GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Wednesday night the Brown County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to give $3.5 million of remaining American Rescue Plan Act authorized money to a City of Green Bay proposal to build an apartment building and new fire station.
- The proposal would bring the 200+ multi-family units, a fire station and fire department administrative offices, and "commercial uses" to the former Badger Sheet Metal property, located at 402 and 420 S. Broadway, 421 Arndt, and 419 S. Maple Street
- The city received a $1 million federal grant in 2023 to begin work on the property, but says total cost for the project will near or exceed $10 million
- County and city officials say the project is filling two needs: the Green Bay Metro Fire Department is dealing with aging facilities, and Green Bay needs more affordable housing
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details and quotes added for web)
The City of Green Bay has big plans for this plot of land it owns, hoping to build a new fire station, and an apartment complex for affordable housing. Now, the City is hoping Brown County will pitch in millions of dollars for the project, too.
Watch Karl Winter's full story to hear from local leaders and see the project site:
The site sits on the west side of the Fox River, on South Broadway Street, near the Shipyard District.
The City says the 5+ acres is perfect for building 200+ apartment units, and a new fire station.
"From a economic development standpoint, it just makes sense," Alder Melinda Eck said. "Green Bay is really a need of housing, affordable housing, and so this helps to meet that need, and it's all on the same property."
Alder Eck stands in front of Fire Station 1 — which has been closed for a year due to plumbing issues.
With Fire Station 3, on Shawano Avenue, also nearing the end of its life, the Green Bay Metro Fire chief says a new facility is overdue.
"Replacing [a] 100-year-old building and an 88-year-old building with one new, modern building that's going to meet our needs well into the future, is very key to our operations," Chief Matthew Knott said.
Knott promises future neighbors that the fire department will be respectful of living spaces.
"We're part of the community, and proud to be in the community," Knott said. "So we'll be interacting with the neighbors just like we do at all our other fire stations, [and] proud to show off what we have to offer."
The price tag, though, could be steep — Eck says upwards of $9,000,000.
"We're talking quite a bit of money," she said.
But now — some help. Brown County staff wants to give the project $3.5 million of ARPA-authorized Emergency Rental Assistance money — money that would expire in September if it isn't used.
"We actually had a number of really good projects that we were considering," County Executive Troy Streckenbach said. "But ultimately, this project checked off all the boxes that were necessary for us to be able to say, 'This is the one that we feel confident that can be reporting, and can maintain the federal regulations, on how these dollars are going to be expended.'"
County officials says this is the perfect project for the remaining money, and an example of collaboration between the city and county.
"It really takes care of two, two buckets, if you will, and then maybe the third, being other development in that [Shipyard] neighborhood," County board chairman Pat Buckley said. "To let a project like this go by and end up returning the money would be a shame. I think the County, again, is trying to show how we are working with the city to help promote the city and its development."
The Brown County Board of Supervisors will need a two-thirds vote to approve the funding, when it meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Brown County Central Library.
