Wellington will hold annexation referendum

Landowners to vote on whether to accept offer

WELLINGTON — The owners of the 257 unincorporated acres along Southern Boulevard and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road will vote in March to accept or reject the annexation of their properties into Wellington.

The Village Council voted Tuesday, Jan. 16 to proceed with the referendum on annexing the land. If approved March 19 by the property owners, the village’s boundary would grow north, crossing Southern Boulevard for the first time.

“We should put this to the voters,” said Councilman Michael Napoleone during the meeting. “If they want to become part of Wellington, which they should, then they’ll vote that way. And if they don’t, they won’t.”

Robert Basehart, the village’s growth management director, told the council several properties near the 257 acres have been slated for urban development projects and the land would give Wellington the space to add residences and commercial businesses.

“The strip has been developing into an urban corridor,” Basehart said.

A group of residents who spoke in favor of incorporation say it will give them access to the village’s utility services, schools and development plans. Others raised concerns it would bring unprecedented density and construction to the rural suburbs of the area.

“It’s not an urban area,” said Nancy Gribble, president of the Fox Tail Property Owners Association, a neighborhood adjacent to the 257 acres. “We find the benefits don’t outweigh the loss to our equestrian community.”

The Palm Beach County Commission voted last December 5-1 to oppose the village’s annexation effort following a county staff report that concluded the land was not contiguous to Wellington and didn’t meet the requirements of urbanized areas required by state law.

The Wellington council is scheduled to hold a second and final vote on the annexation in February. Council members would decide on the land’s zoning separately.