Woodsonia pitches $600M "Veterans Village" for Grand Island; seeks $95M in Good Life bond proceeds for phase 1

Woodsonia proposed a $600 million mixed-use development called Veterans Village on city-owned land north of the railroad, telling the council on Nov. 12 the first phase would include a tournament-oriented indoor/outdoor sports complex, an aquatics and fitness facility, initial housing and an expanded Eagle Scout Lake.

Drew Snyder, a Woodsonia principal, said the application in the council packet breaks the master plan into three phases and requests roughly $95 million in Good Life bond proceeds to support phase 1. "This is a $600,000,000 project," Mitch Holland, the project lead for Woodsonia, said during the presentation, describing the full buildout as housing, an amphitheater, a hotel and parks around the expanded lake.

Why it matters: the developers financing relies on a mix of private equity and tax increment and Good Life district proceeds; council members said they are prepared to use public funding to activate the site but want…