Wisconsin Builder | City Lights | Opportunity Knocks

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Green Bay makes the best of what's downtown

Developers working land on both sides of the Fox

By Sean Ryan

Direct Development Inc., Green Bay, is handling the redevelopment of this abandoned armory into a 10-unit condominium in downtown Green Bay. The company released subcontractor bids early this month and will begin construction in August.

Rendering courtesy of
Direct Development Inc.

Both shores of the Fox River in downtown Green Bay are buzzing with construction and echoing with the promising knock of future opportunities.

"The opportunities are endless if you have vision and the eye to see the opportunity and make it happen," said Carol Karls, vice president of development for Direct Development Inc., a Green Bay developer and contractor that has worked 11 downtown projects in the past three years. "There's a lot of contractors eager for work. Green Bay is an excellent market to get into real estate right now."

Green Bay officials created a tax-incremental-finance district for both sides of the Fox River to lure developers into the downtown area, said city Planning Director Rob Strong. The plan is to renovate the older buildings in the district to increase commercial and residential units in the area.

"We'd like to see it be a more densely developed area with more activity on the street and more people downtown," Strong said.

"We've been able to work with developers to put them right downtown on land through the TIF. We just had three new buildings come up in the last six months."

So far, the plan seems to be working as developers concentrate their projects on Broadway Street on the Fox River's eastern shoreline and Washington Street on the opposite shore. Karls' company spearheaded the Broadway Street redevelopment with five different building renovations between 1999 and this year.

Most of the Broadway Street projects were $1 million to $2 million renovations of historic buildings to convert the first floor into retail with offices on the second floor, Karls said.

"Relatively speaking, our projects are still pretty small compared to the Lambeau Field renovation," she said. "There's a lot of value in renovating old historic buildings that you just can't recreate. We started out with a unique niche with historic renovations, and then from there we diversified our company. We've gone into doing some unique upper-end construction and also custom homes."

On the other side

Two nonprofit organizations, Neighborhood Housing Services of Green Bay Inc. and Urban Partnership Community Development Corp., are creating eight downtown apartments in this vacant Spring Water bottling plant. The groups are also funding the redevelopment of a nearby armory and auto-parts store.

Rendering courtesy of Direct Development Inc.

Across the river, Washington Street is the stage for four larger projects.

Milwaukee-based Harp and Eagle Ltd. is developing a $3 million, three-story County Clare Irish Inn and Restaurant. The Selmer Co., Green Bay, will begin construction next year.

County Clare's southern neighbor will be a 30,000-square-foot, $4 million office and retail building from Direct Development. Karls said they would pick a construction manager in July and begin construction before 2003.

Green Bay has reserved a site one block away from the office development for a $20 million to $25 million federal courthouse. U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, is trying to get planning money for the 63,366-square-foot building from the House Committee on Appropriations.

Development Associates, Green Bay, is renovating the Port Plaza Mall by adding a 20,000-square-foot food court and storefront improvements along Washington Street. The city will connect Washington Street to Main Street this summer so the roadway runs through the mall. Work should be complete in mid-October.

Strong said he has targeted two downtown locations, a vacant Boston Store and a 15-acre riverfront brownfield site, for future redevelopment. He said Green Bay still hasn't bought the Boston Store site, but it has made a request for proposals on the brownfield site.

"I'd still like to find us a major attraction downtown," Strong said. "It could be a huge art center or a recreational facility-something with large scale that would be enjoyable for the whole family. We've got a long way to go."

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