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Wellington council approves rezoning and master plan for 71-acre ‘Wellington Village’; school hearing postponed
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Summary
The council approved rezoning and a master plan for the 71.27-acre Wellington Village (formerly Kpark), adopted conditions including traffic mitigation and a parking-monitoring clause, approved a hotel conditional use, and postponed the school conditional use to allow staff to finalize scholarship and monitoring language.
The Wellington Village Council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning and master plan for a 71.27-acre mixed-use project formerly known as Kpark, while postponing a separate conditional-use approval for a private school so council and the applicant can finalize scholarship and monitoring terms.
Council adopted Ordinance 2026-06 to rezone the site to a Multiple Use Plan Development and approved Resolution R2026-03 adopting the project’s master plan and project standards manual, both by 5-0 votes. The master plan designates a 43.76-acre institutional pod with a school, a 24.05-acre commercial pod that includes retail, restaurants, office space and an 180-room hotel, and approximately 215 multifamily units in two phases.
Why it matters: The approvals clear key land-use steps for a large, multi-phase development that requires extensive off-site roadway improvements. Staff and consultants said required traffic work must be completed before the site opens, and the plan includes mechanisms to prevent future shortfalls in parking and to protect adjacent neighborhoods.
Developer and neighborhood outreach: Ken Toome of Urban Design Studios said the applicant met with neighbors and received a letter of support from Oakmont Estates for the proposed school and its perimeter wall. Kevin Ryan of Related said his team has been negotiating with Castellina homeowners and expects a two-thirds HOA vote will be required for a small parcel of HOA land needed to build a roundabout. "We did have extensive meeting with not just the board members, but an entire resident group," Ryan said.
Traffic and parking conditions: Brian Kelly, vice president and traffic engineer with Simmons & White, outlined a package of off-site improvements that includes additional left- and right-turn lanes, widening Stribling Way, and other intersection work. Kelly said those roadway improvements "have to be done before this site is opened." Council also adopted Condition 39, which requires annual parking monitoring for 10 years and obligates the developer to build a parking garage within 18 months if monitoring shows an on-site shortfall.
School scholarships and postponement: Council pressed for binding language on scholarships and monitoring before approving the conditional-use for the school (Pod A). Jeff Clark, chair and CEO of the proposed school operator (Elevate Ed), said the project aims to "have a total of 100 scholarships available for Village of Wellington students," prioritized based on demonstrated financial need. Council members asked for precise, enforceable scholarship terms. The council agreed to pull Resolution R2026-04 (school conditional use) from the evening’s votes and postpone it to the Feb. 24 meeting so definitive language can be drafted and included in the conditional-use resolution.
Other votes: Council approved the conditional use for the Pod B hotel (Resolution R2026-05) 5-0.
What’s next: The council will consider the school conditional-use on Feb. 24 with proposed scholarship terms and monitoring language included as conditions of approval.
