Save Our Wetlands & Preserves at Wellington Green

Fellow Neighbors, we stand today at a crossroads with our local government, who seem poised to greenlight the destruction of Wellington's last remaining wetlands, at the request of but a handful of developers. Surrounding the gateway to Wellington near Forest Hill Blvd and State Road 7 / US 441, these wetland preserves are our essential frontline to safeguard our very way of life.

On Tuesday, March 9th, at 7PM, The Village of Wellington Council will meet at the Municipal Building, 12300 Forest Hill Blvd., to decide whether to save these wetlands as environmental conservation or to allow their destruction. On Thursday, March 11th (time and location TBD) the South Florida Water Management District will also meet to decide the fate of these precious Wetland Preserves. Will they remain Conservation Land or will they become Commercial/Residential Land open for development? We need you to attend these meetings and/or write the councilmembers to say NO to the destruction of our preserves!

These wetlands refresh our aquifers and gift to us the water we drink, they sequester carbon and clean the air we breathe, and they serve as VITAL mitigation for the drainage and containment of stormwater as our last line of defense in tempering storm surge flooding. Lastly, they provide lush wildlife habitat for small mammals, reptiles, and a documented 35 species of native and migratory birds and must be protected at all costs.

In the late 1990's, in exchange for the right to build our Wellington Green Mall, Brefrank Inc (the mall's developer) entered into a comprehensive binding agreement with the South Florida Water Management District, to maintain in good faith, through obligation and duty, to FOREVER, preserve two "Conservation Easements" totaling +40-acres of Remnant Wetlands and Cypress Habitat Preserves (the bare minimum which was required to adequately maintain proper drainage necessary for the mall's master plan development). Just 20 years later, retail vacancy is at an all-time high. The mall is marked with empty retail, closed anchor department stores, large-scale outparcel storefronts and restaurant spaces, some of which have been closed since 2012 and are destined for demolition, all in an uncertain economy. In short, mall retail on the +460-acre former Northern Everglades site, is failing. Yet the original developer is back, with a request to change the lawful zoning designations of the conservation easements, to residential/commercial, with formerly submitted plans for 185 additional Axis Rental Apartments and a 12,000sf restaurant (atop the 2 Natural Preserves).

Just across the street, between the Wellington Regional Hospital and Smart Stop Storage, JKM Developments proposes an additional +60-acre mixed-use project, that if approved will feature 191 residential units, medical offices, a daycare and an assisted living facility.

Residents and Neighbors, Wellington has reached maximum land-use capacity, and this will drastically impact our already bad traffic congestion into and out of Wellington. Should development be allowed to continue, it should ONLY be through the urban-renewal and reclamation of older dilapidated properties; it should NOT any longer be over surviving Wetlands, Preserves, or Conservation Easements which provide necessary Habitat for Wildlife, Tree Canopy Forestry and much needed Stormwater Mitigation Banks.

We implore you to join our fight and help insure the survival of these last remaining Wildlands. Please SIGN & SHARE our urgent Petition www.ThePetitionSite.com/338/258/518, leave us heartfelt comments, and submit "Letters to the Editors" of our local newspapers urging an immediate "Stop" to these developments. Please contribute to our GoFundMe Fundraiser https://gofund.me/33fc8036 to assist us with associated legal defenses required to save these wetlands and conservation easements for our future generations. Sign onto and Join Us "Officially" as Local and National organizations. Find Us on Social Media, Like our Facebook Fanpage and Join our Facebook Group. Together, we can save our Community from over-development.

Sincerely,
Palm Beach County Environmental Alliance
PBC Environmental Caucus of Florida
Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group
Wellington Garden Club
Lake Worth Waterkeeper
And Others