Rendering of the proposed Shipyard project in Green Bay. The outdoor space sits along the west bank of the Fox River, just north of the Mason Street bridge. (Image source: City of Green Bay)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The city of Green Bay is hoping additional grant money can help close a $2 million funding gap for the second phase of the public amenities planned for the Shipyard District.
City officials say $10 million was budgeted in 2021 for the second phase of work, but construction costs now have an engineer estimating it will cost about $12 million.
A great lawn for concerts and festivals, dog park, urban beach, playground and splash pad are the amenities planned.
“What we’re trying to do is create a real, one-of-a-kind park — a destination park. Something that the city can be proud of and can be a focal point for the downtown area,” said Green Bay Parks Director Dan Ditscheit.
The first phase of construction for the Shipyard District, an area just north of the Mason Street Bridge on the western edge of the Fox River, included a riverfront promenade, floating docks, fishing pier and kayak launch.
The National Parks Service awarded the city a $5 million grant to support construction of phase two in 2022. The city was to match the amount, which it planned to do using tax revenue from new development in the area.
Ditscheit said the hope is the National Parks Service will award an additional $1 million to close the gap. The city’s Redevelopment Authority agreed to transfer tax revenue generated from the I-43 business park area to the Shipyard District to provide an additional $1 million match for the new grant.
“Nothing is finalized on their end,” said Ditscheit of landing the grant money.
He believes a decision could come within a few weeks. The hope is to bid the work out soon, with construction beginning this fall.
There is also a phase three for the public portion of the Shipyard. It includes old shipping containers to house seasonal or limited-time businesses. There is no timeline for when that work could begin.
The city is contractually obligated to put in the amenities under the development agreement it has with Merge Urban Development. That is the developer planning to build 225 apartment units at the Shipyard. The apartments project was announced five years ago and has yet to break ground.
The city attempted to change the development agreement earlier this year to require “vertical construction” to start no later than June 1, or else the city could repurchase the property for $1. Those changes were not agreed to.
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