A rendering for the proposed Shipyard area on Green Bay's near west side. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – About eight years after development was first proposed for a riverfront property that has sat empty for decades, progress is being made at Green Bay’s Shipyard site.
The work comes as the city has officially been awarded a $5 million federal grant for phase 2 of the project.
A $1 million federal grant has also been awarded to cleanup environmental concerns across the street at the former home to Badger Sheet Metal, which could be home to a more than $60 million housing project.
Floating docks, a fishing pier, kayak launch, and riverfront promenade should all be ready to use next spring at Green Bay’s Shipyard, according to city officials.
Those amenities are part of the first phase of construction, which carries an $8.9 million price tag. $1.6 million of that went toward site remediation.
“It’s something that has been talked about for a long time,” said Tony Wiltgen, the owner of White Dog restaurant, which is a few blocks north of the Shipyard on Broadway. “You know what I like is the approach is very mixed, very modern. You need people, you need things for people to do and it can’t just be packing people close together and then just overdeveloping whatever business wants to be there.”
Construction on phase two of the Shipyard is expected in 2025. It will include a great lawn, dog park, urban beach, and an adventure playground.
Matthew Buchanan, Green Bay Senior Economic Development Specialist, says the cost of phase two construction hasn’t been determined.
The city council has approved borrowing $12.6 million for the public portion of the Shipyard. City officials say they haven’t had to borrow that much yet after being awarded $7.3 million in grants.
Any money that is borrowed will be paid back using tax revenue from new development in the area, which city officials note would have never come without the investment in the Shipyard.
“This project will really just give the community, the public, access to the Fox River in that neighborhood,” said Buchanan. “It will provide amenities we don’t have anywhere else in the city of Green Bay or really the region.”
The neighborhood will be getting more populated with construction of 225 apartment units expected to start north of the Shipyard next year.
The city also remains in negotiations with developer Impact Seven to bring 238 apartment units across the street on the former Badger Sheet Metal site.
“It’s been stalled but with this additional $1 million coming from EPA, we’ll hope to see a project moving forward there as early as next year possibly,” said Buchanan.
“There’s going to be more residents, which can mean more businesses and even though they’ll be competition, competition is great because this area is becoming more and more of a destination,” said Wiltgen.
There is tentatively a third phase to the Shipyard, which would include a beer garden and container plaza. Old shipping containers would be home to temporary or seasonal businesses.
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