DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – 2025 is expected to bring noticeable progress to a $90 million investment into downtown De Pere.
Design work has been taking place for four to five new buildings that will transform the downtown’s skyline on the property where Shopko used to sit on North Broadway.
Shopko closed its doors nearly six years ago and the 60,000-square-foot building was cleared away a little more than a year ago.
This spring, the first replacements for the big box retailer are expected to start going up.
“It will change the landscape of De Pere,” sad De Pere Mayor James Boyd. “There’s no doubt about it, but we’re grateful they’re here. We’re grateful they’re doing it and as of now, we’re accepting the changes and we hope the residents do as well.”
De Pere 230 Development Partners LLC will first build a five-story, 60-unit apartment building with first floor retail space along an extended William Street at the property’s northeast corner.
“We tried to intentionally keep this building at five stories to try to maintain some sort of transition to the neighborhood behind us,” said Jason Tadych, the project’s developer, who was also the developer for the nearby 102 on Broadway apartment building, which is also five stories.
A five-story, flag-branded hotel with 90 rooms will be constructed at the corner of Wisconsin and James Streets.
“There’s a need for apartment and housing units and there’s also needs for hotel rooms as well,” said Boyd. “Obviously it’s something they saw and they’re going to go for it.”
The hotel was originally planned to go along Broadway, but the developers say they moved it to be closer to the public parking ramp, which is expected to have more than 200 stalls.
“I think we have sufficient parking as is, but we know we’re going to need more,” said Boyd. “You’re looking at all the units coming in. We’re looking at the retail, the mixed-use office space, etc. We’re obviously hoping this will satisfy that.”
The developer tells FOX 11 the northwestern corner of the property is still being finalized whether it will be one or more buildings. When conceptual plans were first revealed in summer of 2023, seven and six story buildings were penciled in.
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