Aside from routine, procedural items the council is set to consider, there are also several requests from developer Mark Bellissimo on the agenda — which are sure to spark lengthy debate among some council members and residents who come to speak.
The board’s meeting starts at 7 p.m. at village hall, 12300 Forest Hill Blvd.
Here’s a breakdown of some issues to watch for:
- Special-use permits for equestrian events: There are three of these on the agenda — one for The Ridge and two from Bellissimo’s Equestrian Sport Productions, which put on both the Winter Equestrian Festival and Global Dressage Festival.Read more here on why Bellissimo’s permit applications could be contentious. The conditions on the Global Dressage permit are the same as last year, village staff said. In regards to the request for WEF, village staff is recommending approval for the extra traffic access points but denial for additional temporary parking because of drainage issues that would occur without improvements to the site off Gene Mische Way.
. - Changes to CountryPlace development: This is the other Bellissimo-related item, as his business entities are responsible for developing the 958-acre subdivision south of Pierson Road. Bellissimo is seeking to add additional traffic access points to the west side of CountryPlace by way of 40th Street, to better accommodate traffic to and from the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. But the request is prompting a broader debate about traffic patterns in the equestrian preserve. Read here and also here for more information on this topic.
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Councilman Howard Coates plans to recuse himself from this discussion based on a proposed advisory opinion from the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics (which should be approved Thursday). Two clients for Coates’ law firm are property owners in CountryPlace, creating the potential for a conflict of interest.
. - Rental licenses and fees: Council members are set to give final approval to an ordinance change that would require rental licenses for all single-family homes in Wellington, as well as eliminate all license and inspection fees in lieu of a $50 fee that would be triggered only when a property needs to be re-inspected. Read more on that here.
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If you can’t attend tonight’s meeting in person, you can follow my updates on Twitter, or watch the meeting on Channel 18 or online at www.wellingtonfl.gov.
