City staff update RDA on JBS East Side development: roads, parks and urban‑farm work underway; residential developers lining up

City staff updated the Finance Committee on April 8 on the JBS development project on Green Bay’s east side, reporting that site infrastructure work is under way, park construction contracts are awarded, and developer negotiations for residential phases are advancing.

The site — a donated parcel behind the Kroc Center near Gunns Road — is currently under infrastructure construction (roads, buried utilities and stormwater ponds). Staff said pavement work will begin soon and two construction contracts have been awarded: one for general infrastructure and one for the destination park and Grand Boulevard activity zone. The destination park will include a central boulevard gathering space, a splash pad, playground equipment and other amenities; staff showed conceptual images and described planned ornamental lighting and seating.

Housing and developers

City redevelopment staff said they released an RFP in early 2024 and selected Gorman and Company and another developer (Veil 49) for different portions of the site. Veil 49 later withdrew after concluding it could not obtain sufficient equity and lending; Gorman has expressed interest in taking on additional parcels. Matthew Buchanan (city staff) said Gorman is close to returning to the Redevelopment Authority with a proposed development agreement and that the center portion of the site is expected to include about 95 multifamily units of workforce housing targeted at about 80%–120% AMI tiers (staff phrasing), representing roughly $10–11 million in assessed value for that portion. City staff said they plan an additional RFP for detached single‑family developers for about 15–20 lots on the site’s exterior.

Staff estimated the total residential mix could include roughly 15 detached single‑family homes, about 10–20 townhouses and the noted multifamily component; staff also gave a broader range for total housing in discussion, saying a combined total across phases could be “between 150 and 200” units as the plan finalizes.

Urban farm and programming

The project includes an urban‑farm component and a proposed urban barn to support farming operations. Staff said Willow (a named partner) has contributed planning and equipment support but does not supply unrestricted project cash; the city received the land donation and a separate $500,000 grant from JBS. Staff said city cash and committed grant funding equals roughly $13,048,000, of which about $12.4 million is already committed to contracts and engineering, leaving roughly $650,000 as a contingency buffer for change orders. The city also received a $5,000,000 government grant, bonded $5,500,000 (to be repaid by the TID), transferred $2,000,000 from another TID project, and allocated $48,000 in ARPA funds for a small solar installation.

Staff said the urban barn would cost approximately $750,000 to build; if the city cannot identify additional funds the barn may be delayed, and staff acknowledged porta‑potty rentals could be required until permanent restrooms are installed. Willow had funding for a three‑year commitment to support the farm’s operations; staff said discussions are ongoing about long‑term management and whether Willow or another partner will operate the farm beyond the initial period.

Schedule and next steps

Staff told the committee they expect road and utility work to be substantially complete by year‑end, with boulevard and park activity construction starting within weeks. Residential development depends on finalized agreements; staff said Gorman’s center‑portion plan may come back to the Redevelopment Authority in May or June with a development agreement, and that construction on residential parcels could begin as early as this fall if agreements and financing proceed as expected.

Speakers (attributed in this article)

• Matthew Buchanan — City redevelopment staff (gave residential developer update and unit estimates). • Planning/engineering staff (unnamed) — Presented project timeline, contracts and funding breakdown.

Clarifying details

[{"category":"site_location","detail":"Project site is behind the Salvation Army Kroc Center, adjacent to Gunns Road; initial access is from Gunns Road with potential future connections to Imperial Lane and Limekiln Road.","value":"not specified","units":"","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Planning/engineering staff"},{"category":"multifamily_units","detail":"Developer Gorman and Company proposing about 95 multifamily units in the center portion; workforce housing target specified in staff comments.","value":95,"units":"units","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Matthew Buchanan"},{"category":"single_family_lots","detail":"City carved roughly 15–20 detached single‑family lots at the site edge for future RFP and development.","value":15,"units":"lots","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Matthew Buchanan"},{"category":"funding_total","detail":"City cash and committed funding for the JBS project totals approximately $13,048,000 with about $650,000 remaining uncommitted for contingencies.","value":13048000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Planning/engineering staff"},{"category":"urban_barn_cost","detail":"Estimated cost to build the urban barn to support farming operations is about $750,000; staff said this is not fully funded and may be delayed if funds are not identified.","value":750000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Planning/engineering staff"}]

Proper names

[{"name":"JBS development project","type":"other"},{"name":"Salvation Army Kroc Center","type":"facility"},{"name":"VT Pride Park","type":"location"},{"name":"Gorman and Company","type":"business"},{"name":"Veil 49","type":"business"},{"name":"Willow","type":"organization"}]

Community relevance

{ "geographies": ["East Side, Green Bay"], "funding_sources": ["government grant","TID bonds","JBS donation"], "impact_groups": ["future residents (workforce housing)","nearby neighborhoods","park users"] }

Meeting context

{ "engagement_level": { "speakers_count": 6, "duration_minutes": 120, "items_count": 1 }, "implementation_risk": "medium", "history": [{"date":"2021-01-01","note":"Project proposal and public input process began in 2021; funding requests and RFP activity continued through 2024."} ] }

Searchable tags

["JBS","development","housing","urban-farm","Gorman-and-Company","Kroc-Center"]

Provenance

{ "transcript_segments": [{"block_id":"2470.25-2475.71","local_start":0,"local_end":85,"evidence_excerpt":"Then we have informational staff update on JBS development project on city's East Side.","global_start":2470.25,"global_end":2475.71,"tc_start":"00:41:10","tc_end":"00:41:16","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"4135.175-4138.715","local_start":0,"local_end":82,"evidence_excerpt":"So, I would see us bringing that component back to the finance committee to, with a format proposal. But I have to find, you know, deep end with Willow before we're ready to bring that forward. Purpose of this was you asked you just wanted a brief status of the project. So really that's all that this was today. But we'll be back with more information on the farming component.","global_start":4135.175,"global_end":4138.715,"tc_start":"01:09:55","tc_end":"01:09:58","reason_code":"topicfinish"}] }