profit 1000 Friends Of Florida placed an advertisement in The Palm Beach Post in October with a letter announcing that it was opposing the Wellington North development, which is on the parcel of land that would be removed from the preserve.

“Every time you make an exception to a promise that you’ve made for preservation, even if it’s a small exception, it weakens that promise,” Paul Owens, the group’s president, wrote in the letter. “At some point, it could compromise the designation and the preservation could collapse.”

Other concerns include the size of new facilities to be built and increased vehicular traffic.

Some Wellington residents were so angered by the council’s vote in November that they started a petition drive to recall the members who voted in favor: Mayor Anne Gerwig and council members John McGovern, Michael Drahos and Tanya Siskind. (Gerwig and Drahos are term-limited, and a March election will determine their successors.)

Where Can I Find More Information?

• Read the village council meeting agenda here; click on the links included for each ordinance or resolution to view all the supporting documentation.
• Watch via livestream here. The meetings start at 6 p.m. ET on Jan. 23, 24 and 25.
• View details of the expanded show grounds, as well as the two new proposed housing developments, here.