Controversial veterans housing project to go before Green Bay alders

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The fate of a controversial housing project that will build small homes for veterans is in the hands of the Green Bay city council.

At a meeting earlier this month, Green Bay’s plan commission gave the thumbs up to creating a planned unit development off St. Anthony Drive on the city’s east side so that a group called Veterans 1st of Northeast Wisconsin could build a 21-home tiny home village for veterans in need. The plan commission recommended that the city council approve the project, but ultimately it’s the city’s alders who will have the final say.

The plan commission’s green-lighting of the project came after two hours of public discussion from people both for and against the project.

Those in favor of the tiny home village say it’ll address homelessness and housing insecurity among a very deserving group. They said it’s the least they can do to give back to veterans who have given so much to defend our country.

Project officials said they’d call the new tiny homes community ‘Veteran’s 1 ^st Cottage Court Village.’ It will also include a community center with mental health, job placement, and other services being built in three phases.

But not everybody is happy as neighbors who live near the site project came out in force at the plan commission to voice their opposition. They brought up safety concerns, the proximity of the project to a grave site, and even questioned the professional credentials of the leaders of the project.

Neighbors also pointed out that there’s already veteran housing, a juvenile detention center, a nursing home, and the county’s medical examiner’s office near the proposed site for the veterans village. They said they feel like city and county officials have dumped all their projects in their neighborhood.

For a recap of the plan commission meeting and full arguments from both sides on this issue, please click here .

The city council meeting begins at 6 p.m. and it’s at city hall.

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