What we know as city review of downtown Green Bay 8-story apartment project begins

GREEN BAY - A Milwaukee-group’s proposal to redevelop a downtown surface parking lot into a 268-unit luxury apartment building will begin its public review this week.

New Land Enterprises proposed developing an eight-story building on a city-owned lot at 221 Cherry St., more commonly known as the Adams Street parking lot. The plans include first-floor restaurant space, on-site parking for tenants and a suite of high-end amenities.

The Green Bay Plan Commission at 6 p.m. Monday will hold a public hearing on New Land's proposal and then consider its request for a planned unit development to build on the site. The city’s Redevelopment Authority at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday will consider the development agreement terms, which would include any financial assistance requests from New Land.

The meeting discussions will likely be contentious. Enthusiasm for New Land’s proposal has been tempered by opposition from nearby property owners and downtown businesses.

Here’s what we know as the city's review of the proposal begins.

Where is the Adams Street parking lot?

The 122-stall parking lot is a 1.5-acre site bounded by North Adams, Cherry and North Washington streets, and the Baylake City Center building. The city’s Redevelopment Authority owns the property, so it has a current taxable value of $0.

City staff have called the site the epicenter of downtown Green Bay and a lot for which there is a better, more valuable use.

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich's office contacted Milwaukee-based New Land in early 2023 to see if the company would be interested in developing a mixed-use project similar to ones New Land built in Milwaukee that include the Ascent, the world's tallest mass-timber apartment building completed in 2022, and Nova, a 251-unit, nine-story high-rise completed in 2023.

Milwaukee group’s plan includes rooftop pool, pet spa and more amenities

New Land's development would include 268 apartments in the building with the top five floors of the building taking on a J-shape. Eight units would be two-story townhome rental with private access from Cherry Street, and eight other units would be two-story penthouse units with walk-out patios.

The first floor would include 4,900 square feet for a restaurant or café at the northeast corner of Cherry and Washington streets. New Land project details show an interest in expanding the sidewalk on Cherry Street to create an outdoor dining space.

The first and second floors of the building would also include 284 parking stalls for tenants.

The building would include a package of amenities for tenants that includes rooftop pool and resident gathering space atop the third floor roof, premium in-unit finishes, golf simulator, green roof, game area, a pet spa, fitness center and more.

What will the Green Bay Plan Commission discuss about the project?

The Green Bay Plan Commission meets at 6 p.m. Monday in Room 604 of City Hall, 100 N. Jefferson St.

During the meeting, the board will consider a Planned Unit Development, a zoning overlay that enables a little more flexibility in site design and innovative land use while also giving the Green Bay City Council the ability to establish reasonable conditions to mitigate any possible adverse impacts from the development.

New Land will ask for public funding for the project, but we don't know how much

New Land's project narrative submitted to the Plan Commission indicates it does intend to request tax increment financing (TIF) assistance from the city, citing high construction costs and high interest rates as creating a gap in the project budget.

It does not indicate how much New Land intends to request.

Green Bay Packers and city would relocate Packers Heritage Trail Plaza

The plan to develop a restaurant and cafe at the corner of Cherry and Washington streets means the city and Green Bay Packers would need to find a new location for the Packers Heritage Trail Plaza that currently occupies the corner.

The city and Packers continue to discuss a new, high-visibility location for the Heritage Trail Plaza.

Neighbors’ concerns include impact on church and apartments next door, loss of parking across the street, building design

Downtown Green Bay Inc. in April convened a neighborhood meeting with New Land to discuss the plans, ask questions and raise concerns. Downtown business owners and members of Spring Lake Church and the Gateway Collective, two owners of parts of Baylake City Center adjacent to the parking lot, raised several concerns, which New Land representatives tried to address.

Those concerns and responses include:

• The loss of the surface parking lot's 122 spaces, especially several spots for people with disabilities. New Land noted there are 2,813 more parking stalls within one block of the Adams Street lot, and said it is working with the city to designate several on-street spaces for people with disabilities.

• The impact on community events that use the Adams Street lot. Downtown Green Bay Inc. said it is working to find new locations for any events that use the lot.

• Construction will disrupt vehicle and pedestrian traffic to nearby businesses. New Land indicated it would stage construction along Adams Street and seek to minimize the impact on Washington Street and surrounding businesses.

• The building's potential proximity to the entrance to Spring Lake Church in Baylake City Center, the building adjacent to the New Land site. New Land's building will be set back 5 feet from the property line which would create a pedestrian walkway of varying widths between 5 and 30 feet between the two buildings, with an average width of 15 feet.

New Land indicated it hopes to work collaboratively with Baylake City Center tenants to develop the space between their buildings into an attractive pedestrian walkway for gatherings, art displays and landscaping.

It appears those concerns persist, though. A group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Green Bay on May 6 created an online petition demanding the city "pause" the redevelopment proposal until their concerns, many of which are the same issues highlighted during the April meeting, are addressed.

Development agreement includes additional project details and financial assistance

The development agreement up for review by the Green Bay Redevelopment Authority includes several additional details about the project's impact and cost:

• The project would create an estimated $38 million of new property value.

• The project has a total estimated construction cost of $55 million.

• New Land has requested creation of a new TIF district to provide financial assistance to the project.

• The city would sell New Land the parking lot site for $1.

• The city would provide a TIF loan of up to $8.5 million to New Land that would be repaid over 20 years using new property tax revenue the project creates.

• New Land also requested reimbursement of 95% of any remaining TIF property tax revenue the project generates after loan payments are made.

• New Land would need to complete the building no later than June 30, 2027.

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: Green Bay begins review of eight-story Adams Street apartment proposal