4 concerns downtown Green Bay stakeholders raised about 8-story high-rise plan

Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·5 min read
New Land Enterprises officials discuss plans for an 8-story apartment building in downtown Green Bay with nearby business owners, residents, property owners and churchgoers during an April 19 community meeting at the Brown County Library.
New Land Enterprises officials discuss plans for an 8-story apartment building in downtown Green Bay with nearby business owners, residents, property owners and churchgoers during an April 19 community meeting at the Brown County Library.

GREEN BAY - Downtown Green Bay business owners, churchgoers and residents for about 90 minutes Friday shared concerns and asked questions of the Milwaukee developer that wants to convert a parking lot into an eight-story high-rise.

New Land Enterprises expects very soon to finalize terms of a development agreement with the city of Green Bay to convert the Adams Street parking lot into 268 luxury rental units and 5,000 square feet of retail space. The project could cost as much as $70 million.

The firm presented site plan renderings to Green Bay’s Redevelopment Authority this month, which also gave downtown stakeholders their first look at what could be coming. On Friday, Downtown Green Bay Inc. convened a meeting attended by about 100 stakeholders, New Land officials, and city of Green Bay staff to discuss the details as they stand now and issues on the minds of the site's neighbors.

Many of those who spoke began with praise for the building's design before they shifted to questions about the new building's proximity to Spring Lake Church's downtown campus in part of the Baylake City Center building, the loss of the parking spaces, how access to downtown will be impacted during construction, and the impact on events like ArtFest that use the Adams Street parking lot.

Jeff Mirkes, executive director of Downtown Green Bay Inc., called the meeting productive because stakeholders shared what's on their minds while New Land got feedback as they finalize building designs and plans. New Land officials said some elements of the building cannot change, but that other parts could.

New Land Enterprises hopes to soon finalize an agreement with the city of Green Bay to build an eight-story, 268-unit luxury apartment building, seen here from the corner of Cherry and Washington streets in downtown Green Bay.
New Land Enterprises hopes to soon finalize an agreement with the city of Green Bay to build an eight-story, 268-unit luxury apartment building, seen here from the corner of Cherry and Washington streets in downtown Green Bay.

"We were not going to solve all of the issues during one meeting," Mirkes said. "Now, (New Land) has a good handle on what the businesses' and neighbors' concerns might be."

Here's a closer look at four of the key issues/concerns that came up and what answers we could find right now.

Downtown Green Bay businesses concerned by the trade-off of popular parking spaces for 400 new residents.

Several downtown business owners pointed out the 122-space parking lot where New Land wants to build luxury apartments is popular with customers for its proximity to their bars, cafes, boutiques and churches. There were also concerns about accessibility for people with disabilities.

Tim Gokhman, New Land's managing director, said the company's prior experiences in Milwaukee have shown the loss of parking spaces is offset by the increase in residential density that boosts overall traffic in the downtown area. He said the 268-unit project would potentially add 400 new residents to the heart of downtown.

"You're losing parking, but gaining about 400 new residents," he said. "The density that replaces the parking ends up boosting business traffic."

Additionally, the lot's 122 spaces represent a small fraction of the parking spaces available within a block or two of the site according to the results of a 2023 downtown parking study, which noted there is:

  • On-street parking on Cherry, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Northland and Pine streets: 244 spaces

  • Cherry Street Ramp: 801 spaces

  • Pine Street Ramp: 1,843 spaces

All on-street and ramp parking becomes free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and is free all day Saturday and Sunday. Green Bay City Council Member Brian Johnson during Friday's meeting said downtown has an overabundance of parking, but that it needs to be used and managed better in the future.

Gokhman also said the company is in discussions with city officials about whether they can designate some on-street spaces as specifically for people with disabilities to improve accessibility.

A rendering of a tentative eight-story, downtown Green Bay luxury apartment building shows first-floor townhouse rental units along Cherry Street. New Land Enterprises and the city of Green Bay continue to work on a development agreement for the project in April 2024.
A rendering of a tentative eight-story, downtown Green Bay luxury apartment building shows first-floor townhouse rental units along Cherry Street. New Land Enterprises and the city of Green Bay continue to work on a development agreement for the project in April 2024.

The Adams Street parking lot is Green Bay's 'last town square.' What will happen to events like ArtFest that rely on it?

Several people noted popular events like ArtFest use the parking lot for stage and vendor space. One person called the parking lot downtown's "last public square."

Mirkes said events that do use the parking lot now will continue to adapt as the central city develops and changes. He said Downtown Green Bay Inc. already started to look for new spaces and streets for such events to use if housing replaces the parking lot.

"We'll gladly find alternate locations," Mirkes said.

A tentative eight-story, downtown Green Bay luxury apartment building would include 5,000 square feet of retail space along Washington Street. New Land Enterprises and the city of Green Bay continue to work on a development agreement for the project in April 2024.
A tentative eight-story, downtown Green Bay luxury apartment building would include 5,000 square feet of retail space along Washington Street. New Land Enterprises and the city of Green Bay continue to work on a development agreement for the project in April 2024.

Will construction impact traffic and access to Washington Street and its popular restaurants, cafes, bars and boutiques? Will there be construction updates?

The construction project is expected to take 20-21 months to complete and the site's central location meant business owners and residents were concerned construction could close Washington Street or other key downtown roads to traffic. In a more general sense, people wanted to know how they could get updates as the project takes shape.

New Land officials said the group planned to stage construction crews along Adams Street and keep construction equipment and activity off Washington Street as much as possible.

Mirkes said he doesn't anticipate "any major interference for people who live, work or run a business in downtown" at this time and that Downtown Green Bay Inc. heard several requests that it keep stakeholders informed. He said the organization plans to help everyone stay informed about impacts and progress.

A rendering of a tentative eight-story, downtown Green Bay luxury apartment building seen from the intersection of Cherry and Adams streets. New Land Enterprises and the city of Green Bay continue to work on a development agreement for the project in April 2024.
A rendering of a tentative eight-story, downtown Green Bay luxury apartment building seen from the intersection of Cherry and Adams streets. New Land Enterprises and the city of Green Bay continue to work on a development agreement for the project in April 2024.

Spring Lake Church members have many concerns about the new development's impact on its congregation

The most-frequently raised questions involved the potential development's closest neighbor.

Spring Lake Church's entrance faces the Adams Street Lot and the new building's long, north wall would put the church's entrance along an alley estimated to be 15-20 feet wide. The congregation is concerned the alley could be even more narrow, that access to the church could be cut off during construction, and that the alley would be dark or unsafe.

Gokhman told the many Spring Lake members in attendance that New Land had already started to meet with Baylake City Center's condominium association of owners to discuss related issues. He also noted New Land plans to provide the alley space with ample lighting and programming like it did in Milwaukee's Black Cat Alley and is open to ideas about how to do so in Green Bay.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 4 questions, answers, on impacts of new 8-story Green Bay project