GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The city of Green Bay is starting to look at the possibility of buying the vacant former rail yard site below the Ashland Avenue overpass.
It’s about 30 acres of land that city officials say could “play a hugely critical role” in better connecting the city’s downtown and the stadium district.
From long grass, trash and homelessness, Canadian National Railroad’s old rail yard has been a source of problems since the railroad tracks were removed about a decade ago.
“It’s just a really blighted site within our community,” said Brian Johnson, the alderperson for the district.
Johnson is asking the city to check with Canadian National about whether it will sell the property for potential redevelopment.
Green Bay Economic Development Director Neil Stechschulte says it came up as part of other discussions with the company last summer.
“They certainly seemed to be open to the concept of working with the city of identifying a redevelopment concept at that point,” said Stechschulte.
“How would you fund it? I think there are a couple ways we could do that, but, obviously, that is undeveloped land, so we’ll figure that out,” said Johnson.
The process is being started at the same time the city and state are planning a study to design and construct a replacement for the Ashland Avenue overpass. A flat, at-grade, road is a potential solution being considered.
“That is usually a three, three-and-a-half year process just for the environmental review and then there is design and then there would be actual construction for whatever it would end up being,” said Stechschulte. “We could be looking at potentially a seven to 10 year process on that specifically if everything started right now.”
That likely means it could be a while before we see development of the old rail yard. Stechschulte says residential expansion and park space are top-of-mind options.
“I think really the sky is the limit in terms of this point, trying to evaluate what it might be, but it is a large section of land in an area of town where there really isn’t much land available,” said Stechschulte.
The city hopes to hear from Canadian National in the next 30 days.
Johnson wants the city to include property that used to include railroad tracks that ran between the old rail yard and Mason Street. The goal would be to potentially connect the Mountain Bay Trail to the downtown.
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