GREEN BAY - The "Grand Boulevard" the city of Green Bay plans to develop on a 26.5-acre site JBS donated in 2021 will be lined with "missing middle" and multigenerational housing, according to proposals approved this week.
It's an idea one developer involved said could serve as a national example of how communities can build the high-demand affordable housing units that are in very short supply in the Green Bay area.
The city's Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday selected two developers, Revel49 and Gorman & Co. , to collaboratively develop as many as 160 housing units on the lower half of the property located off Guns Road between the Kroc Center and Walmart.
The city broke the large chunk of property into eight "blocks" of land, labeled A through H, where different types of housing could be built. The city will develop the boulevard from Guns Road west into the site, ending at a destination park and community food center. Additional public improvements would include new roads within the property, utilities and a road to connect the site with Imperial Lane and VT Pride Park to the north.
Madison-based Gorman would build workforce housing north of the boulevard, on sites D and E. Milwaukee-based Revel49 would build townhouses and homes for large families and multigenerational households on sites G and H. Both companies also indicated they'd be willing to partner with local housing organizations like Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity and NeighborWorks Green Bay to build housing in the area.
Ted Matkom, Gorman's Wisconsin market president, and Collin Price, Revel49's managing partner, met each other for the first time at Tuesday's meeting, but both are excited and enthusiastic about the chance to collaborate on the JBS site.
"No one else has done this sort of project. This should be a national model," Matkom said. He later added: "Communities across the nation need this sort of housing."
More on housing development: Green Bay affordable housing: 4 projects on track to welcome renters in 2024
What is 'missing middle' housing?
Missing middle housing, also known as workforce housing, are homes and apartments that charge rents affordable to households earning 80% to 120% of the area's median income.
In Brown County, that's an individual who earns $53,500 to $80,280 and a household of four that earns $76,400 to $114,600, according to Gorman's submission.
The 'missing' portion refers to the difficulty to finance and construct it. Market-rate or luxury housing projects charge high rents that can more easily absorb cost increases. Income-qualified housing developments use tax credits to close funding gaps, which enables them to charge lower-income families affordable rents.
What is multigenerational housing?
It's housing designed to accommodate several generations of a family. It could be adult children still living with their parents, or a grandparent living with a young family.
In Green Bay, such housing units are in high demand and short supply. Multigenerational families often want duplexes or homes with three, four, five or more bedrooms, products not generally being built right now.
Gorman's plans include 'affordable by design' workforce housing
Gorman's project plan included 164 apartments and 20 single-family homes, but it was selected for the apartments portion of its submission. The apartments were divided into 36-unit and 24-unit buildings that included walk-up and townhouse units.
None of the apartments would have income restrictions, but instead rents would be set at prices affordable to middle-income earners. The first floor units could incorporate universal design features that make housing units accessible to all residents.
Matkom called the company's plans "affordable by design" meaning the company builds quality housing but finds ways to lower construction and development costs in order to charge tenants lower rents than market rates.
Revel49 plans include large, flexible townhomes for multigenerational families
Revel49 is an indigenous-led firm based in Milwaukee. It proposed 94 apartments, 5 single-family homes and 18 multigenerational townhomes for the complete site, but was selected to develop multigenerational townhomes and single-family homes.
The multigenerational townhomes would be about 2,500 square feet and include flexible living spaces and multiple bedrooms that can be adapted to families' individual needs.
"We aim to alleviate the challenges often associated with finding suitable housing for extended families. Our townhome units offer a harmonious blend of functionality and comfort, empowering multigenerational families to thrive and flourish within a supportive and welcoming environment," Revel49 wrote in its submission.
City would complement housing developments with boulevard, activity zone and a food hub
Green Bay has proposed a three main public amenities to complement the housing development: The grand boulevard, an activity zone and an urban farm. They aim to give the new neighborhood public facilities with a "wow factor," better connect the property into the Imperial Pride neighborhood, and connect the site with VT Pride Park.
As envisioned, the grand boulevard would include features like outdoor café seating, spaces for public art, fire pits, porch swings, and festive lighting. It would give neighbors spaces to gather and connect.
The activity zone would include things like playground equipment, zip lines, tower structures and spaces designed to offer people of all ages engaging activities.
The city has also contracted with Wello to develop a "food system transformational hub," formerly referred to generically as an urban farm, on part of the JBS site. The hub would focus on food assistance, community education, research and advocacy programs, as determined by the neighborhood's needs and opportunities.
JBS site background: Green Bay is considering developing four things on JBS's donated land. Planners believe it can help change a struggling neighborhood.
What happens next?
Will Peters, a neighborhood development specialist with the city, said the next step will be to convene a kickoff meeting amongst the project partners and see what kind of plan takes shape. He said those discussions will likely produce more specific details on number of housing units, the location of those units, project costs and a construction timeline.
Peters said the city expects to solicit bids for construction of roads, utilities and recreation features in the next several weeks. Those bids will help bring the overall public improvements budget into sharper focus.
Green Bay already has secured $5.5 million to help pay for public improvements on the site. JBS donated $500,000 to the city for developing the property and $5 million via the state's Neighborhood Investment Fund, which was funded with some of the state's American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
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: 'Model for the nation': Green Bay plans two high-demand housing types for JBS land
Most Popular
Comments / 0