The offer comes as the Village Council prepares for a final vote on the communities Mark Bellissimo wants to build in exchange for a new showground.
Palm Beach Post
WELLINGTON — A group of property owners in Wellington’s equestrian preserve says it’s ready to offer Mark Bellissimo $25 million to buy Equestrian Village and stop the development of The Wellington North, a luxury residential neighborhood and clubhouse.
The 11th-hour move comes as the Village Council prepares to vote today on a series of zoning changes that would allow Bellissimo to proceed with The Wellington North and The Wellington South developments in the 9,000-acre preserve, where growth is limited and high-density developments are barred.
In exchange for permission to build the communities, Bellissimo’s Wellington Lifestyle Partners has offered to build Wellington a new equestrian showground to replace Equestrian Village. It has said it will close the facility if the village denies approval of the two communities.
The move comes nearly 18 months after Bellissimo, who stages the Winter Equestrian Festival in the preserve each year, announced his third attempt to develop land he owns in the area. He has said Wellington risks losing its equestrian industry if the village rejects his plans.