BH Group is buying a shuttered golf course in Wellington that was a source of controversy under a previous owner, developer Glenn Straub.
Aventura-based BH, led by Isaac and Liat Toledano, is under contract to acquire Wellington’s 150-acre former Polo West Golf Course for more than $20 million, a source familiar with the transaction told The Real Deal. The firm has no immediate plans to redevelop the golf course, the source said.
The sprawling site at 2470 Greenview Cove Drive has been fraught with controversy and failed redevelopment attempts.
Veterinarian Scott Swerdlin, who owns Palm Beach Equine Clinic, bought the golf course from Straub for $16 million in 2019. Straub’s struggles to win redevelopment approvals led to years of neglect, frustrating residents whose multimillion-dollar homes overlooked the once-pristine greens, published reports state.
Straub blamed the village of Wellington and Palm Beach Polo Property Owners Association for his decision to cease property maintenance of the golf course. Village records detailed 73 municipal citations issued to Straub between 2003 and 2019 for property upkeep, building permit issues and other violations.
In 2022, Swerdlin attempted a land use amendment to pave the way for new housing, proposing up to 125 single-family homes, but the plan failed to gain traction, village records show.
BH has one of the most active real estate investment and development pipelines in South Florida. The firm and partner Gold Standard of Care recently picked up Sterling Aventura, a 171-unit senior living facility in Aventura, at a deep discount of $36.9 million. The joint venture paid Blackstone $12 million for Sterling Aventura. In 2017, Blackstone paid $48.9 million for the property.
Also near Aventura, BH and Lennar are redeveloping a shuttered 104.3-acre golf course into Greenview at Presidential Estates, a luxury 103-single-family home community.BH is also collaborating with other developers such as the Related Group, Dezer Development and Kolter Group on luxury condominium projects across South Florida, including a planned Ritz-Carlton branded tower in West Palm Beach.