Developer hopes for ‘hole-in-one’ with new Willows community development plan

Two years after a plan to build a $40-million Nordic hotel and spa at the Willows golf course community was defeated by city council, Dream Developments is trying again.

In 2003, the City of Saskatoon approved a two-phase concept plan for the Willows neighbourhood. The first phase in the eastern portion is almost finished, and now Dreams is hoping to amend the second phase of the  official community plan in the western part of the neighbourhood to allow for the hotel.

Coun. Mairin Loewen, who represents the area, said locals were very vocal in their opposition to the original plan in 2021.

“There were a number of themes that emerged from those discussions,” she said.

“One was the location of the spa relative to some existing residential areas in the neighbourhood. There were also concerns about traffic and other land use for potential other retail sites.”

Now, after what it called extensive consultations, community meetings and video conferences with local residents and stakeholders, the Saskatoon developer is putting a new plan forward.

According to a report that will be presented to council on Wednesday, the new plan has the hotel and spa moved away from residential areas to a new location in the western portion of the neighbourhood.

“Another (change) has been to remove the retail proposal,” Loewen said. “There was originally some small-format retail – things like coffee shops — and that’s been removed.”

Other changes include a shift in the location in some multi-family housing and a change in traffic access in the new phase to allow vehicles to get into and out of the area without using the existing roadway system.

According to Dream, the plan is also to reduce the golf course from 27 holes to 18. The plan also includes provisions for more sidewalks and the addition of traffic-calming measures.

Dream hired Martin Carlton Communications (MCC) in February of 2022 to get community feedback. Fourteen meetings took place last June and July at the Willows clubhouse and virtually.

According to MCC, concerns raised at the meetings included an increase in traffic volume in the quiet golf community and an increase in noise associated with the hotel and spa.

At later meetings, the report indicated that those who took part said they “support making the development more sustainable and that The Willows appears to be frozen in time and the shininess and the desire of it seems to have worn off. There was concern expressed that The Willows real estate has not appreciated as much as it should, given the lack of additional investment.”

Loewen said it was a useful exercise for the developer to have those conversations with people living in the community.

“I think what I’m seeing in terms of the feedback I’m receiving is this has addressed a number of the concerns that residents had. Of course there are still some outstanding questions and concerns with the proposal,” she said.

The new plan will be presented at a public hearing at 6 p.m.