Madison developer completes four-building, 308-unit Ashwaubenon apartment complex

ASHWAUBENON — Bert Slinde still hasn’t quite processed that the family housing development company built more than 300 new apartments in Ashwaubenon in six years.

Madison-based Slinde Realty Co. , as of this month, completed construction of The Element , a four-building, 308-unit project to redevelop land in the heart of Ashwaubenon.

The Slindes and FCM Corp. owner Jeff Gillis, the general contractor and partner in The Element, broke ground on the first building in spring 2018 along what was then William Charles Court. Now it’s "Element Way."

Six years later, people have started to tour the fourth building and the first tenants should move in in the coming weeks, Jeff Slinde, Bert's son, said.

“We’ve been showing units for about a month,” Jeff said. “There’s been strong interest.”

Secure package room, fitness center, turf dog park among included amenities

The Slindes have equipped building four with many of the same amenities found in the first three buildings. Jeff Slinde said the complex combines homey comforts with "an elevated experience." Bert Slinde said The Element has developed into "a neighborhood of wonderful people."

The lobby includes a gas fireplace, vending machines, conference room, a fitness center, secure package room and coffee nook where residents can grab a drink and chat with neighbors. A fourth-floor club room residents can reserve includes kitchen amenities, big TVs and a party deck with views of Lambeau Field and the Resch center.

Building four does add one perk all Element residents will be able to use: A fenced-in turf dog park east of the building. The complex also includes part of a pedestrian path that other developments will extend north and south of the site as other sites in the village develop.

The Element adds 92 units between Lambeau Field and Ashwaubenon's shopping district

Building four's 92 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units mark an increase from the first three buildings, which all added 71 or 72 units. Three-bedroom units in particular tend to be in higher demand and in shorter supply locally and The Element is no exception. Slinde said all of building four's three-bedroom units have been rented already, but that the complex's three-bedroom units do come available frequently.

Rents for available studio, one- and two-bedroom units range from more than $1,300 to almost $2,000.

Each unit includes high-end countertops and appliances, in-unit washer and dryer and decks. Two-bedroom units all include two bathrooms, as well, Jeff Slinde also said The Element's location has been a big selling point with tenants. It's located less than a mile from both Hy-Vee grocery store and the village's sports and entertainment district near Lambeau Field.

The Element is part of an ongoing apartment boom in Ashwaubenon

It was actually a hotel that initially brought the Slinde family to the Green Bay area, but they liked it so much they decided to extend their stay.

Slinde Realty was hired to consult on a hotel project in Ashwaubenon in 2016. Jeff Slinde recalled talking with then-village administrator Allison Swanson one day when she asked if he knew any companies that built multifamily buildings.

He asked where in the village and she pointed him towards the area north of Marvelle Lane, along William Charles Court. The village had recently bought a series of older, blighted apartment buildings in the area, razed them and sought a developer to increase the density of housing in the area.

The Slinde's Village Center project originally called for about 350 units in four buildings, but plans adjusted over time. After building one opened in August 2019, building two opened in June 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, and building three was completed by April 2022.

The Element and the nearby Bohemian Park complex would become part of a first wave of an apartment construction boom that would add 500 apartment units in the village. The projects also played a key role in the village's transformation of the aging, industrial district south of the Resch Center into the stadium and entertainment district .

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier .

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Madison developer completes four-building, 308-unit Ashwaubenon apartment complex