GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The forces behind the proposed concert hall and restaurant for Green Bay’s Shipyard plan say they still haven’t decided whether they will proceed with the project.
The proposed Shipyard site on the western edge of the Fox River has sat empty for the last 30 years.
Green Bay economic development director Kevin Vonck says they hope to know by the end of the year whether the property will be staying that way.
“I know it’s the holiday season, but we’d really like to work to get some definitive answers so we can start putting the rest of the pieces of this puzzle together.”
The centerpiece of the puzzle is a $13.5 million plan to improve the waterfront and add parking to build a stadium.
For the past year, the stadium has been paired with an Anduzzi’s Restaurant and a concert hall from Festival Foods President and CEO Mark Skogen.
While the city council approved the plan Tuesday night, Skogen tells FOX 11 he is still considering putting his concert hall in Ashwaubenon.
“Green Bay has done a nice job to put this offer in front of us and we are now working to see what an opportunity in Ashwaubenon looks like for cost, location, parking, etc,” Skogen wrote in a message.
As for Anduzzi’s, city staff says it could end up being replaced with a different restaurant.
Staff says Anduzzi’s wanted a deal provision that allowed it to sell the new restaurant back to the city in three years if business wasn’t going as planned. The city did not include the provision in the deal it passed Tuesday night.
“Look, we’ve been loyal to Anduzzi’s,” said Vonck.
“They’ve been a great partner. They ran a great business. We’d like to give them the opportunity to move forward with the deal that has been presented.”
Breakthrough Fuel is looking at consolidating its downtown locations into a new world headquarters on property just north of the stadium site.
The developers behind the Metreau Apartments and the proposed Broadway Lofts also said they’d be interested in building more housing in the area.
Vonck says all of the interest is contingent on the Shipyard moving forward.
“They would also like to see other amenities for their employees or other amenities for their residents, so they’d like to see us continue to work towards those things.”
If Anduzzi’s and/or Skogen officially signs on, the city will move forward with its plan to start construction this summer, and have the stadium open for spring 2019.
