Green Bay council adopts 'Go Big Green Bay 2050' plan after amendments on bikes, housing incentives and design

The Green Bay Common Council unanimously adopted the Go Big Green Bay 2050 comprehensive plan on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, approving a package of amendments that add language to prioritize intermunicipal bike connections, ask staff to review new funding or incentive tools for housing infrastructure, and encourage design review processes for public infrastructure projects.

The planadoption followed a public hearing and more than an hour of council debate and amendments. Mayor (name not specified in the record) opened the hearing and staff said the plan had been published and publicly noticed. After public testimony and council amendments the council moved to adopt the plan; the motion to adopt was made by Alder Prophet and seconded by Alder DeLay and the plan was adopted unanimously.

The vote came after public comments from residents and stakeholders who urged the council to prioritize multimodal connections and housing production. "I just think it's a great plan," said Noel Halverson, introduced in testimony as "president and CEO of Naval Works Green Bay," who said he had advised staff and supported the plan as a tool to guide growth. Greg Persling, who identified himself as one of Green Bay's representatives on the Brown County Planning Commission, urged stronger cross-jurisdictional bike connections on the city's west side, citing Packerland Drive and links toward Howard and the Mountain Bay Trail. Jennifer Sundstrom of the Northeast Realtors Association told the council she was speaking for about 900 members and said the plan and code updates were needed to increase housing supply and diversity.

Why it matters: the comprehensive plan sets the city's long-term land use and transportation priorities and frames subsequent zoning and subdivision code changes. Council members said the amendments clarify the plan's intent on bikes, housing incentives and design without locking staff into narrow technical prescriptions.

Major amendments adopted

- Bike network / intermunicipal connections: Council added language and map references specifically to encourage bicycle corridors to connect Green Bay trails to neighboring municipalities, including an explicit reference to Packerland Drive. The amendment directs staff to add map call-outs on pages cited by staff (including page references offered during the discussion) to show the corridor as an "active transportation" link. The motion to amend bike-related pages was seconded by Alder Eck and was adopted by voice vote.

- Housing incentives and funding: Council added direction for staff to "review language regarding incentives and possible city funding sources for infrastructure for new housing projects." Staff said they had discussed incentive tools previously and could add clarifying language noting financial and nonfinancial tools. That amendment was seconded by Alder Johnson and approved.

- Design review for public infrastructure: Council approved a nonbinding direction for staff to explore a design-review process for public infrastructure projects so that aesthetics and public amenities are considered alongside functionality. The motion was seconded by Alderak and adopted by voice vote.

- Green stormwater infrastructure: Council added a short explanatory paragraph about how green stormwater infrastructure can be integrated into complete-streets projects; staff confirmed the concept already appears in the plan recommendations and agreed to add explanatory text.

- Veterans Park language: Council adopted an amendment to investigate better activating and beautifying Veterans Park and to consider a land-swap or relocation that could elevate a veterans memorial and free up some waterfront land for other uses. The proposal prompted extended debate. Some council members warned the plan should not preempt formal consultation or relocation decisions and asked the language be cast as a consideration rather than a directive; staff said the parks plan and upcoming waterfront planning effort should be coordinated with any change.

Public comments and staff context

Speakers at the public hearing urged the council to strengthen trail connections across municipal boundaries and to pursue policies that would increase housing supply at lower price points. Halverson told the council he had been asked for input and supported the plan as a growth-management tool. Persling detailed a gap in the West Side trail network between West Mason Street and the Highway 29 area and asked that the comp plan explicitly recognize the need to connect to Howard and other regional trails. "We have the opportunity here to have a trail from the Southbridge... all the way to the Mountain Bay Trail," Persling said.

Jennifer Sundstrom, representing the Northeast Realtors Association, said developers and realtors support the plan and that the city needs to "make up for the significant under building in the last decade," urging the council to adopt changes that expand housing options and affordability.

Staff and consultant role

Planning staff confirmed the plan had been published on the city's website and publicly noticed. Staff and the consultant were directed to incorporate the council amendments into the final document and to return the final formatted plan for distribution; staff said consultants may adjust language and maps for clarity and formatting, and the council asked for a clear table that pairs each council amendment with the final language and page reference when the plan is issued.

Council debate and next steps

Council members repeatedly emphasized the comp plan is a policy guide rather than an immediate change in zoning. Several alderpersons said the plan provides broad direction while specific projects and code changes will return to council for review. The council approved the amendments and then adopted the plan in a roll-call/voice process; the mayor and staff thanked community members and the many residents and stakeholders who participated in the planning process.

Votes at a glance

- Adopt Go Big Green Bay 2050 comprehensive plan as amended: motion to adopt made by Alder Prophet; seconded by Alder DeLay; outcome: adopted unanimously (voice vote recorded as unanimous).

- Amend plan to add regional bike connections (map references including Packerland Drive and pages cited by staff): adopted by council (motion and second recorded in the meeting).

- Add direction to review incentives and possible city funding sources for infrastructure to support new housing projects: adopted.

- Direct staff to investigate a design-review process for public infrastructure projects: adopted.

Context and caveats

Council members repeatedly noted the plan intentionally avoids prescribing specific funding sources or grants because those programs change over time; staff said the comp plan will remain intentionally broad in places while incorporating examples where useful. Several alderpersons asked that veterans groups be consulted before any relocation or land-swap related to Veterans Park is pursued. The comp plan will operate alongside the city's parks plan and future waterfront planning work and staff said they will coordinate across those documents.

What the council did not decide

The council did not itself enact zoning changes as part of the comp plan vote. Code and ordinance amendments related to zoning and subdivision code were discussed separately; one major set of zoning/code items referred from the planning commission was the subject of a separate motion and was held for further review (see separate action below). Implementation of plan recommendations will require subsequent ordinance changes, developer agreements, project-by-project approvals and, in some cases, intergovernmental coordination.

Ending note

Council members thanked staff, the consultant, and hundreds of community participants who contributed to the plan update. Staff and the consultant were directed to publish the final adopted plan with a table mapping amendments to final text and page citations so council members and the public can review incorporated changes.