GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Amid heated debate last night, Green Bay City Council approved two of three major development term sheets.
Alderman Joe Moor expressed frustration to WLUK.
“I think it’s absolutely insulting that we can’t get development done in Green Bay because dinosaurs are killing everything.”
Moore’s comments came right after Alderman Guy Zima tried to refer back term sheets to redevelop East Town Mall and the next door former Cub Foods building.
“I think all of us would like to see the mall better utilized and folks come in there, but these people are asking for a lot of money.”
The council voted 7 to 5, declining the East Town Mall term sheet. Under the deal, the city would have kicked in $3 million for a New Jersey developer to turn the mall into a strip mall with larger box stores. The council is asking staff to renegotiate the terms of the deal.
But, on a 10 to 1 vote, the council did approve a term sheet to kick in $800,000 to turn the old Cub Foods on East Mason into three to five small box retail stores.
The council also approved a term sheet to build a multi-use downtown outdoor stadium on the western edge of the Fox River.
An Anduzzi’s restaurant and an indoor concert venue are also a part of the project, which would create a new entertainment district called The Shipyard.
Vern Stenman is President of Big Top Baseball, which owns the Green Bay Bullfrogs.
“I think we actually got some votes at the end of the day that we didn’t actually expect to be with us at the start. I think it shows the council’s flexibility and open mindedness to try to figure a project out.”
The term sheet approvals are not the final decisions for the projects. Development agreements also still must be reached, which means more heated council exchanges are likely to come.
The term sheet for the stadium project calls for the city to kick in $8 million up front.
The owners of the Green Bay Bullfrogs would pitch in $1 million, but would also repay $4.5 million through a 20-year lease with the city.
