Connecting the waterfront, nature trails and the Fox Cities’ increasingly vibrant downtowns is a slam-dunk trifecta, say leaders in Neenah, Menasha and Kaukauna.
Perhaps the highest-profile example of this can be seen in Neenah’s efforts to renovate the 30-acre Arrowhead Park site on Little Lake Butte des Morts west of downtown, which the city has owned since 1951 but long leased for industrial use. The site has presented myriad challenges and the project has been a long time coming, says Neenah Director of Community Development and Assessment Chris Haese — but the potential for the location is exciting and finally being realized thanks to the leadership of Mayor Jane Lang, who last year formed a community task force and hired the firm RDG Planning & Design to move the effort forward.
“Like most projects, there’s a lot of work that happens before you get to the really shiny parts,” says Haese, adding that he anticipates reviewing the RDG plan “at any moment” and that he expects work on the so-called shiny parts will begin quickly following release and review of the plan this spring.
Haese says construction of the 3.5-mile Loop the Lake trail in Neenah and Menasha, which opened in 2018, laid the foundation for the Arrowhead project, which he describes as “a rare waterfront opportunity in the Fox Cities” and “really the next extension of our downtown.”
“I think a lot of people share the view that we hope to create an asset, an attraction if you will, that’s valued not only by Neenah, but the broader Fox Cities and even beyond,” Haese says.
Menasha Community Development Director Sam Schroeder says connectivity and waterfront are also key in his city, where the new Racine Street Bridge and the housing developments at Harbor Lofts and Discovery Point opened last year and The Brin housing project is expected to open soon. Schroeder says nearly a dozen new businesses have opened or are set to open in downtown Menasha in the last 12 months alone, all bolstering Menasha’s community promise as “Your Place on the Water.”
Schroeder says the $4.5 million reconstruction of the city’s Water Street corridor is a key piece of economic development work to advance that promise.
“That is a complete reconstruction of the street, of the shore wall, and then adding a new trail connection from the [Menasha Lock] and the trestle trail into the downtown,” Schroeder says. “[We want] to keep that waterfront public.”
Menasha’s Water Street Corridor Plan envisions a canal walk, canal wall, seating wall, a linear park, a multi-use trail and more. Schroeder says the plan leads into what officials continue to hope will be a re-opening of the Menasha Lock, which was closed due to invasive species, and the implementation of a long-term river management plan.
In downtown Kaukauna, Mayor Tony Penterman says two new businesses recently opened: Hex Meadery wine bar and TAQ Brewing. Construction will begin next month on a 2nd and 3rd street pedestrian “alley activation” project to create space for food trucks, live music and community gatherings, says Lily Paul, associate city planner. Paul also says Kaukauna will begin reconstruction on its Wisconsin Avenue seawall and boat dock this summer.
Meanwhile, progress has been slow on the $38 million, 3.4-acre Dreamville Kaukauna apartment project downtown as the developer has struggled to secure funding. Ground was broken in November, and as of press time construction was expected to re-commence in the spring, according to Penterman.
Other noteworthy developments in the Fox Cities include:
- In January, ThedaCare celebrated the completion of its $100 million modernization project at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah, which Haese says is a critical investment in Neenah’s future.
- Industrial expansions and renovations in Neenah include projects at Galloway Companies, Rollmeister Inc. and Edgewater Door, which is constructing a new facility and plans to break ground this spring. In Kaukauna, Straightline Refrigeration has broken ground on a 24,000-square-foot expansion and Tann Corporation on a new 52,000-square-foot facility.
- Kaukauna is making significant enhancements to its Commerce Crossing neighborhood, adding 142 acres to the Commerce Crossing Business Park and constructing the 175-unit Legacy Creekside housing project in the district.
- Single-family home construction continues at Inside the Park Place, a 40-acre parcel on Kaukauna’s south side that was acquired by the city through foreclosure. Citywide, Penterman says 96 new single-family residential homes were constructed in 2023.
- Also in Kaukauna, development is underway on a new 76-room GrandStay Hotel as well as The Reserve, which is a $55 million independent living/assisted living/memory care community.
- Schroeder says a forthcoming $8-10 million renovation will create the “library of the future” in Menasha; construction is expected to begin this summer.
- Schroeder says Menasha is also set to invest roughly $6.5 million in Jefferson Park, including new pavilions and a softball diamond and additional trail connections, over the next two years.
