SURPRISING STUFF
There was a standing-room crowd in Williams Bay last week as the Village Board approved plans for a new resort along Geneva Lake.
Many residents are concerned about what the impact will be on their quaint community. Dozens of residents signed up to speak during the public comment section of the meeting. Residents are split down the middle on whether they want a resort to be built on the former George Williams College campus. Many in the community say the resort and club proposed by Chicago developer Topography don’t fit the character of this primarily residential community, while others feel it is the best option for the property that has been for sale since 2023. The Chicago-based developer, Topography, is hoping to buy the former George Williams College campus, in total, it is 137 acres.
The CEO, Liam Krehbiel presented plans for a small inn, nature preserve, retreat center, and an amphitheater. The developer is calling it “The Preserve.” Topography is under contract to purchase the 137-acre former George Williams College along the Geneva lakefront and plans to build a resort that would include an inn with 68 rooms, two restaurants, a retreat center, a 3,500-seat amphitheater, a racquet center with tennis and pickleball courts, a boathouse and spa. Rooms will start at about $800 per night. A suite will start at about $1,200 per night, and a cabin will start at about $1,600 per night.
While Krehbiel said initiation fees haven’t yet been set, they will be comparable country clubs in the Midwest typically have an initiation fee of $70,000 to $100,000 and annual dues of $8,000 to $15,000 per year. As a gesture to our neighbors, Williams Bay residents will be welcome to have dinner at the two restaurants on off-peak nights “when we can accommodate them”. Williams Bay residents will not need to be overnight guests or club members to have dinner at The Preserve. Is that really enough to persuade the residents to accept their grand plan? One wouldn’t think so.
The Village Board and Plan Commission voted to amend the village’s Comprehensive Plan, allowing developers to develop something other than an “institutional campus” on the former college campus. The project, however, still is a long way from being a done deal.
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