City planning staff told the Capital Improvement Committee Thursday they plan to construct a long-term public parking lot on the Wausau Chemical site to satisfy part of a development agreement that requires the city to provide up to 150 paved parking spaces for Athletic Park.
Andrew Lynch and Brad Len (Community Development) explained that the 2020 development agreement (amended in 2022) obliges the city to provide paved parking. “We are required to, provide up to 150 new paved parking spaces,” planning staff said. Staff reported they have EPA sign-off to construct in the gravel lot that lies between the Wausau Chemical building and the railroad; their current estimate scopes about 120 paved spaces with a project estimate in the CIP packet of roughly $623,956. Staff said they included stormwater systems and allowed budget buffers in case contaminated soils must be excavated, and they expect that some of the temporary gravel lots already in use will be made permanent.
Committee members raised concerns about long-term riverfront planning and the visual impact of a durable paved lot if the riverfront is redeveloped in coming years. Ald. Rasmussen asked whether a shorter‑term overlay or interim pavement done by the Department of Public Works (DPW) would meet the development agreement while preserving flexibility for future riverfront development. Planning staff said the development agreement requires paved spaces, but that the city could consider intermediate-quality paving; staff also said they expect the site to be available for development in approximately 7–10 years and that the city has factored possible contaminated‑soil excavation into estimates.
Alder Guzman noted the site is within a Superfund monitoring area and that EPA continues oversight; staff confirmed EPA has signed off for the parking construction but emphasized the need for careful budgeting for excavation if necessary.
No formal funding decisions were made; staff said they will provide DPW cost comparisons for a lower-cost interim approach and will deliver corrected CIP materials and any adjustments before the next meeting.