Back to the drawing board for Wellington, Fla.’s Isla Carroll development

The developer of the proposed Isla Carroll development adjacent to the National Polo Center off 120th  Avenue South had asked for an delay of approximately 30 days on a vote, when it appeared in January that Wellington’s Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board was going to turn down its proposed project in the Equestrian Preserve.

But representatives of the Discovery Land Co. were not on the agenda for the PZAB’s February meeting. Tim Stillings, Wellington’s director of Planning, Zoning and Building, reported to the board that the developer was involved with a re-do of the proposal for a Planned Unit Development on the 79.171-acre property. The land is part of the Village’s Equestrian Preserve, where two-acre zoning is the norm.

The plan called for 35 houses on one-third of an acre, and five properties of 1.5 acres where horses could be kept, with room for a paddock, stalls and a sand ring.

An equestrian center would have a 24-stall stable, housed in a refurbished barn on the property, where rescue horses and retired horses would be housed. The ambitious undertaking called for them to be used for every equestrian pursuit from jumping to endurance, vaulting and dressage.
 The quirky plan presented to the Equestrian Preserve Committee, which unanimously voted against the project in January, and the PZAB raised concerns about its feasibility. There were many questions that went unanswered or received answers that appeared to be unrealistic.

“We have to be convinced this is an equestrian amenity and that this isn’t just a housing community with an equestrian label on it,” said  Michael Drahos, a PZAB member who formerly served on the Village Council.

Such comments prompted the developer to request a halt to the proceedings and ask for extra time to refine the plan. If it is resubmitted, it once again will have to be heard by the Equestrian Preserve Committee before it goes before the PZAB. Both panels are only advisory, however. The decision on any project is made by the Village Council.

Click here to read a previous story on Isla Carroll.