SAUK COUNTY: Baraboo Bluff Hospitality LLC has proposed an $80 million development near the north entrance of Devil’s Lake State Park, featuring an 80-room hotel and 31 vacation villas. The plan has sparked significant local opposition due to concerns over environmental impact, increased traffic, and potential strain on infrastructure. A petition opposing the project has garnered over 3,000 signatures. The Baraboo Plan Commission reviewed the proposal in April 2025. The City Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 to move forward with revising the comprehensive plan and moving the project forward to the common council for rezoning.
There are still many steps for this to go through..meanwhile, what do you think?
Question: is this change good for Sauk and Devil’s Lake? Money to be made, forever changes at the site, the spiritual home for the Ho Chunk, and local challenges to infrastructure to manage through, as well as a historically unique ecosystem. Is this progress that could be embraced with enough controls in place?
Send us your thoughts and we will publish in the “Driftless Forum: Opinions and Discussion” and in upcoming issues.
Devils Lake Community Preservation Alliance is organizing the effort to stop the development.
Their email: dlcommunitypreservation@gmail.com