Controversial Flying Cow Ranch proposal resurrected in Wellington
A controversial proposal to blend two well-known Wellington ingredients — airplanes and horses — in one community is back after being put on hold for several months.
The Flying Cow Ranch project would build single-family homes on large lots with the option for barns or hangars, all on a 150-acre property just south of the Wellington Environmental Preserve and west of the wealthy Palm Beach Point equestrian area.
Landowners Mark, Timothy and Patricia McCarthy recently reactivated their applications, which put four requests before Wellington:
■ Change the future land use for the smallest piece of the property from Palm Beach County conservation use to Wellington residential “B” to allow for homes to be built.
■ Extend Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Area to include the smallest parcel. The other two parcels already are included.
■ Add proposed Flying Cow Ranch public and private trails to the village’s equestrian trails master plan.
■ Receive approval of a master plan to allow 30 residential units, a clubhouse, the extended airstrip, hangars, barns, a recreational area and a tie-down space for airplanes.
The property sits southwest of Wellington’s Aero Club community, a point opponents of Flying Cow Ranch questioned when the project was before the village’s Equestrian Preserve Committee and Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board last fall.
Both meetings turned contentious and lasted several hours as board members and residents questioned the project’s purpose and location.
The proposed site for Flying Cow Ranch is a tree farm with an unpaved, little-used 1,800-foot airstrip registered with the Federal Aviation Administration as Loxahatchee Airport. Plans include extending that airstrip to 4,000 feet, and Aero Club representatives told both boards they feared increased air traffic would lead to dangerous situations above residential areas.
Flying Cow Ranch has been on hold since late last year as the property’s owners sought more time to meet with residents and review concerns about safety and noise.
That included requesting an FAA assessment on any possible conflicts in the flight paths between the two airstrips. The FAA determined earlier this year that extending the airstrip “will not adversely affect the safe and efficient use of navigable airspace by aircraft.”
All four applications are expected to go before Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee at its Aug. 1 meeting, and before the Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board on Sept. 12, planning, zoning and building director Bob Basehart said. The applications could go before the council in October, he said.