GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The longtime desire for a grocery store in downtown Green Bay could soon be filled.
A Maurer’s Market is being proposed as part of a $24 million project. It would be paired with 80 housing units on what is currently an empty parking on the 200 block of N. Monroe Avenue.
Maurer’s Market is Wisconsin based, with locations in Janesville, Wisconsin Dells, and Milwaukee. The Green Bay location would be 24,000 square feet and employ between 40 and 52 people.
According to documents submitted to the city, the grocer is family-owned and focused on smaller, full-service grocery stores that meet the unique needs of the area.
“So they will survey all the neighborhood in terms of what they want to see in the grocer and then they will put that in there as part of their business plan,” said Ted Matkom, the Wisconsin Market President for Gorman & Company, the developer for the project.
Downtown Green Bay is designated as a food desert by the USDA because of its lack of a grocery store. The need for a downtown grocer has been a topic among city staff for more than a decade.
“I’ve been trying to do one for about six years, looking at various sites and this was the perfect opportunity when it came along,” said Matkom.
The 80 housing units that would come with the Maurer’s Market would be a mix of 56 affordable units and 24 market-rate units.
Four stories of apartment units would be built on top of the grocery store. 10 townhomes would be built along N Quincy Street.
70 underground parking units would accommodate residents and a surface parking lot with 85 spots would be for grocery store customers and residents.
Gorman & Company is applying for $10 million in state tax credits for the project. The project is dependent on that money, according to the developer.
Kevin Vonck, the city’s economic development director, tells FOX 11 he’s optimistic.
“When you look at the WHEDA scoring, one of the things they look at is going into low to moderate-income areas and having other amenities, like a grocery store. It does this, so we think it will score really well.”
Gorman & Company plans to apply for the tax credits in December and expects to receive word on them in April.
The goal is to start construction in April 2021 and be completed in July 2022.
The city purchased the property recently from Associated Bank for $1.2 million.
Gorman & Company is requesting the city gift it the property and provide $800,000 in financial assistance.
“I think part of the discussion will be to negotiate terms of that incentive,” said Vonck. “Is it upfront? Can we work it on the back end? In essence, yes, there will likely be a $2 million investment in the project.”
A subcommittee of the city’s redevelopment authority recommended the city pursue the project on Tuesday.
The full redevelopment authority will take a vote next week, with a development agreement expected to be drafted before the end of the year for the full city council to vote on.
