As the second phase of the Titletown development began to come to life, Charlie Millerwise, director of development and hospitality for the Green Bay Packers, admits he experienced a few moments of doubt as he watched the trend toward more remote work during the pandemic. After all, in addition to apartments, the newly completed phase of the project features a seven-story office tower.
“We found that not to be the case, and lucky for us, we’ve actually had really good adoption and interest in the project,” Millerwise says.
In fact, this past fall brought many big announcements for the office tower, including a new name: the U.S. Venture Center. Breakthrough, a division of U.S. Venture, is locating its new headquarters, the Breakthrough Collaboration Hub, on the building’s fourth and fifth floors, with move-in slated for early this year.
In addition to Breakthrough, tenants include professional services firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, which plans to move in after tax season, and Miron Construction Co., Inc.
“Serving as the construction manager for the U.S. Venture Center, our vision was always to become a tenant in this space. Operating in this space allows us to better serve our clients from a state-of-the-art facility in a convenient location,” says John Murphy, senior vice president of Green Bay operations for Miron.
The other major component of phase two is TitletownFlats, a seven-story apartment complex featuring 152 luxury units ranging in size from studio to three-bedroom flats. It began renting in November and has about 30 leases signed so far. Millerwise says he hopes the Packers’ playoff run will spur more interest and that he anticipates near-full leasing by the end of summer.
Ryan Lancour serves as project manager and civil engineer for raSmith, which has provided civil and structural engineering services to both phases of the Titletown development. As part of its work, the firm redesigned Brookwood Drive as a roadway going through the TitletownFlats and TitletownHomes parts of the development.
“If you saw the roadway before, it was a 45-foot-wide asphalt road with very little character or pedestrian access. The new roadway is completely different, where the buildings are up on the sidewalks and there’s pedestrian crossings,” he says, adding that it’s designed for both everyday and game day pedestrian travel.
Steve Roloff, a structural engineer for raSmith, says the scope of the firm’s work included site civil and design work, surveying and structural design for the podium slab and TitletownFlats. The podium slab includes underground parking below and the apartment and office buildings above, along with an outdoor entertainment and gathering space.
Titletown includes an additional 8 acres of developable land. Millerwise anticipates using the land for mixed-use commercial space as well as 30,000-plus square feet of additional office space.
The underlying goal of Titletown has always been economic growth and talent retention, Millerwise says. So far it has proven successful in drawing both businesses and residents. “I think it’s starting to bring Titletown to where we’ve been anxious to see it, with that density of folks who are moving into the district,” he says.
Business development booming
Eric DeKorne, business retention and expansion manager for the Greater Green Bay Chamber, says despite the pandemic, business expansions have been going strong since 2020, especially within the manufacturing sector.
That includes Georgia-Pacific’s recent announcement that it’s investing $500 million in an expansion at its Broadway mill in Green Bay. The manufacturer also is constructing a $50 million, 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center in De Pere.
Businesses seeking to expand may have trouble finding space to do so, with the vacancy rate for industrial space remaining low. DeKorne says the chamber is working with developers and builders to increase capacity and inventory. One win is coming in the form of a 100,000-square-foot spec building being constructed in Wrightstown. It will be the first such development in at least a decade.
“What that also tells us is that the market is understanding the demand,” says Kelly Armstrong, vice president of economic development for the Greater Green Bay Chamber, adding that if this one is successful, more could follow.
In addition, the Town of Lawrence board approved plans to build a five-story, 2.9 million-square-foot warehouse off Freedom Road. Trammell Crow Co., a national real estate developer based in Dallas, requested approval to build the distribution center on 110 acres of a 150-acre site.
With business growth comes the need for talent. As part of efforts to attract and retain residents to Brown County, Armstrong says the chamber is increasing support of the arts. The organization is working with arts groups to create a strategic plan to increase arts and culture funding.
“We need to make sure that support and that investment in the community is there for the arts and culture. It’s vital and essential for building out the community,” she says.
When the Mulva Cultural Center opens in downtown De Pere in 2023, it will go a long way toward creating more arts and culture offerings. Construction is on schedule for the 75,000-square-foot cultural facility. It will include a theater, educational classrooms, a gift shop, a specialty restaurant and event space.
Mike Van Asten, CEO for the center, says the facility will be able to host multiple exhibits simultaneously. The list of possibilities ranges from engagements like the Beyond van Gogh exhibition that was presented in Milwaukee last summer to traveling NFL exhibits.
People generally have to travel to large cities like Minneapolis and Chicago to see national touring exhibitions, but that’s poised to change. “Now we’re going to have that opportunity right here,” he says.
The community also is set to gain a resource with Brown County Library’s purchase of a new location for its east branch. The library bought a nearby building that formerly housed Titletown Fitness on Main Street. The new space is triple the size of the current facility.
The library plans to enhance its facilities, technology, access and programs. Brown County allocated $20 million for the project and is looking to raise another
$8 million through a naming rights campaign to fund upgrades in service, programs and technology at five of the library’s nine sites.
“The impact of the county’s important investment in the library will be experienced and enjoyed for generations to come,” Brown County Library Executive Director Sarah Sugden said in a release.
