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ITEM: STAFF UPDATE ON TOWN CENTER CONCEPT
REQUEST: Staff will provide an update on the Town Center Concept.
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EXPLANATION: Over the last several months, staff has been working on various aspects of the Town Center Concept. In the course of developing concepts for additional amenities and improvements to the Town Center, staff has also conducted public meetings and other public engagement. Staff will present a summary of the Concept including some history as well as the conceptual plans evaluated to date and input received on those plans.
In the past four decades, Wellington has grown from a relatively new suburban planned unit development of just over 4,000 residents in mid-western Palm Beach County in 1980 to a great hometown and incorporated municipality of nearly 65,000 residents today. The forces that drove our development pattern for the past 40 years no longer exist. For years, local government has concentrated on making the community attractive through well-landscaped, master-planned, predominantly low-density residential areas, tight control of code compliance and amenities such as multi-use paths, best-in-class parks and superior recreation programs. Indications have cropped up showing that we may be out of step with emerging preferences. Young people are interesting in living much closer to activity. Similarly, baby boomers want to remain in Wellington but may desire other local opportunities as well. In light of shifting economic forces and lifestyle preferences, suburban communities across the state and nation are adapting. In response to changing preferences, municipalities are investing in walkable places that feature a mix of uses - a model that stands in stark opposition to the sharp separation of land uses that has defined suburbs for decades. We are looking not only at the needs of today, but at the anticipated needs of the community 10 and 20 years down the road.
In light of this changing landscape, we have loo...
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