Latest news with #GreenBayCityCouncil
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rezoning historic Day Street Mill property comes into focus after Green Bay City Council approval
It's taken months of back-and-forth and waiting, but broad strokes of how the historic Day Street Mill property at 500 Day Street could be rezoned for downtown usage were crystalized July 15. The Green Bay City Council approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the property's expected buyer, Scout Development GB LLC. Its president, Chester McDonald, is also the owner of McDonald Companies that had indicated in April it intended to buy the land from Georgia-Pacific. The details outlined in the memorandum of understanding gave the clearest sense to date of the plans for the property and how its redevelopment will proceed. The effort is expected to significantly expand opportunities to grow the city's downtown along the banks of the Fox and East rivers. And though the adopted memorandum of understanding was only meant to show the city and Scout Development's intentions to cooperate in redeveloping and rezoning the 44.2-acre property, it also assuaged some transparency concerns previously raised by council member Alyssa Proffitt, whose district includes the Georgia-Pacific site. "There's a lot more in writing in front of us now than there have been up to this point, so I look forward to seeing what we see with the official application come November, if all parties agree to that," Proffitt said, referring to the Planned Unit Development application outlining finalized plans for the property anticipated to be submitted by Scout Development in November. According to the memorandum, the portion of land north of Day Street may allow for some light industrial uses. The land south of Day Street will be primarily for downtown use, though the memorandum stated some "industrial uses compatible with the City's vision for downtown redevelopment" would be allowed on specified areas, such as the site of the now-demolished WPS building. All land within 50 feet of the Fox and East rivers would be reserved for public access, including the possibility for an easement that would permanently guarantee pedestrian access and access to the water for recreation. The memorandum further outlined a tentative timeline of all that would happen to get the property ready before Scout Development officially bought the property from Georgia-Pacific. Currently, Scout Development GB is conducting due diligence on the property, according to the City Council agenda item. Immediately following the memorandum of understanding's adoption, both the city and Scout Development would immediately begin biweekly coordination meetings and start marketing the property to potential tenants. Scout Development would complete an environmental assessment by October. Then, by November, Scout Development will submit its Planned Unit Development application to the city, which would detail the kinds of commercial, residential and industrial uses and their layout on the property. Neighbors will be able to give their input on the proposed plans from November through December. Finally, in January 2026, the City Council will give its final decision on the proposed plans and Scout Development will have acquired the property. "All the goals are still the same and we feel we're moving in a very positive direction," McDonald said. A related rezoning amendment was tabled until the City Council's November meeting, which would have rezoned all of the 44.2 acres of industrial land currently owned by Georgia-Pacific for downtown use, allowing for a wide array of commercial and residential activities and following the recommendation from the city's Plan Commission back in January. Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. Contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@ This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Day Street Mill Georgia-Pacific property rezoning in Green Bay detailed
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's that under construction on West Mason Street in Green Bay?
Construction crews started site work in late May on what will become the Green Bay area's 24th Kwik Trip this fall. The Green Bay City Council in May 2024 approved a conditional use permit to convert the site into a convenience store. The popular, La Crosse-based convenience store chain subsequently in August 2024 paid $1.6 million for 2.8 acres in the 1000 block of West Mason Street. The site's three former commercial buildings were demolished last year. Green Bay property records indicate the city on May 14 issued a building permit for the new Kwik Trip with an estimated project cost of $1.5 million. Kwik Trip expects to complete construction this fall and set a tentative opening date of Oct. 24. This is tentative, though, dependent on weather and construction schedules. More Kwik Trip: What's happening at the former Citgo, Burger King site in Suamico? The new store will be about 9,000 square feet and customers can access it from entrances on West Mason Street and Gross Avenue. The company originally requested three entrances, but removed the Gross Court entrance after neighbors expressed concerns about it. Kwik Trip plans to install extensive landscaping on the site, including stormwater management facilities. It does not appear site plans include a car wash at this time. The new Kwik Trip at 1027 W. Mason St. will be the popular convenience store chain's 24th location in Brown County. The chain's 23rd location in the region is set to open this summer at 1535 Sunset Beach Road, in Suamico. Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@ Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: What's under construction on Mason Street on Green Bay's west side?
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jim Ridderbush replaces Chris Wery following tight Green Bay City Council vote
Jim Ridderbush is the newest Green Bay City Council member, replacing former District 8 council member Chris Wery after a 6-5 vote on June 10 by the 11 other council members. "Thank you for all your support, and I really look forward to working with this council and making it one of the best councils ever, as far as I can say," Ridderbush said in his first remarks as District 8 council member before moving from the public gallery to sitting between council members Ben Delie and Alyssa Proffitt ― where Wery had sat before resigning in May to take care of family health issues. Ridderbush's appointment to serve until April 2026 ― effective immediately ― marked the end of a long road for him to get on the City Council. He had campaigned against Wery in 2024 to represent District 8, and prior to that run, he had campaigned in 2018 to represent District 9, ultimately losing to council member Brian Johnson. Ridderbush is no stranger to politics or leadership, much like the opponents he was vying against ― Megan Borchardt, a Brown County Board member; and Mark Anderson, a former president of the Lombardi Neighborhood Association. He serves as the president of the Marquette Park neighborhood association and vice president of the United Food and Commercial Works Local 1473 labor union. He introduced former Vice President Kamala Harris at the Resch Expo during her first campaign visit to northeastern Wisconsin. When asked to present himself in front of the City Council, he leaned on those years of leadership experience and brought a PowerPoint presentation to make his case as a community-oriented collaborator and consensus builder. "I can talk to anybody," Ridderbush said. "I don't care what political spectrum you're on. I respect your opinion, and I hope you respect mine, and I like working to solve the problems for the city of Green Bay." For his district, he wanted to tackle long-standing speeding concerns along Ninth and Gross avenues, Ridderbush said, as well as traffic and safety concerns that would come with the new Kwik Trip development on Mason Street. In regard to the city as a whole, Ridderbush believed bureaucratic red tape could be removed to build more affordable housing options. He wanted to support city workers and "Keep young people, include minority communities, attract new residents and businesses," in order to "Expand our city's identity," according to his presentation. When asked by the City Council what his top three priorities would be in the city's upcoming budget cycle, Ridderbush shrugged and said, "Well, roads are probably the priority. Roads are one of the top ones. Yeah, I don't really know how to answer the rest of it." He would look to state legislators to secure funding for roads and infrastructure, Ridderbush said. When considering his vision for the city in five to 10 years, Ridderbush recalled a meeting he attended at Beaumont Park, where residents gathered to share what they wanted for the neighborhood. The plan that neighbors came up with was something Ridderbush would want to work with the city to execute, he said. Several council members asked questions relating to how candidates would handle criticism and disagreements on issues presented to the council from constituents, other council members or city staff. Ridderbush said he was willing to listen and have his mind changed. "Number one, you've gotta have thick skin," he said. "You've gotta be able to deal with conflict, and you've gotta be able to be the middleman, and that's what I do on a daily basis at my job; I'm a middleman between the workers and management, and I try to find [resolutions] for whatever the issues may be." Six council members put Ridderbush as their first choice when it came time to vote for Wery's replacement, just enough to secure a majority in the first and only round of voting. They were Jim Hutchison, Bill Galvin, Joey Prestley, Alyssa Proffitt, Ben Delie and Kathy Hinkfuss. Five others had put Anderson as their first choice. They were Jennifer Grant, William Morgan, Craig Stevens, Brian Johnson and Melinda Eck. No council member put Borchardt as their first choice to replace Wery. Ridderbush's first business as council member: to motion to adjourn the City Council meeting just before 9 p.m., approved unanimously. Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. Contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@ This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Jim Ridderbush replaces Chris Wery on Green Bay City Council
