• Interstate 41 Corridor
Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Winnebago Counties
Thrivent plan for housing moves forward
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans could develop more than 2,000 housing units on the 580-acre site it owns on the north side of Appleton, according to a plan it submitted to the Appleton Plan Commission.
The plan commission approved the requested zoning changes for a mixed-use development that could include offices, commercial space, a variety of housing and extensive green space. Thrivent announced last year it would pursue development of the site as its needs for office space had changed. The site is located north of Highway 41 between Meade Street and Ballard Road.
There have been a series of meetings and Thrivent has sought community input as it continues to develop a long‑term plan.
The plans indicate that office space, including a new Thrivent headquarters building, would be located along Highway 41. Commercial development, which could include a gas station, grocery store and hotel, is planned along Ballard Road. The remainder of the proposed development as it is currently envisioned would include up to 300 single-family homes on one-quarter acre lots, 400 single-family homes in one-eighth acre lots, 120 townhomes, 220 garden-style apartment units and an additional 1,000 apartments in multifamily units.
Up to 30% of the property will be green space, including existing trails and designated parkland.
Most of the property previously had a commercial zoning designation. The proposal as it was presented indicates that the single-family housing at the site will border existing neighborhoods with one- and two-family housing. The multifamily housing is situated on the interior of the site.
State approves $101M for Cofrin Center at UWGB
The Wisconsin State Building Commission met at the Wisconsin State Fair and approved a total of approximately $262 million for projects across Wisconsin, including $101 million to replace the Cofrin Library on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The UWGB project was initially approved for $96.3 million by the Wisconsin State Legislature. The most recent increase was attributed in part to rising construction costs, increased costs for technology and higher estimated costs for demolition.
The project includes the demolition of the 187,700-square-foot Cofrin Library and replaces it with a 131,011-square-foot Cofrin Technology and Information Center. The new building will house the library, campus administration and UWGB’s departments of student success and First Nations education. The new building will feature sustainable elements like a green roof, solar panels and natural landscaping.
Project bids will be opened in January, and construction is expected to start in spring 2025 with completion scheduled for summer of 2027.
• The Northwoods
Florence, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto Counties
Nercon continues apprenticeships with Oconto students
Oconto High School students seeking to start their careers right after high school are preparing with hands-on experience in fields of interest while they are still in school.
“That was the philosophy that led us to partner with Oconto High School in the youth apprenticeship program,” said Nercon’s Vice President of Human Resources Steve Anklam.
Wisconsin’s youth apprenticeship program was launched by the Department of Workforce Development to help high schools throughout the state find willing employers to provide hands-on learning to high school juniors and seniors while receiving wages and school credits.
Nercon onboarded its first apprentice in 2016. Since then, five students have completed the apprenticeship program with Nercon and have gone on to careers within the manufacturing industry.
An additional four students are currently participating in the program and learning a variety of skills used in the production of conveyor systems, including fabrication, assembly, quality testing, crating and shipping.
“Not only are they learning valuable skills, but the students are also getting real-world experience for what it’s like to work in the manufacturing sector,” said Adam Timm, associate principal at Oconto High School. “This is a great way to determine if manufacturing is truly their career interest and to identify areas within manufacturing that they would like to pursue.”
In addition to this program, Nercon created the Excellence in Technical Education Scholarship for Oconto High School students. The scholarship is in honor of Aubrey Williams, a former Oconto High student and Nercon apprentice who died in a motorcycle accident in 2023.
SNBT helps Generations Bistro & Marketplace land $30,000 grant
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago awarded Generations Bistro & Marketplace in Green Bay a $30,000 grant through its partnership with The Stephenson National Bank & Trust, headquartered in Marinette.
FHLBank Chicago offers up to $30,000 through its Community First Accelerate Grants for Small Business program to eligible small businesses for the purpose of advancing economic opportunity in the communities it serves.
“We are incredibly grateful to Stephenson National Bank for their advocacy in securing this generous grant to help us complete our mission alongside Weiler Academy to foster a healthier community,” said Lukas Lipburger, founder and chef of Generations Bistro & Marketplace. “We sincerely appreciate SNBT’s unwavering support.”
“We truly value the partnerships we have with our customers, so we couldn’t be more thrilled that someone as special as Lukas and his team received this grant,” said Kendra Anderson, SNBT business banker. “It will make a huge impact on Generations Bistro & Marketplace as it continues taking shape. Plus, it is an honor for the entire team at SNBT to see this money be invested back into the community.”
Through FHLBank Chicago’s member institutions, like SNBT, Accelerate Grants assist the growth and development of small businesses in Illinois and Wisconsin. All grant recipients are small businesses that make differences in their communities, and funds are intended to support a variety of purposes, including purchase or improvement of property, equipment, workforce development and technology.
• The Lakeshore
Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan Counties
Grant to help fund Fish Creek Park expansion
The town of Gibraltar plans to expand its 27-acre Fish Creek Park by 125 acres and recently received $175,000 to purchase the land from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.
The grant program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, and the grant for Fish Creek Park is one of 31 recently awarded and one of 11 Northeast Wisconsin projects receiving funding.
Recipients for this year’s grants were recommended by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council, a governor-appointed citizen and governmental advisory group. The funds are part of Wisconsin’s federally funded Coastal Management Program.
The $1.3 million awarded in the recent round of grants is expected to leverage a total of $3.3 million in projects.
Sheboygan County EDC to invest in more housing
Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation started the process of investing in a third affordable workforce housing project.
The SCEDC submitted a rezoning request for 32 acres in Plymouth that will feature a variety of single-family homes and may include a lot allocated for other housing options available to third-party developers.
The project will be the third subdivision of the SCEDC housing initiative funded by the Forward Fund, which was created to address a workforce development barrier — the county’s lack of affordable entry-level homes. The Forward Fund was capitalized by generous donations of $2 million each from Johnsonville, Kohler Co., Masters Gallery Foods, Inc. and Sargento. In addition, Sheboygan County has provided $2 million in ARPA funds to advance the housing program.
The Forward Fund dollars can only be used for the development of entry-level, single-family homes. The project is being planned to start in late 2025 or early 2026.
The SCEDC and Forward Fund’s first project is Founders’ Pointe, a 54-home subdivision in Sheboygan Falls. The second development is the Founders’ Pointe Neighborhood, which is commencing construction this fall.
“The SCEDC is committed to helping both our communities and companies grow,” said Brian Doudna, executive director of the SCEDC. “The Forward Fund is designed to address some of the barriers in the current housing market that started during the Great Recession. Sheboygan County simply needs more single-family housing units that are available and affordable to area residents seeking to purchase a home and also to attract new working families who want to work and live here.”
• West Central
Green Lake, Marquette, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara Counties
ThedaCare opens behavioral health clinic in Waupaca
ThedaCare has opened a new behavioral health clinic at 710 Park Ave. in Waupaca to serve community members in Waupaca, New London, Manawa, Wautoma, Wild Rose, Weyauwega and surrounding areas.
The new clinic will offer various services, including substance use treatment, mental health therapy, outpatient psychiatry and group therapy options.
The new clinic will expand behavioral health treatment capacity and add additional providers, serving more people in the area.
“Renovating this clinic in Waupaca and repurposing it for outpatient behavioral health care was critical to meeting the needs of our community,” said Julie Meyer, director of ThedaCare Behavioral Health. “We now have expanded space to allow for bringing more providers to the area, expanding our hours and to offer group therapy options.”
The new clinic is the result of Waupaca’s Community Health Needs Assessment, which identified mental health as a top concern. To address the need, the report offered several recommendations. These included expanding behavioral health treatment capacity, opening a new behavioral health clinic in Waupaca and increasing the number of providers.
In addition to the new clinic in Waupaca, ThedaCare has taken several steps to help provide additional mental health care and resources.
