Posted: 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013
By Rhonda Swan
– Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
The Wellington village council approved two resolutions Thursday that will allow Mark Bellissimo and his team to hold year-round events at the equestrian village at South Shore Boulevard and Pierson Road but rejected a staff recommendation to require them to construct a left turning lane on Pierson Road. The vote illustrates just how much influence the billionaire Jacobs family holds over the council.
The Jacobs wanted South Shore Boulevard designated as the primary entrance to the site. The council obliged, 4-1, with Ann Gerwig dissenting.
Mat Forrest, executive director of the Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance and a local spokesman for the Jacobs family, told The Post Editorial Board that the Jacobs opposed expansion of the two-lane road because “it’s a rural equestrian area. It’s against what most people in the equestrian preserve want.”
Councilman John Greene used that bogus argument, too. “There’s a lot of people who are concerned about that,” Mr. Greene said Thursday. “I’ve gotten phone calls … I’m trying to prevent further litigation.”
Where were those people during the two meetings the council held on the resolutions last week? Representatives for the Jacobs were the only outspoken opponents to the turning lane.
Residents packed the council chambers to protest Mr. Bellissimo’s original plans for an $80 million equestrian village with a hotel. The Jacobs spent more than $500,000 to seat Mr. Green, Matt Wilhite and Mayor Bob Margolis, all of whom opposed the project.
The three killed the project by revoking approvals granted by the previous council. Mr. Bellissimo sued. The council then reached a settlement that called for him to hold off on litigation and come back with new proposals.
Mr. Bellissimo and his team spent 100 hours working with staff on the new applications. Staff and the village’s traffic engineer recommended the turning lane for safety reasons, and Mr. Bellissimo agreed to pay the cost.
Ms. Gerwig said she voted against the resolutions because she believes the turning lane is necessary. “To me it just doesn’t look like a safe situation,” she said. “I couldn’t support the project without that.” She noted that the recommendations would have made it safer for vendors and horse trailers that would primarily use the Pierson Road entrance.
The Jacobs didn’t get everything they wanted. The council instructed staff to study traffic once the events begin, and to revisit the turning lane if necessary. The council also did not eliminate all left turns on Pierson Road.
Still, the concessions they did get will benefit only the Jacobs family. The rest of Wellington loses.
Rhonda Swan
for The Post Editorial Board
rswan@pbpost.com