GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay has a new vision for its proposed Shipyard District.
The project is still expected to cost about $10 million and will be paid for mostly through tax revenue generated from new construction in the area. The city is also pursuing a variety of grants.
The Shipyard District is the vacant land on the western edge of the Fox River, next to the Mason Street Bridge.
A great lawn for concerts and festivals is now proposed for where the City of Green Bay once envisioned an athletic field.
“I think to some extent the multi-use sports facility was a bit of a hangover from what was thought to be possible there,” said Eric Genrich, Green Bay’s mayor.
In late 2015, the Green Bay Bullfrogs proposed a baseball/soccer stadium for the Shipyard site. When the owners took the idea to Ashwaubenon and changed the Bullfrogs name to the Booyah, a multi-sport field with berm seating was proposed.
“After discussing it more with the public, they really felt we had enough in our community and really desired other places and other things,” said Kevin Vonck, Green Bay’s Economic Development Director.
The great lawn won’t take up as much room as a football field, and will allow for a larger container park, designed for entrepreneurs.
A dog park, beer garden, and a playground described as cutting edge have also been added. An urban beach, splash pad, and marina are also still part of the plan.
“It is dramatically different than what was first brought forward,” said Brian Johnson, the alderman for that represents the area where the Shipyard is located. “While some of the amenities might be similar, the overall layout and design is very different.”
Another factor in the city removing the athletic field is it could not find a main tenant to occupy it like it originally had with the Green Bay Bullfrogs.
“There are some other semi-pro teams in the area, but nothing really seemed to kind of fit the mold in terms of generating revenue or spectators in that area that really fit with what we wanted to see there,” said Vonck.
The city council will vote on the new proposal next week.
The goal is to have construction done for next summer.
The city is holding an open house for the new Shipyard plans during the On Broadway Farmers Market on July 17th. It is from 3 to 8 pm at the Old Fort Square.
Breakthrough Fuel is building a 40,000 square foot headquarters on the north end of the Shipyard District. Remediation of the site is expected to take the rest of the summer, with construction starting at some point after September 1st, according to Vonck.
