Nordic spa development floated for southwest Edmonton neighbourhood

The city is eyeing a proposal to build a nordic spa along the river valley in a residential area of southwest Edmonton.

Hospitality company Scandinave Group Inc., which operates four spas across Canada, is floating a possible new location in the Brander Gardens neighbourhood, on what's known as the Soaring lands.

The project still has to make it through a series of municipal approvals before anything is official. The city will collect feedback on a rezoning application until Oct. 17, and after city officials review results and make a recommendation about whether the project should proceed, a public hearing and council decision will follow.

The proposed spa would be designed "to blend in with the natural environment that exists at this location," similar to the company's other properties, according to a letter submitted as part of the rezoning application. The business would potentially include massage and sauna facilities, staff housing and food and drink services.

Its possible future location along the North Saskatchewan River was once home to Edmonton developer and philanthropist Sandy Mactaggart and his wife Cécile Mactaggart. They gifted their 1950s-era mansion and the surrounding grounds on the 10-acre site to the University of Alberta in 2010.

The university used the home for conferences and events until 2018, then closed it to the public and demolished the property, saying the institution could no longer afford to maintain it.

The partially forested land is now among the parcels up for sale or redevelopment through the U of A Properties Trust, a non-profit responsible for dealing with land "not central to its academic mission."

The organization is actively supporting the rezoning effort, according to the property trust website. If it's approved, the Scandinave Group will purchase the site and build on it, but if the rezoning fails, the U of A Properties Trust is planning new residential development.

A different developer called off a previous effort to build a nordic spa in Fort Edmonton Park in 2019, after failing to reach an agreement with the city and the park.

Hank Van Weelden, chief operating officer of Lum'ais Wellness, said the group behind that proposal is working on plans for another spa in Edmonton, unrelated to the one under consideration in Brander Gardens.

Community reactions mixed

Brander Gardens is in Ward pihêsiwin, represented by Coun. Tim Cartmell. He said like the local residents, he's waiting to hear more information about the project.

"I'm not endorsing it or favouring it, but it's an interesting proposal," he said.

"That's a wooded lot that is quite sloped that is not easy to develop into a residential crescent or property, so this matches nicely. But it would come with some traffic, and that space is not really designed for a lot of traffic."

People who live in the area have mixed opinions on idea so far, Brander Gardens resident Deann Stein-Hasinoff said.

"We already deal with a significant amount of influx of traffic because of the schools in the area, and with that we deal with usual driver behaviours of speeding and unsafe behaviour," she said.

There are four schools in the community, and the way Brander Gardens is wedged between the river valley and Whitemud Drive means there's just one main road in and out of the neighbourhood.

Glynis Milne grew up in Brander Gardens, and now lives in a home very close to the Soaring lands.

"It's going to be right outside my front door, effectively. But at the end of the day, I think this is a very unique, interesting approach for utilizing that land, and I think it respects the river valley as well."

A spokesperson for Scandinave Group told CBC News in a statement that the company is waiting for further key approvals before commenting on the project.

An open house for public engagement on the project is scheduled for the evening of Oct. 29 at the John Janzen Nature Centre.