A perfect marriage

Chippewa County mixes residential and commercial development

By Jennifer Pfaff

A construction crew places support beams on the side of Chippewa River Industries' new facility in Lake Wissota Business Park in Chippewa Falls. Photo courtesy of Chippewa River Industries

These days, 5,172 more people call Chippewa County home than in 2000, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

With more than a 9 percent leap in population in five years, the county comes in at No. 4 on the DOA’s list of fastest-growing counties in the state. With several major road projects in their final phases, the county is poised for a major commercial and residential building boom to meet the growth.

To help the process along, Chippewa County has transformed its former county farm site in Chippewa Falls into a major business park and traditional neighborhood community, said Charlene Coulombe, executive director of the Chippewa County Economic Development Corp.

The land has been divided into the 203-acre Lake Wissota Business Park and the 159-acre Wissota Green neighborhood.

“We have just broken ground on the first parcel in the business park,” Coulombe said. “Foundations are starting, and other properties are starting to be sold.”

Chippewa River Industries, a county-run production and packaging facility that employs people with mental-health disabilities, is the first company entering the park.

Two workers build a firewall between what will be Chippewa River Industries' new office and production areas. Photo courtesy of Chippewa River Industries

The company has traditionally relied on public funding, but those dollars are becoming more uncertain with each passing year. CRI’s long-term strategy is to increase its production to increase its earnings and reduce its dependency on government money, said David Lemanski, director of Chippewa River Industries. That means more space is needed.

The company plans to expand from its existing 15,000-square-foot space to a nearly 35,000-square-foot facility.

“It will help with our production, our storage space,” Lemanski said. “It will make it a safer work environment for our employees.”

The building will feature 3,800 square feet of office space and 2,800 square feet of break-room space. The remaining portion of the building will serve as a warehouse with 16-foot sidewalls, Lemanski said. Production lines will become linear, making operations more efficient and reducing the cramped workspace problems workers now encounter.

The building, designed by SEH Inc., Chippewa Falls, and being built by J&F Construction, Eau Claire, is entirely handicapped accessible and features extra emergency exits, wider walkways and a parking area that allows transit vans to drop off or pick up employees without competing with semi-trailers there to pick up or drop off products, Lemanski said.

CRI trains workers with many forms of mental-health disability to do jobs such as printing, packaging and landscaping. Lemanski said he hopes being in the business park will make it easier for his trainees to find jobs at other companies that might locate nearby.

Separated from Lake Wissota Business Park by a major road is Wissota Green, a traditional neighborhood community now under construction.

“If the rate of housing increase stays the same, it will take five to 10 years to fully build out,” Coulombe said.

Developer Sienna Corp., Minneapolis, decided to move away from the typical subdivision feel when designing the neighborhood. Wissota Green will feature a variety of housing, including single family, town homes and condominiums, in a wide array of sizes and price ranges, said project manager Larry Thompson. Most homes will be closer to the road than in many subdivisions.

About 670 housing units will be built along with an old-fashioned, Main Street-like area featuring small shops and restaurants, he said.

In addition to meeting state Smart Growth requirements, this type of development has proven marketable in other areas, said Bruce Hayhoe Sr. of Woods & Water Realty Inc., the selling agent for the project.

“There will be three access points to Lake Wissota, including a marina with 77 slips,” he said. “The Wissota Green residents will get first crack at those.”

The community also is being touted for its commitment to the outdoors. It features more than nine miles of trails within the community and neighbors a regional bike trail that takes riders to both Cornell and Eau Claire.

“We’re encouraging front porches, and we’re encouraging people to get out and walk,” Hayhoe said.

Wissota Green faced special challenges meeting stringent Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources storm-water regulations.

“The site is basically on a gravel pit,” Thompson said. “To do any wet ponds, we would have to line it with clay, and eventually that clay lining would leak. Our druthers are to work with Mother Nature, not fight her.”

Seven acres of rain gardens will help keep the neighborhood from generating new run-off, he said. The gardens use vegetation to soak up rainwater.

In addition, several parks within the neighborhood help Wissota Green maintain 30 percent green space, Thompson said.