Precinct K Landmark/Qualico Meetings with the Creek Bend Residents Association (CBRA) and Save Our Seine (SOS)
June 10 and 11, 2026
Sharper outlines of the upcoming DASZ subdivision and rezoning announced regarding Precinct K South are coming into focus. Like Qualico’s brand new Sage North (Precinct J) housing development project to the north, this will solely be a bedroom community. Don’t think “Live, Work, Play,” think of the older “Live, Play” model. Under the current proposal there will be no commercial or mixed-use zoning in Precinct K. Qualico says that this is solely due to the City’s cancellation of the once planned north/south CPKC Emerson Line bus rapid transit line (and certainly not to any competition with their nearby Sage Creek commercial centre.).
“Precinct K rezoning” is a bit of a misnomer, of course. The subject DASZ includes only the most cherry picked of the undeveloped properties remaining in the SE Winnipeg area, large vacant green-fields, with only one house still left standing in the entire area. Qualico’s silent partners, Waterfront/Terracon, are never mentioned. Qualico is the sole public face of this development. The other one-half of the Precinct K South lands, including important properties such as the Sampson Lands to the north and the Guertin Lands to the south, are barely mentioned. (Nor are the two school divisions or any potential future school sites.)
This week and next the DASZ proponents are talking to the CBRA, Save our Seine, and with local landholder/stakeholders. They will meet with the general public on June 24th in the sort-of nearby Southdale community.
Their hope is to submit their proposal to the City PP&D in late June/July and to the Riel Community Committee AFTER the civic election is held in November. They hope for final City council approval in December. The lengthy process needed for full approvals and land transfers should take 2 years.
While I have been wrong before, it looks as if there are currently no crops planted in the farm fields of Precinct K South this spring. If so, the rich river topsoil is not long for this area.
Qualico expects that, if market conditions allow, their subject lands will take 5-10 years to develop. (Note: It took 11-12 years for the adjacent Bonavista development to “build out.”)
Qualico considers Precinct K to be smaller than their Precinct J (Sage North) project.
Precinct K South Phase 1 will begin to the east right beside the gravel Melnick Road. A roadway entrance onto Melnick Road will be made at the time. If the City allows this new connection to remain, the current Melnick intersection at Warde Avenue will be permanently closed. This is dependent on the Aimes Road/Melnick Road at-grade railway crossing to the west being legally opened and completed, of course.
A second entrance option, a conditional roadway extension leading towards Melnick Road’s Guertin Lands (former driving range/school bus storage) is shown on the plans. The City has demanded at least one access point from the new community onto Melnick Road. (This roadway was not part of the original 2014 Precinct K approval.)
The anticipated Phase 1 roughly bisects South Bonavista north/south. It includes Waterside owned properties to the north and Qualico properties to the south. West of that line, there are Qualico properties to the north and Waterside properties to the south in the subsequent Phase 2.
It is still unknown if there will be a need for a Phase 3 (or even a Phase 4). Technical reports and market conditions may affect that decision. If so, the dividing line might be the CPKC Emerson railway line. Qualico solely owns the Smith Farm Lands west of the tracks.
Qualico says that the required land drainage system for their entire area, including two wet ponds and two dry ponds, would need to be constructed at the beginning of the project. Dry ponds are a newer concept currently in use in Qualico’s Sage Creek and Sage North. The Smith Farm Coulee daylighted land drainage concept has been abandoned as it would necessitate the removal of too many trees in the flood plain. The LDS drain will be constructed under the new east-west cul-de-sac to be built south of the coulee and enter the Seine River via an underground easement through one of their large new R1E Estate properties.
Qualico states that there may be an opportunity for a future Sampson Lands developer to the north to access both their dry pond and their Smith Farm LDS outfall. They state that the City will determine if they have to provide a land drainage pipe under the extended Southside Drive for them to connect to.
Qualico states that as the existing landowners south of Creek Bend Road (including Sioux Road West properties) have their own access to the Seine River they will have to provide their own water retention ponds if they wish to ever develop their lands.
When asked about the 3 still privately-owned properties located north of Creek Bend, Qualico stated that this is quite complicated, with the associated front-loading costs for over-sized services. They made no guarantee that those properties could acquire access to full City services through their lands, infrastructure and new streets.
Save Our Seine was promised that the 5-6 acres of Smith Farm riverbank forest would be fully protected. A proposed AT trail alongside the Seine River is not shown on any map as the developers and the City are still discussing where the AT route should go. Qualico minimized the need for a dotted line indicating where the trail will be located. Qualico does not anticipate an Active Transportation pedestrian bridge over the coulee being needed.
While a geodetic survey of the area was recently completed, Qualico has yet to analyze the results. Qualico anticipates that only a few trees will need to be felled at the planned LDS outfall location. Individual landowners/builders of the new residential properties adjoining the river forest, not Qualico, will determine what exact trees would be felled during grading and house construction.
When asked if the City had discussed extending Royalwood’s current Bois-des-esprits city forest boundary, south of the Warde Avenue right-of-way, with them, Qualico stated that their job is solely to deliver the mandated amount of public reserve lands as required for their future DASZ plan for subdivision and rezoning. Their unsaid response was that regional park planning along the Seine River is not their responsibility. Which begs the question, whose job is it to create a holistic plan that links Royalwood’s Bois-des-esprits forest, South Royalwood’s sensitive lands, and the Vermette/Sumka Forest south of the Perimeter Highway? This is concerning as Qualico already owns vast portions of the Vermette/Sumka Forest, land that will be developed in the next decade.
Environmental group OURS-Winnipeg was pleased that an existing tree stand in the NW corner of South Bonavista will be preserved after the City showed an interest in it. The City’s treed Four Mile Road ROW west of Evelyne Reese will also be retained to better negotiate with the CPKC regarding the future Warde Avenue railway crossing. Are they keeping the historic railway crossing permissions on Four Mile for horse trading?
The City will trade/sell its eastern-most section of the unbuilt Four Mile Road ROW to the developers. An AT connection to Melnick Road will be constructed within the new public reserve.
There is a sizeable public park planned in South Bonavista for athletic use (e.g. soccer or baseball field).
Qualico will not be purchasing the unbuilt north/south Sioux Road West Right-of-way found west of the CPKC tracks in South Royalwood. Federal railway setback regulations may have made the land less desirable for residential development. The land could be used for an AT pathway.
There will be only be 94 single-family homes and 12 townhomes (106 units in total) built in Qualico’s current Smith Farm Lands in South Royalwood. To save on expensive costs like the Southside Road extension this phase will be built last. If allowed, Qualico plans for Creek Bend Road to remain a gravel roadway west of their new Southside connection. They say this will discourage road traffic. WSP traffic studies indicate only 900 vehicles per day will use the ostensible “local road” after total buildout, less than the 1000 vehicle count “collector street” guidelines mandate. No traffic circle was ever contemplated for the Southside/Creek Bend intersection. (There are 2 new traffic circles planned in South Bonavista.)
Qualico had little if anything to say about the historic Creek Bend Estate residential area. It has no plans to service the area. The same applies to the Sioux Road West river lands found south of Creek Bend.
While a traffic study has recently been done by the engineering firm WSP, as there are still so many unknowns (St. Anne’s road twinning/Perimeter Highway flyover/Qualico’s Sumka Lands development), Qualico did not want to discuss increased road traffic within the Creek Bend community in any great detail. They certainly did not discuss a need for any new traffic lanes to be built in urban Creek Bend at their expense.
Qualico stated once again that this is not their final plan. Qualico encourages feedback from stakeholders right up until when their submission is made to the Riel CC in December.