GREEN BAY - Tim Kuehn calls the 3 acres of vacant land at Lombardi Avenue and South Ridge Road “the most signature property in Green Bay.”
Kuehn, owner of Margarita’s, says the site offers the equivalent of “beachfront views” of Lambeau Field that have gone to waste as it sat vacant for the last decade.
Kuehn and another developer, Mike Coppins, want to change that with a $40 million-$50 million, three-building plan they soon expect to submit to the city of Green Bay for formal review.
Under the plan, Kuehn would develop a three-story commercial building and a four-story apartment building on a lot bounded by Lombardi Avenue, South Ridge Road, Thorndale Street and Frank Street. Via a land swap with Kuehn, Coppins would demolish a duplex across Frank Street and replace it with a four-story, 12- to 18-unit condominium building.
Here’s a closer look at how we got here, the proposed buildings and what concerns some Lombardi Neighborhood residents.
How we got here
Kuehn said he purchased parts of the site in 2014 when it contained two office buildings and a couple of homes. He demolished the structures and leveled the site.
In 2016, Kuehn proposed a four-story retail-office building called Vainisi Plaza , but said the Green Bay City Council’s removal of a Thorndale Street driveway restricted access and delayed project plans.
Kuehn for the last eight years has continued to refine and adapt his development plans in response to residents’ feedback in 2016 and market demands. He said the revised, new project plans amount to a higher-density, better use of prime real estate.
Signature building would be located along Lombardi Avenue
A 75-foot-tall, three-story retail-commercial building would run the length of Lombardi Avenue and contain about 117,800 square feet of space.
The first floor would be leased to retail tenants. Kuehn said he does not intend to pursue a bar or restaurant, but that some of the space could become a fast-casual type of eatery.
The building would include a walkout basement and Kuehn said it would be the first of the two buildings on the site to be developed.
The development would not require relocation of the Jack Vainisi memorial located on the property to honor the former scout and personnel director for the Green Bay Packers.
Apartments proposed at corner of Ridge Road and Thorndale Street
The second building Kuehn would develop would be a four-story, 62-foot-tall mixed-use building with first floor retail and parking and apartments on floors two, three and four.
The 40,000-square-foot building would be the second phase of Kuehn’s plan for the site.
Four-story condo building would replace Frank Street duplex
Kuehn owns all the 3-acre property he needs except for the house at 1820 Frank St., which is owned by Coppins. Kuehn owns a duplex right across the street, at 1825 Frank St., and the two developers plan to swap parcels.
Coppins wants to replace the duplex at 1825 Frank St. with a four-story condominium building with 12-18 units and underground parking. The building would be 50 feet tall. For comparison, the expanded homes along Shadow Lane converted to short-term rentals top out at 35 feet.
Neighborhood concerns focus on traffic impacts, Frank Street condos
The project’s informal review began Thursday evening when more than 50 nearby residents attended a neighborhood meeting at Highland Crest Baptist Church. During an often-contentious 90 minutes, residents sometimes showed support for Kuehn’s effort to develop the site, but remain concerned the scope, traffic and uses proposed would irreparably change the neighborhood’s residential feel.
“I want him to succeed at this, but sending traffic down Thorndale and Frank and Shadow (Lane) will impair the neighborhood,” said John Cordry, a Thorndale Street resident. “People love it that we’re in a residential neighborhood tripping over Lambeau Field, but this plan will change that.”
What don’t we know?
City planners said Kuehn and Coppins have not yet submitted plans or applied for specific changes to the property. It’s not clear exactly when those plans will go for formal review and the building details could change before Kuehn and Coppins submit their request to the city.
Contact business reporter 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: $50 million mixed-use plan for long-vacant site across from Lambeau Field concerns neighbors
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