Consistently ranked in the Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com, the City of Appleton continues to be one of the most desirable cities in the country. Affordable housing, safe neighborhoods and low cost of living contribute to its status, but something else to be proud of is the robust economy. The City of Appleton is constantly seeing development, events and more, especially downtown. While the center of the city continues to thrive, additional land is being annexed on the outskirts of the city to add to the much-needed housing supply. There continues to be great opportunities in our business parks, and many nationally recognized companies call the City of Appleton home.
Appleton is a hub for the arts. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center consistently offers a live performance for everyone, especially the favorite Broadway Series. Live music is also a way to identify Appleton. Each summer, Appleton is the host for Mile of Music — an all-original music festival that happens downtown. More than 200 musical acts perform at the 40 venues all thanks to the businesses that support the event. Sculptures and murals are another vibrant element that Appleton takes pride in.
Downtown Appleton
An exciting addition to downtown Appleton is the relocation of U.S. Venture’s headquarters into the historic 222 Building. Renovations are currently underway and are expected to be completed in 2026. This will bring more people downtown which will positively impact jobs, tax base and additional revenue for businesses and the parking utility. U.S. Venture also acquired various surface parking lots throughout the central business district that are required to be developed.
Trout Museum of Art has a new home on the first floor of the newly constructed building located on the southwest corner of College Avenue and Drew Street. This building was a partnership between the Trout Museum and Lawrence University. The new museum will feature three gallery wings, indoor and outdoor classrooms, artist-in-resident studios, lecture and community spaces, and a café. On the second floor, Lawrence will host academic spaces for humanities, mathematics, statistics and computer science programs. There will also be offices and studios for Conservatory of Music faculty. Finally, the last two floors of the four-story building will add market-rate apartments. Boldt Co. had the apartment units made off‑site, so the top two floors are completely modular which helped with costs and construction efficiency. The building will open October 2025.
The City of Appleton and Valley Transit are working with a private developer on the reconstruction of the transit center. The joint development team anticipates announcing the partnership in fall 2025. Funding for the transit center came from the BUILD Grant, which will reimagine the transit center as 14 covered bus bays, indoor waiting areas, public restrooms and a police dispatch station. Valley Transit and the Appleton Redevelopment Authority completed a transaction, where Valley Transit acquired a quarter acre lot immediately north of the existing transit center. This additional land will provide more space for the transformation of the transit center. The private developer is also planning to build housing above the transit center, some of which will be affordable housing.
Fox Commons, formerly known as City Center Plaza, is now re-opened thanks to a partnership between Dark Horse Development, Lawrence University and Mosaic Family Health, among others. The second and third levels of Fox Commons have classrooms and gathering spaces but mainly feature student housing for Lawrence University. The main floor commercial spaces are occupied by Mosaic Family Health, Prevea Health, Gener8or and Wild Goose Exchange. About 20,000 square feet remain for potential tenant space. Stakeholders and community leaders have sparked conversations of a potential food hall in part of the remaining space.
Merge Urban Development Group saw the completion of its mixed-use development, Urbane 115. Residential leases began in 2024 while 2025 was a big year for filling the commercial leases. Little Known Art House, Cloud Nine Beauty Lounge and Tomaso’s Pizza secured spots in this prime location. This is just the first phase of Merge’s development downtown. The former Blue Ramp site is expected to see a mixed-use development in a similar style.
The Appleton Public Library renovation was completed, and the library hosted a grand opening in February 2025. Attendance numbers are impressive, and the facility is getting a lot of attention. This project rounded out the recommendations that were made in the College North Neighborhood plan and has transformed the look of the neighborhood. Funding for this project included donations raised by Friends of Appleton Public Library and American Rescue Plan Act grant dollars.
Plan Appleton — comprehensive plan
Since downtown Appleton and the College North Neighborhood have benefited from sub-area plans, part of the 2025 Appleton comprehensive plan update is creating three more sub-area plans. Northland Avenue/Richmond Street, Wisconsin Avenue and South Oneida Street are the three corridors that are receiving sub-area plans. The City of Appleton has identified a plethora of infill development opportunities and is committed to working with property owners to create a vision for the future of these vital commercial areas. Another result of the comprehensive plan update will be future zoning code updates to ease the development process and offer greater flexibility. The comprehensive plan is on track to go to the common council for final approval in November 2025.
New opportunities for developers
South Point Commerce Park expansion is complete, which added 12, ready-to-build, light industrial lots in Appleton’s south side. The lot sizes range from three to 12 acres. There are unique amenities in this commerce park that make it attractive for employees such as sidewalks, proximity to 441 and nearby businesses, and the City of Appleton’s first conservancy. The conservancy is 30 acres of protected trees and wetlands that will eventually include recreation trails.
Thrivent Financial is beginning to execute its master plan of the 580-acre campus situated along Interstate 41 and Ballard Road, envisioned as a mixed‑use development with commercial and retail on the south side, transitioning to a mixture of housing types and recreational spaces to the north. The development plan has been split into phases and the first subdivision plat has been submitted to the city for approval. The infrastructure design will provide a major east/west connection: Evergreen Drive. This is the last major visibility off of I-41 in the Fox Valley, and the city is excited for the growth and business opportunities here that will serve the community. The city looks forward to next steps in the planning and implementation of this development.
CONTACT
Lily Paul, Economic Development Specialist •  Lily.Paul@appletonwi.gov
920-832-6463 • appleton.org
InDevelopment Conference 2025
Thrivent, Appleton • Tuesday, Sept. 16 • 2–6 p.m.Â
For event agenda and details on presenters, read the 2025 InDevelopment Report
