A development proposal on the Isla Carroll property featuring a country club, a 10-stall barn for use by residents and a polo field was turned down by the Wellington Village Council this week. The count was 4-1, with only councilwoman Tanya Siskind voting in favor.
This was the second reading for the concept. Although a previous iteration eked out a 3-2 approval from the council on first reading in January, both Mayor Michael Napoleone and Councilman John McGovern, who reluctantly voted in favor of the plan, indicated they would not vote for it on second reading without changes. They wanted the project to be fashioned more in keeping with requirements of the municipality’s Equestrian Overlay Zoning District.
The original plan for the property presented last year called for using a 24-stall stable on site for animals that included rescue horses and offered a wide-ranging group of disciplines. After the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board indicated it would reject the project, it was withdrawn.
It returned as a Planned Unit Development with forty 0.43-acre homesites, a country club with a gym, restaurant and pool, and a polo field, one of two currently located on the site.
Under an agreement between property owner Frank McCourt, one of the founders of the show jumping Global Champions Tour, developer Discovery Land Company and the U.S. Polo Association, the latter would pay a $1 annual fee for a 45-year lease of the field (with a 10-year renewal option).
In this week’s presentation, it was reported that 13 of the homesites had been deleted from the plans and there would be four, two-acre lots suitable for those who want to keep horses on their property.
But even with the addition of the 10-stall barn, the mayor said the internal focus of the project is “the country club…not the 10-stall barn.”
McGovern noted “improvements have been made,” then added “we’re closer, but we haven’t gotten there yet.”