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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
Oneida Nation master development agreement
The city entered a Master Development Agreement with the Oneida Nation.
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.
Fair-cloth unit conversion proposal
Commissioner Erin Edwards raised the persistent lack of truly barrier-free apartments — particularly roll-in showers — in new construction, and asked staff to distribute an accessibility standards info sheet to developers citywide.
YWCA childcare expansion land donation
Diane Derks donated a small unbuildable parcel next to city-owned land on Emmet Street, potentially enabling a larger future development site.
Safe Haven Hope Center homeless shelter at 315 S. Jefferson Street
A peer-support shelter for adults experiencing homelessness, filling a gap for people who can't stay in traditional shelters. Neighbors raised concerns about safety, staffing levels, alleged on-site drinking, and oversight; supporters said it saves lives and reduces police and ER costs. The Common Council makes the final call May 19.
Three Sixty Real Estate downtown-area redevelopment
A development agreement covering six properties on North Quincy, Pine, and Cherry streets moves a neighborhood redevelopment forward, with the city authorized to sign lender-required paperwork.
Three Sixty downtown redevelopment agreement
The city signed a development agreement to redevelop six parcels around N. Quincy, Pine, and Cherry Streets — a significant downtown redevelopment project.
Downtown library planned unit development
The council approved the PUD for the new library and semi-public uses at 515 S. Pine St. and 201 N. Monroe Ave., with an amendment requiring the Job Center, Grounded Cafe and ADRC be built to construct the parking lot.
Fire Station Flats brownfield cleanup and affordable housing
The old Badger Sheet Metal site on South Broadway is getting cleaned up and turned into the Fire Station Flats Apartments, using an EPA brownfield loan, a $250,000 city housing loan, and a state grant application. It means contaminated land gets remediated and new affordable housing comes to the neighborhood.
Brown County library-area Planned Unit Development
Brown County wants to expand the Central Library with the Grounded Cafe, ADRC, and Job Center, and build a 54-stall surface lot on the old Bank Mutual site across Monroe Avenue. Commissioners wrestled with adding more downtown parking versus long-term redevelopment — 50% of downtown is already parking — but accessible parking for ADRC clients tipped the vote to approve.
Denial of Merge, LLC redevelopment agreement amendment
The council rejected the amended development deal for 236 Arndt Street and 101 Bridge Street after a closed session, leaving the future of that downtown redevelopment site uncertain.
2025 Housing Market Study adoption
The updated study shows Green Bay's population dipped slightly while households grew by 7.4% since 2010 — meaning more one- and two-person homes needing smaller units. Consultants say building market-rate housing can 'filter' older stock down to lower-income residents, and the missing-middle gap persists.
Merge, LLC downtown redevelopment deadlines
The long-delayed Arndt/Bridge Street redevelopment now faces firm dates: foundations by June 1, 2026, vertical construction by September 30, and the developer pays a tax gap if the project misses completion — or the city can repurchase.
East River Emilie Park nature-based redevelopment
A $244,045 DNR grant was accepted to build nature-based recreation access along the East River at Emilie Park.
On Broadway public market redevelopment at 211 N. Broadway
The city amended its development agreement with On Broadway, Inc. after construction cost increases delayed the conversion of a two-story office building into a public market. The deal includes up to about $2.08 million in tax incentives tied to the project reaching at least $7 million in assessed value.