Shipyard: Waterfront amenities take center stage in $11 million park proposal

Jeff Bollier | Green Bay Press-Gazette

Show Caption Hide Caption It's all business to Streetwise Green Bay Press-Gazette business reporter Jeff Bollier, aka Streetwise, wants to hear from you with news on new businesses, openings, closings, expansions and improvements. You can contact him at jbollier@gannett.com. March 14, 2018.

GREEN BAY - If you wonder what a "container park" is or what an urban beach on the Fox River might look like, check out the revamped Shipyard plan city officials unveiled Tuesday.

Six months after the Green Bay Bullfrogs weighed anchor for Ashwaubenon, Green Bay Economic Development Director Kevin Vonck laid out the city's new vision for the site east of Broadway and north of Mason Street.

The city's Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday endorsed the $11 million project and supports the city's proposal to borrow $2 million this year via a tax incremental financing district to pay for property acquisition and a comprehensive design for the 13-acre site. City officials said the project would not require support from general property taxes if future development attracted to the area by the city's work can generate $30 million in new property value.

There are a few remnants of the city's original vision for the area in the new plan, including its $10 million cost. But the focus has shifted from carving out space for private developments and a baseball stadium to creating space for startup retailers and developing riverfront amenities that could match or exceed those found along CityDeck.

"We want to extend the city to the waterfront," Vonck said. "We wanted to look beyond baseball games and develop a plan that can showcase our local identity. It's important that there's nothing else like this in Northeast Wisconsin."

The baseball/soccer stadium with seating for more than 3,500 has been scrapped in favor of a field with seating berms for 2,000 people for a sporting event. The space could handle 8,000 people for a concert or festival.

The field still has the interest of the Green Bay Area Public School District for sporting events and it also has caught the interest of soccer, football, rugby and lacrosse leagues and club teams in the area. Vonck also said the field even could be converted into a skating rink for hockey during winter, furthering the goal of attracting vendors and visitors to the area all year.

A "container park" made of old shipping containers would be developed north of the athletic field to serve as concession spaces and retail shops. Vonck said the aim would be to lease the containers to an even mix of food, beverage and retail users.

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"We see it as an entrepreneurial zone," Vonck said. "It would be open to help get small business owners or someone with an idea in here so they have a way to start up without making a huge investment."

The plan also sets aside at least 50 feet of river frontage along the length of the parcel for an urban beach with umbrellas and sand, a splash pad, a multi-use trail, transient boat docks and a playground.

"I think this could make the west shore of the Fox River as exciting as the east shore," RDA Chairman Gary Delveaux said.

Green Bay Alderman Brian Johnson said the one fault he found with the project was that the new athletic venue wouldn't bring thousands of spectators to the area as originally hoped. He liked everything else he saw, though.

"It maximizes access to the riverfront and it is not tied to other commercial developments," Johnson said. "We have the opportunity to show this is a quality of life amenity that has the potential to pay for itself. This is a great plan. It will prop up the neighborhood in a way it desperately needs."

The $10 million budget would be split up among three major areas:

$1.2 million for land acquisition this year.

$800,000 to pay for designs for the field, trail, container park and waterfront amenities.

$8 million for cleanup and construction in the area.

$1 million for revitalization efforts in the neighborhood west of Broadway.

The city has budgeted $9.5 million for the project, which means it still expects to receive the $500,000 grant the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District previously approved for the site when the Bullfrogs intended to move there and operate the venue.

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Little mention was made of private developments to which the Green Bay City Council tied prior efforts to finance the stadium.

Vonck said several developers of commercial and residential projects remain interested in parts of the site, though specifics on private investment north of the boat dock were not provided.