APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Back in May, Thrivent Financial announced plans to consider selling and developing land surrounding their Ballard Road Operations Center in Appleton.
Those plans included making changes to the center itself. Officials are now asking for public input as they move ahead with development plans.
The 600-acre area of land just north of Highway 41 may one day have a much different look.
“We could dedicate perhaps a third of the land to nature and open green space. But we expect to see residential, commercial and office use,” Thrivent Director of Real Estate and Workplace Services Eric Merriman said.
Thrivent Financial officials like Merriman anticipate it may not be too far ahead.
“We expect to start working with the city really soon to come up with what a first phase of development might look like, but we expect the entire development to take 15 to 20 years or maybe even more,” Merriman said.
Before any development happens, Thrivent is asking for feedback by the people who will be utilizing the land.
So far, over 1600 people have responded to an online survey, which has helped shaped the draft.
On Monday, a community event was held for the public to see the design.
“I think it’s a great step in the right direction,” neighbor Vijay Krishna said. “We’ve got parks and we’ve got trails, senior living, mixed families, a little bit of commercial space. I think there’s something for everybody. Hopefully the feedback will be implemented.”
Krishna said he’s excited for what it has to offer. But there are still concerns.
“I’m concerned about the flooding and if they make this all houses and not farmland basically, where’s the water going to go?” neighbor Dennis Vosters said.
The goal is that worries like these will be voiced out and addressed before any changes start happening. And there’s also another piece to the puzzle: the future of the Ballard Road Operations Center itself.
“Our needs for office space have changed quite a bit,” Merriman said. “And so this has been an opportunity for us to look at how can we best serve our workplace going forward. So no final decisions have been made about that, but we’re working on it now.”
Thrivent employs about 1500 workers in Appleton. Company leaders have previously said they’re committed to maintaining a presence in the city.
Click here to learn more about the plan, or to provide your feedback.
Comments