SPARKS, Nev. — Residents of the master-planned residential neighborhood of Wingfield turned out in droves to a community meeting to voice their opposition to a plan to turn part of a nearby golf course into a housing development.
Hundreds of people packed the cafeteria at Sky Ranch Middle School in Sparks last week for a rally held by the Wingfield Springs Conservation Group. The public meeting was held to galvanize efforts to oppose Red Hawk Golf and Resort’s plans to build hundreds of homes on the golf course.
“The purpose of this meeting is to begin the process of organizing a community of individuals who have a very common interest in opposing this development,” said Brian Moore, director of the Wingfield Springs Community Association, which also opposes the project.
“This is not a golf course issue. This is a community issue. And I’m a golfer.”
Sparks City Council District 4 candidate Sean McCaffrey shared his thoughts at the Wingfield Springs Community Meeting held Thursday, March 12, 2026, in the Sky Ranch Middle School cafeteria. The meeting discussed a proposal to build housing on the Red Hawk Golf property.
Moore’s comments drew applause from the standing-room crowd, many of whom were not afraid to reveal whose side they were on.
The list of concerns voiced by participants included traffic congestion, safety and declining home values.
“As proposed, this project is fundamentally inconsistent with the needs and values of our city,” said resident Tom Ciesinski, part of the Wingfield Springs Conservation Group.
“Our community needs to come together and say no to this proposal in its current form.”
more: Red Hawk plans to build hundreds of homes on golf course
What does Red Hawk Golf Course offer?
Red Hawk’s application, filed with the City of Sparks on Jan. 21, seeks amendments to the Wingfield Springs Master Development Plan, as it proposes closing the Lakes Course for development while preserving the Hills Course.
Red Hawk said the move would reduce the number of holes from 36 to a “more manageable” 18 holes. In addition to closing the Lakes Course to build 606 homes, Red Hawk is also considering building an additional 158 homes elsewhere in the foothills.
Moore said 764 homes means more than 1,000 cars on roads that are already struggling to accommodate capacity.
“We have been discussing the current traffic situation on Vista and Sparks Boulevard,” Moore said. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
A school cafeteria filled with Wingfield Springs residents listens on March 12, 2016, during a meeting held to discuss a proposed plan to build 764 housing units at Red Hawk Golf Course.
Traffic issues were also among the concerns raised by resident Eddie Goenne at the meeting.
“There’s a lot of traffic and there’s a lot of kids,” Gonne said. “I’m worried about my children getting hit.”
Goenne also questioned whether the city has enough law enforcement personnel to handle such an influx of people into the Wingfield area.
For Red Hawk, the golf course insists its development plans are a matter of survival.
Redhawk previously noted that several golf courses in the region, including Reno’s Northgate and Rosewood Lakes, have closed, reflecting the industry’s downturn since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.
Red Hawk also noted that Wild Creek Golf Course and D’Andrea Golf Course in Sparks are reducing the number of holes, while Lakeridge Golf Course in Reno is considering building a boutique hotel on its property.
“Since the Great Recession of 2008, approximately 1,600 golf courses have closed in the United States,” Redhawk noted in its proposal. “This is due to several factors, including waning interest in golf, rising maintenance costs, and the need for land suitable for development.”
Red Hawk Golf Resort in Sparks, Nevada has two courses, one designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and the other by Hale Irwin.
Legal stakes rise in dispute between residents and Red Hawk
Some attendees expressed concerns about whether the development was a done deal, no matter what.
Despite the turnout, Goenne expressed skepticism that things would go the way residents opposed to the project wanted.
“Get everyone present and say, ‘Hey, it’s still going on,'” Gonne said.
“I know what role politics plays in things like this,” Goenne added.
Wingfield Springs residents listen during the Wingfield Springs Community Meeting held at Sky Ranch Middle School on March 12, 2026, to discuss a proposed plan to build 764 homes at Redhawk Golf Course.
Moore acknowledged that canceling the project was not easy. He confirmed that his group is taking further action on the proposed development.
“Let me tell you…the Wingfield Springs HOA has hired an attorney,” Moore said. “I think we all agree that the only way to defeat this is through legal means.”
Several of the people who played a role in deciding whether to approve the project attended the meeting.
Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson and City Council members Charlene Bybee and Paul Anderson were also seen in the crowd at the event.
Lawson said officials were limited in what they could say about the issue.
“If you ask me if I’m going to vote yes, I can’t answer,” Lawson said.
This issue is especially difficult for Sparks City Council members to address. They must balance residents’ concerns about the project with those seeking increased housing supply to curb soaring home prices.
Wingfield Springs residents react during a meeting Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Sky Ranch Middle School to discuss a proposed plan to build 764 homes on the Red Hawk Golf Course.
Decision makers also need to consider precedent set by cases such as the Badlands Golf Course housing development that the city of Las Vegas tried to block.
“Las Vegas lost the Badlands Golf Course lawsuit,” Lawson said. “It cost them $300 million.”
One thing Lawson confirmed is that the city hopes a decision on this project comes soon.
“For me, the best thing is to have all these people answer,” Lawson said.
“Whether it’s good or bad, you get the answer and then you can react. But having this problem hanging over your head for months and years is not the way to live.”
This article was originally published in Reno Gazette Journal: Wingfield residents fight golf course housing plan
