GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Public art, parking management and the return of events to downtown Green Bay streets were just a few topics that were covered at the 2022 State of the Broadway District Tuesday.
Executive director of On Broadway, Inc., Brian Johnson, tells FOX 11 it’s all in effort to revitalize the community and keep business and people coming in.
“To be able to announce some new projects in the works and pursue planning options is really exciting for us. All of this is catalytic based on a couple of things, the Shipyard, Leicht Park master plan, the Public Market, this is where people want to be right now.”
Johnson says residential housing is a focal point for On Broadway, Inc.
He says there’s more than 900 units that have been recently constructed or are under contract.
“Those are people who live here. They spend money here. They patronize your stores and your restaurants so hitting that critical mass is what’s really important for us.”
If more people move downtown, so do other amenities, which is how the idea of the Public Market came to fruition.
He says the space is a good first step to help create conveniences for the growing number of downtown residents.
“We’ve seen 50 new businesses come into the district. Those probably couldn’t succeed without people living down here.”
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich says yes, there’s some high price tags for the projects, but says its a fantastic investment all around.
“When you take a look at these investments, you have to understand that there’s a lot of private, as well as public investments. So it’s a real partnership between the private business community and the city of Green Bay and nonprofit actors here.”
Johnson says he’s confident that these community investments will capitalize over and over again and will give the Broadway District the appeal it deserves.
To see the full State of the Broadway District presentation CLICK HERE.
To learn more about the Green Bay Public Market project CLICK HERE.
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