Green Bay Correctional Institution (Fox 11 Online)
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Village of Allouez has a vision for what it wants to do with the property Green Bay Correctional Institution sits on, so will those plans come to fruition now that Governor Tony Evers says he has a plan to close the maximum-security prison?
It’s been nearly seven years since a conceptual plan was unveiled, showing what’s possible if the 126-year-old prison were to close.
“Once I see the governor’s signature on a budget and that’s included, then we hit it running,” said Allouez Village President Jim Rafter.
Rafter says the 50 acres GBCI sits on, along with 14 acres of DNR land across Riverside Drive along the Fox River, could be a community within a community. He sees future development of corporate offices, commercial space, housing, retail and entertainment.
“That is probably some of the most valuable land in Brown County right now to develop,” said Rafter. “We expect it to be a compliment to what’s going on in other places in Brown County — Titletown over to the west, downtown Green Bay, and now down in Allouez.”
Even if a plan to close the prison passes, there’s a few obstacles standing in the way of Allouez’s plan. Most importantly, the land belongs to the state.
“We’ll figure that out,” said Evers when asked what he would like to see done with the property and whether he’d be willing to transfer the land to the village. “That’s the minor part of this. It will be closed, there’s no question about that.”
The prison campus includes 16 buildings. Seven of them have historical significance, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s website.
That includes the main building and the 22-foot high concrete wall prisoners built more than 100 years ago.
“There are examples of taking buildings like that, throughout the world, and turning them into very special developments whether it be hotels or restaurants or markets or combination thereof,” said Rafter.
Rafter says there’s considerable remediation that would also need to be done.
Regardless, the village is ready to take on the challenges. Especially, considering a 2018 study found there’s potential for 1,463 new jobs, up to $1.4 million annually in new property tax revenue, and about $3 million per year in new sales tax revenue.
Closing the prison as early as spring of 2029 is part of a $500 million plan that includes additions and upgrades at several other prisons.
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