Committee selects former Wausau Chemical site as preferred Athletic Park parking lot

The Infrastructure and Facilities Committee selected the city‑owned former Wausau Chemical site (currently used as a temporary gravel lot) as the preferred location to provide the remaining off‑street parking required under the Athletic Park development agreement.

Staff recalled the development agreement with the Woodchucks organization requires 150 newly paved off‑street parking spaces. Two smaller lots near the ballfield — a 30‑space north lot and a 88‑space lot immediately east of the field — are being prepared and would together provide 37 of the required 150 spaces, leaving 113 to be located elsewhere. Staff presented two contenders: Option A, the former Wausau Chemical site (city‑owned gravel lot across the railroad tracks), and Option B, a lot near Nelson Miller owned by a private REIT whose representatives did not respond to city inquiries.

Staff recommended Option A because the city already owns the land (no acquisition cost), it is within a short walking distance to Athletic Park (staff timed it at roughly a six‑ to eight‑minute walk from the far edge of the lot to the main gate), and locating parking there could reduce pedestrian crossings at the busier Wausau Avenue entrance. Committee members agreed and Alder Larson moved to accept Option A; Alder Aldo Neal seconded. The committee approved the choice by voice vote with no opposition.

What happens next: Staff will proceed to plan the lot improvements, with design and cost estimates to follow. Staff noted environmental cleanup on the former chemical property could make long-term development there challenging, but that a paved parking use is compatible so long as work avoids remediated areas and EPA guidance is followed.