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GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Fox Valley, including cities such as Appleton and Green Bay, this year rolled out a dozen projects that are reshaping its urban centers, industrial core and sports stadiums.
Those projects include renovations at Lambeau Field and recent investment in building Titletown, an entertainment and tech district dedicated to the Packers stadium — the latter of which team leadership credits for the NFL Draft coming in 2025. Housing projects persist as the Green Bay metro area issued more housing permits per capita than before the pandemic, according to research.
Eight out of ten Wisconsin metros issued more housing permits on a per-capita basis relative to years before the pandemic, including the Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh-Neenah areas, a Wisconsin Policy Forum report showed.
In Brown County, there were 3.40 housing permits per 1,000 population issued each year between 2021 and 2023, the report showed. Outagamie and Winnebago counties issued 3.90 and 3.25 housing permits per 1,000 people each year between 2021 and 2023.
In 2019, there were 1,130 housing permits issued that year in Green Bay; that number peaked at 1,408 in 2021, data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed. In June, there were 638 housing permits granted since the start of 2024.
Construction ongoing around Packers stadium, Titletown
The Packers are leading projects in and outside of Lambeau Field, including 220-foot by 48-foot video boards on the north and south ends of the field and upgrades to the concourse, according to a team video. Neenah-based Miron Construction crews were seen lifting supplies with cranes on different ends of the stadium.
The team will also carry out construction of a third locker room, Mark Murphy, president and CEO of the Packers, told The Business News. Murphy said he credited Titletown as one of the deciding factors for the NFL awarding Green Bay with the 2025 draft.
In Titletown, crews are wrapping up a two-story, 46,048-square-foot Titletown Fit on the Titletown Podium, just east of the U.S. Venture Center building, city of Ashwaubenon officials said. The project calls for a large fitness gym with space for a café, restaurant or retail use.
Boldt helps reshape downtown Appleton and urban Green Bay
Around 30 miles south of the Frozen Tundra, more cities on the Fox River are recreating their downtowns.
One such project is the Fox Commons in Appleton, a 180,000-square-foot mixed-use project reimagining the former City Center Plaza on College Avenue. The overall project is split into four contracts led by Dark Horse Development. Contractors included J.H. Findorff & Son and The Boldt Company.
The City Center Plaza was a mall in its original life and will be redeveloped into a mixed-use building, said Brad Hechimovich, a project manager for Boldt. The project calls for college dormitories, two healthcare entities and commercial space on the first floors.
Boldt is contracted for two of the four projects: The shell and core of the main building including exterior facades, and a buildout for Mosaic Family Health in the northeast corner of the complex, Hechimovich said. Findorff will build dorms for students attending Lawrence University, he added.
Further east on College Avenue, Boldt is building more student housing for Lawrence University and the future home of the Trout Museum of Art. Boldt will build a four-story, 120,000-square-foot mixed use building on the northwest corner of campus. The $38.5 million project will include modular living units that must be lifted onto the top story with a crane.
Back in Green Bay, On Broadway Inc. is renovating the former Broadway Center mall into a public market with restaurant tenants, similar to the public market in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. The organization bought the space in 2019 and Boldt is carrying out renovations. On Broadway has a capital campaign for $12.5 million, made up of mostly private donations. The market is expected to open to the public in April 2025, the same time as the NFL Draft.
Boldt also teamed up with Georgia-Pacific and Baisch Engineering for the recently expanded Georgia-Pacific Broadway mill. Dubbed “Project Cinco,” the $500 million expansion will bring around 100 jobs to the area.
Housing, offices and healthcare coming up in Fox Valley cities
From Allouez to Ashwaubenon, projects in healthcare, housing and education have either kicked off or are starting to wrap up.
At the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Immel Construction is nearing completion of a new residence hall for college sophom*ores. The $38 million, 100,000-square-foot housing complex will be named Cort Condon Hall, named after the chair of University Village Housing Inc. UVHI partnered with the university to deliver the sustainable project.
On the east side of the Fox River, Somerville Architects and Engineers broke ground on a 35,000-square-foot office building. The $12 million project is supported with tax increment financing from the village and has room for up to 60 employees. There are 47 people employed with Somerville currently. The project will be delivered by Immel Construction in 2025.
In Ashwaubenon, Bellin Health launched construction of a two-story, 75,000-square-foot youth clinic to host its pediatric primary care and psychiatric services, hospital officials said. The new building at 2550 S. Ashland Ave. will also be home to Children’s Wisconsin’s Ashwaubenon Clinic, serving kids and families in the northeast Wisconsin area.
The project team includes IEI General Contractors, Somerville and H.J. Martin and Son. The clinic will be delivered in summer of 2025, hospital system officials said.
The Promenade, a five-story, 172,571-square-foot apartment community, is under construction at 2305 San Luis Place, city of Ashwaubenon officials said. Project partners include Stevens Construction and Engberg Anderson Architects.
Geared towards people 50 years and older, the development is made of 83 one- and two-bedroom apartment units. Amenities include a heated outdoor pool, pickleball courts, fitness area, common spaces and indoor parking.
A new 16,500-square-foot Brown County Library branch will be included on the north side of the building facing Cormier Road, officials added.
Construction started in May 2024 and the building will be completed in July 2026, NBC 26 reported.
