City planning staff present downtown redevelopment visualization, including Opera House Square expansion concepts

Planning Services Manager Mark Lawrence presented the City of Oshkosh’s 2024 downtown redevelopment visualization plan to the Advisory Parks Board, describing a collaborative effort with the community foundation, Chamber, GoEDC, Discover Oshkosh and the business improvement district to re-envision core blocks of downtown.

Lawrence said the visualization builds on earlier efforts — including the February downtown action plan and the 2017 Imagine Oshkosh advisory work — and is intended as a marketing and engagement tool to show developers and the public what reinvestment could look like. “Again, my name is Mark Lawrence. I’m the Planning Services Manager for the city,” he told the board as he introduced the presentation.

The plan breaks potential interventions into three categories: large catalyst redevelopments, smaller-scale redevelopment sites and landscaping/green-space improvements. As a focal example, the plan explores options for Opera House Square that range from maintaining the existing site and improving upkeep to partial or full redevelopment. The concept illustrated on the plan would expand the programmable public space by removing adjacent parcels (including 217 North Main) and closing High Street through the square, a change Lawrence said would require acquisition, possible demolition and rerouting truck routes.

Lawrence and other staff emphasized that the visualization is a starting point, not a final design. He said realizing major changes would need both public investment and private participation and noted potential tradeoffs—parking impacts, long-term maintenance costs for new green space, and historic-preservation considerations. The presentation included example features for an expanded Opera House Square such as an amphitheater, splash/flex surface for seasonal skating and fountains, streetscape improvements and stronger connections to the Riverwalk.

Board members asked about site acreage and traffic impacts; staff said Opera House Square itself is slightly over an acre and estimated the study area could be closer to three acres depending on right-of-way. Staff also said the city is evaluating opportunities to reroute truck routes that currently run through Main Street, and that closing a street for an expanded square would have significant traffic implications.

The plan also highlighted several catalyst sites: the City Center (options ranging from upkeep to full redevelopment), the Town Motel block (where the Redevelopment Authority has acquired some parcels), and a corridor housing project on Jefferson and Main that will include ground-floor daycare and affordable units. Lawrence noted some projects are already under way downtown: the Williams Water Gazebo (under construction) and an alley-activation project at the 400 block Lehi parking lot.

Staff said the visualization will be shared with stakeholder groups for feedback and that short- and long-term priorities will be established after further input and cost study. The board offered generally positive feedback and urged staff to account for long-term maintenance and historic-preservation constraints as work proceeds. The presentation closed with staff noting follow-up outreach to stakeholders and future opportunities for the board to review refined drafts.