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Council holds Georgia Pacific site rezoning for 120 days; adds right‑of‑first‑refusal and conditional air‑rights language
Summary
Council voted to hold the rezoning of the Georgia Pacific / 500 Day Street site to July 15, directing staff to work with the property owner on a development concept and legal description; the council approved amendments adding a city right‑of‑first‑refusal and a conditional allowance to negotiate air rights if both parties agree.
The Common Council moved to continue discussions over the future of the Georgia Pacific site at 500 Day Street and to give the new owner time to finalize plans. The council voted to hold the rezoning and related items until the July 15 council meeting and directed staff to work with the property owner on a development concept and legal description.
Why it matters: The 500 Day Street waterfront parcel is one of the marquee redevelopment opportunities on the Fox and East River corridor. Council members described the site as "huge" and urged careful coordination between the city and the prospective buyer to protect waterfront access while enabling redevelopment.
What happened at the meeting: Georgia Pacific public affairs manager Chris Brennan told councilors that Georgia Pacific has signed a letter of intent with Green Bay‑based McDonald Companies. Brennan said McDonald requested a deferral of rezoning as they further refine uses and collaborate with the city. After public testimony from rail interests and the buyer, Alder Prophet moved to hold consideration until July 15 and direct staff to develop a final legal description and development concept; the motion passed.
Amendments added: The council approved two incremental protections for the city in the development agreement: - A right of first refusal for the city on the property executed by motion and referred to the law department to draft specific language; and - A conditional allowance that would permit staff to include negotiable air‑rights language in the agreement if the developer and city reach mutual consent prior to signing. That air‑rights language was described as optional: if mutual consent is not reached before agreement execution, the clause will not be used.
Public input and staff notes: Brad Piett of the Fox Valley & Lake Superior rail system urged caution about premature rezoning, recommending that redevelopment allow both need and want to align. City staff clarified that the Cache Street right‑of‑way would remain a public multimodal right‑of‑way and would not be vacated in perpetuity; the city must maintain waterfront public access per state requirements.
Next steps: Staff will work with the property owner to prepare the development concept and legal descriptions and return to council on July 15. The council directed the law department to draft right‑of‑first‑refusal language and authorized staff to include conditional air‑rights language if mutual consent is obtained.
Votes at a glance: Motion to hold rezoning until July 15 — approved. Amendment adding right of first refusal — approved. Amendment to allow conditional air‑rights inclusion if mutual consent achieved — approved. Final motion to approve the development referral as amended — adopted.
