WELLINGTON TO VOTE ON PARK PROJECT, STARBUCKS
WELLINGTON — Wellington’s village council members have a lot to discuss tonight including Starbucks, medical offices, parks and road work.
A closer look at the packed agenda and how it affects you:
Village Green Center
There are two applications for the Village Green Center on the northwest corner of Stribling Way and State Road 7 — home to Trader Joe’s, Taco Bell, Comcast and PDQ, among others — that would allow the shopping center’s owners, Ward Realty of Wellington, to build a Starbucks and a medical office building.
Tuesday night will be the second and final hearing on a proposed amendment to the village’s comprehensive plan to allow for medical office space at the shopping center. A space just north of the plaza is for a previously approved office building, but with Cleveland Clinic opening this spring at the northern end of the shopping center, Ward Realty would like to turn that into medical offices. In a preliminary review Dec. 11, the council voted 5-0 to approve the request.
A bank has been approved for the southeast corner of the property but Ward Realty has asked that instead of a bank building, it should be allowed to build a Starbucks with attached space for a retail business.
Polo seasonal permit
A seasonal permit to have polo matches at Grand Champions Polo Club from Feb. 1 to May 29 will be up for a public hearing. All equestrian-related permits that are longer than 30 event days within a six-month period require council approval.
Greenbriar Park
A project to create more open play fields at Greenbriar Park, near the Wellington dog park and popular sand volleyball court, is being moved up to start this year instead of next. According to village documents, there is “an immediate need” for the fields.
If approved tonight, $2.5 million would be moved from a planned renovation to South Shore Park to instead begin the work at Greenbriar Park. The village plans to build four multi-use fields to the east of the dog park, with two storm water areas, additional parking and a facility with restrooms and concessions. The sand volleyball court will remain.
The Greenbriar Park work is estimated to cost about $4 million that will be spread over “multiple budget years,” according to village documents. This would come from the penny sales tax that voters approved in 2016.
Easement for intersection work
Work on the intersection of Southern and Forest Hill boulevards begins next year
so a proposed temporary easement to allow the Florida Department of Transportation to make the planned changes will be discussed.
The state-funded, $3.5 million project will add a third westbound left-turn lane from Southern onto Forest Hill, and a continuous rightturn lane from northbound Forest Hill onto eastbound Southern.