Green Bay · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Green Bay public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
New single-family homes on South Broadway
Radue Homes won a one-year agreement to build another market-rate house at 1200 S Broadway. Its first three homes on that block sold before they even hit the market.
Eaton Heights III subdivision infrastructure dedication
The final payment to Calnin & Goss, LLC closes out the Phase 2 infrastructure package for the JBS Subdivision and Park.
Artificial intelligence policy for public art
The commission is deciding whether — and how strictly — artists can use generative AI in works and proposals the city funds. Options range from a simple value statement to an AI-disclosure requirement to a near-total ban, and the commission chose to explore a policy plus survey artists before deciding.
Scoring of affordable housing assistance
The budgeting model ranks affordable housing assistance among the least-aligned programs, which Ald. Proffitt called problematic given the city's growing unhoused population. She argued the scoring assumptions — or the strategic plan itself — may need rethinking.
New indoor tennis and simulator facility on west side
Titleshot Athletic Club will bring eight tennis simulator bays — reportedly the first in Wisconsin — plus three full-size indoor courts to the Badger State Brewing campus. The city's revolving loan fund is helping finance the buildout, and the project carries federal job-creation requirements tied to local hiring.
Divine Temple steeple and roof repair
The historic Divine Temple building on Cherry Street, right across from City Hall, suffered roof damage that crumbled part of its brick steeple. Workers are reusing the original brick to match existing specs.
Historic design review at 638 S Monroe Avenue
A homeowner in the Astor historic district needed approval to replace a rear window and redo a jump porch. Because the work isn't visible from the street and touches only non-historic elements, it sailed through without controversy.
GenCap fire station apartments on S. Broadway
The amended development agreement for the GenCap Green Bay Fire Station Apartments project — covering properties on S. Broadway, Arndt Street, and Maple Avenue — was approved, moving the redevelopment forward.
Infill housing at 560 N. Henry Street
A vacant floodplain lot that's been empty since a house was razed years ago can now be built on, with relief from the 15-foot fill buffer and a slightly reduced corner setback. It means a new home on a long-vacant near-downtown lot.
Parking around new North Adams Street development
With the new building open where the Adams Street lot used to be, the city is restoring about six metered stalls on Cherry Street and adding one near 226-228 North Adams to replace parking for the area's businesses.
Global Optics headquarters and warehouse project
Global Optics, a Green Bay company since 1974, plans a $9.7 million headquarters and warehouse building on 8.65 acres of city land. The deal keeps the company in Green Bay and adds 15-18 jobs; the city invests in roads, utilities and stormwater that also open up the rest of its Grandview Industrial Park land for development.
S. Chestnut Avenue street vacation for fire station site
Five new single-family homes are coming to a mostly industrial-zoned pocket near S. Chestnut Avenue and S. Broadway. Because the zoning doesn't normally allow houses there, each home needed a conditional use permit. The commission added screening and walkway conditions to keep the homes compatible with neighbors.
Heralys Beverage retail building at University & Henry
A proposed 60-by-30-foot retail store on a former parking lot hit four separate code hurdles — landscape islands, perimeter screening, driveway throat length and the 15-foot front setback. Neighbors warned of alley congestion, blocked garages and dangerous intersection sight lines. The board denied the variances 1-3, suggesting a smaller building could comply.
141 Faircloth affordable housing units
The Housing Authority has 141 capped public housing units it can rebuild or reacquire, and it's moving now before Congress potentially resets the cap in October 2027. A consultant will help prepare the complex HUD mixed-finance application.
Closed Section 8 waiting list
The Brown County Housing Authority's Section 8 waiting list is closed and not accepting applications due to funding cuts, leaving hundreds of applicants waiting on the GBHA's project-based voucher lists instead.
Facade treatment of the former Schauer & Schumacher funeral home
The 1926 Berners-Schober-designed building in the Downtown Historic District has badly deteriorated classical details, including Greek key ornament and the S&S name. Rather than repairing them, the owner will cover them with metal panels — a compromise that keeps the streetscape tidy but leaves the original ornament unrepaired behind the caps.
Facade deterioration at 109 N. Adams Street
The historic Greek key and name details on the 1926 former Schauer & Schumacher funeral home are crumbling from freeze-thaw damage and rust jacking. Repair bids from a dozen masons failed, so the owners proposed covering the damage with black metal panels — raising questions about historic character versus practical preservation.
Shipyard II project funding and contracts
The city added a $310,000 inspection contract and boosted the federal grant from $5 million to $7.15 million, keeping the Shipyard phase two on track.
Future road removal denied on city's far east side
The council refused to erase a planned road connection between Sussex Road and Future Durham Road, keeping the future street corridor on the map after neighbor testimony.
Downtown Streetscape Design Standards
A new guidebook standardizing downtown sidewalks, benches, trees and materials from curb to storefront. It grew out of the 2014 authenticity plan and will shape everything from corridor projects to a single new bench — but there's no dedicated implementation budget yet.
Shipyard II construction inspection
The city needs outside inspectors for the year-long Shipyard II build because staff can't cover it — a $310,000 contract with Ayres Associates. It's part of the big riverfront redevelopment project council already funded.
Shipyard Redevelopment Phase 2 construction award
A National Park Service grant award boosts Shipyard II funding from $5 million to $7.15 million, with the city's match already approved by the council.
NeighborWorks townhomes at JBS site
Habitat for Humanity will build four single-family homes on Lots 4-7 (Lots 1-3 wait on wetland issues), and NeighborWorks gets $275,000 for six townhomes priced around $250,000 — well below market.
JBS Redevelopment Site housing
Two approvals advance housing on the former JBS site — Habitat for Humanity homes on Vernon Taylor Drive and NeighborWorks townhomes on Dahlia Lane.
Down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers
$400,000 in HOME funds will now help income-eligible buyers cover down payments and closing costs through the Community Land Trust program.
MOE Development planning option at 321 & 325 N. Broadway
A 90-day extension lets MOE Development finalize designs for 12-24 apartments over first-floor commercial at the current dog park site, with a development agreement possible by the December meeting.
Housing component fully financed
The residential side of the project — 85 units plus commercial space — is now fully financed except for a final $250,000 piece from WEDC. Deep foundations begin in October and the development agreement goes to the Council next week.
Community land trust down payment assistance
$400,000 in HOME funds will help modest-income families buy the first 13 homes in Green Bay's new community land trust at the JBS site. Grants lower the purchase price, and a 2% annual appreciation cap keeps homes affordable for future buyers.
Carriage house reconstruction dispute at 1013 S Jackson Street
Owners of a contributing Astor District property want to replace a run-down 100-plus-year-old carriage house with a replica. Their next-door neighbors say construction will block their shared driveway and destroy a work-from-home livelihood, and they walked out of the meeting feeling unheard. Setback and noise complaints go to other city boards, not this one.
New TIF districts proposed: Velp and Locust, Brook Park, 200 N Monroe
Green Bay is moving to create three new tax incremental districts. The board reviewed draft plans July 14 but won't vote on creation until August 25, 2026. These districts freeze property tax base and redirect new tax revenue to fund development in each area.
TID 35: 200 N Monroe timeline delay
The 168-unit workforce housing TID is on hold at the developer's request. The base year shifts to January 1, 2027 to match a slower construction schedule caused by soil issues and power-line relocation work with WPS.
200 Monroe housing development moving forward
The city previewed its next proposed tax incremental district at 200 N Monroe. No action was taken; creation steps are still ahead.
TID 34: Brook Park creation
The council created two new tax increment districts to fund infrastructure for development at Velp and Locust and in the Brook Park area, while retiring the old I-43 Industrial Park TID. TIDs divert property tax revenue from the new growth to repay project costs.
TID 33: Velp and Locust creation
A new 34.3-acre TIF district at Velp Avenue and Locust Street will help fund a 90-unit multifamily development — three 30-unit buildings plus a parking garage. TIF money covers land acquisition, cleanup, utilities and development incentives, with costs eligible within a half-mile radius.
Demolition by neglect at 402 Dousman Street
A historic Broadway-Dousman district building has been deteriorating for three years while window-replacement approvals expired without work. The commission's finding lets the city step in and stabilize the building — and the owner warned that a government action could complicate its sale to interested buyers.
Boys and Girls Club expansion on Harvey Street
Two R1-zoned parcels will now allow community center use so the club can expand. The owner plans to donate the land, and the club has no specific plans yet — but the path is cleared.
Community center at 1444/1448 Harvey Street
A community center use tied to the Boys & Girls Club was approved for two residential-zoned parcels on Harvey Street. Neighbors may see increased activity and traffic at the site.
Habitat for Humanity home at 921 Smith Street
Habitat for Humanity plans a single-family home on a vacant lot at 921 Smith Street — a home needs a conditional use permit there because the R-3 zone allows multifamily by right. No neighbors objected.
Cellcom telecommunications tower near Preble High School
Cellcom wants to swap two 56-foot towers for one 100-foot monopole at Preble High to improve coverage and capacity. A nearby resident raised radiation, fall-zone, and property-value worries, but state and federal law largely tie the city's hands on RF emissions. The commission approved it with six conditions.
TID 5 downtown affordable housing extension
The downtown TID would be extended one year so about $2.1 million from the 2027 tax roll flows into the city's affordable housing fund, with 75% required to go to affordable housing.
NeighborWorks housing funding at 115 S Van Buren
NeighborWorks Green Bay got a development agreement for six lots on Dahlia Lane at the JBS site and a 12-month extension to run the city's Home Improvement Loan Program.
Creation of three new tax increment districts
TIDs 33, 34 and 35 would fund housing and mixed-use projects on Velp Avenue, in Brook Park (155 homes), and at 200 North Monroe (168 homes plus commercial). All recommended to council for final approval.
Housing mix on Humboldt Road farmland
The comp plan change opens roughly farmland at Humboldt and Woodside to a blend of single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments. Supporters call it smart, context-sensitive growth on the city's edge; Ald. Grant worries about traffic on Woodside Road and an already heavy concentration of apartments nearby.
Oneida Nation master development agreement
The city entered a Master Development Agreement with the Oneida Nation.
Oneida Nation funding for JBS Redevelopment and Bay Beach
The city accepted $300,000 from the Oneida Nation for community programs and the JBS Redevelopment food production barn, plus a $100,000 donation for the Bay Beach shoreline walk — $400,000 total for local projects at no cost to taxpayers.
Badger Tracks neighborhood sign placement
The newly formed Badger Tracks Neighborhood Association got the OK to place its sign on city-maintained green space across from Fireman's Park at West Mason Street and Bentwood Drive. The association pays for everything, and staff will pick the exact spot to protect trees and keep sightlines safe.
Padi-Wood Lane right-of-way for Grandview Industrial Park
The city is buying land to build Padi-Wood Lane, the road that will unlock development in Grandview Industrial Park south of Mason Street. No residents live on the land being acquired, and current landowners will be compensated.
Shorehaven subdivision — 9 lots at 2892 Nicolet Drive
A nine-lot low-density residential subdivision moves forward along Nicolet Drive, including a public dedication tied to a road on the city's official map. Staff comments must be worked into the final plat before it comes back for more approvals.
Astor Park National Register nomination
The city has issued an RFP, funded by a federal CLG grant, to hire a consultant to prepare the Astor Park Historic District nomination. Firms' proposals are due in June, and the commission will weigh in on the selection around June or July.
1409 Velp Avenue redevelopment (Development Agreement 26-03)
A vacant former greenhouse site could get 90 apartments in three buildings, raising the property's assessed value from about $564,000 to $9.5 million. The city would create a new TID (TID 33) and reimburse the developer 90/75/30 percent of tax increment, capped at $2 million.