GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay is preparing to unveil a revamped plan for its proposed Shipyard District.
When the Green Bay Bullfrogs announced in February that they’re moving to Ashwaubenon, the city had to go back to the drawing board for its Shipyard project.
On Tuesday, the city will unveil what it came up with to the Redevelopment Authority.
Per the project’s development agreement, an athletic venue is still the centerpiece of the proposal to redevelop longtime vacant, 16-acre property next to the Mason Street Bridge.
However, Green Bay Alderman Randy Scannell tells FOX 11 plenty has changed from the previous plan that included baseball and the Green Bay Bullfrogs.
“It’s a plan that will get the ball rolling. It’s got a lot of nice features to it and it has the potential for growth.”
The $10 million plan includes an artificial turf field for soccer, football, rugby, and lacrosse.
There would be grass berm seating to accommodate 2,000 people for sporting events. Concerts, festivals, and other community events could hold 8,000 people.
“A little more natural, laid back, but if a bigger team comes in, wants to do a stadium kind of thing, the potential is there to do that,” said Scannell.
Like the old plan, the new one includes a public path, along with a floating dock for boaters and an accessible kayak launch.
New for this plan, an urban beach, children’s playground, and splash pad are included.
Scannell also says permanent and/or seasonal structures will also be on site that entrepreneurs will be able to use to test out their business possibilities.
“The idea was just to have a small area for people, like if someone wants to start an ice cream shop. We want people to be coming down from Broadway.”
One thing the new plan doesn’t have is a partner to help pay for the project.
In the old plan, the Bullfrogs were going to kick in more than $4 million with a lease agreement. As it stands now, the city would kick in $9.5 million of the expected $10 million price tag.
“There are other options out there and there are other pro leagues if you will that are out there that I think we can garner,” said Mark Steuer, the president of the city council.
The city is counting on a $500,000 grant from the Professional Football Stadium District Board for the project, but the board could still try to pull that grant back now that the proposal has been re-tooled.
The city’s Redevelopment Authority takes up the project’s development agreement on Tuesday.
The city is also still planning to spend $1 million to upgrade homes in the neighborhood west of the Shipyard site if the project moves ahead.
