De Pere council advances terms for Newland Enterprises' Lockside redevelopment in downtown

The De Pere Common Council voted May 5 to approve terms that would move a proposed redevelopment of the west side of the 100 South Broadway block — currently in Tax Increment District 18 — toward a formal development agreement with Newland Enterprises.

Council members approved the motion to advance the terms after presentations from city staff and the developer and a public comment period. The roll‑call vote recorded Aye: Gantz, Hansen, Conagher, Ledvina, Nelson, Pierock, Hill and Mayor Boyd; the motion carried.

The developer and city staff described a concept the team calls "Lockside": roughly 200 market‑rate housing units (a mix of apartments, condominiums and townhomes), about 12,000 square feet of street‑level retail, and internal structured parking. City staff estimated the total project value at roughly $70 million and described an assessed‑value increase in the tens of millions that would feed TID revenues. Newland representatives said the proposal emphasizes pedestrian connections from Broadway down to the Fox River, a privately owned plaza with a permanent public‑access easement, and public‑benefit elements such as public art and stormwater pretreatment.

Tim Gockman, managing director for Newland Enterprises, framed the firm’s approach around long‑term ownership and operations: "We typically build buildings, stabilize them and hold them," he told the council during the presentation. Newland also showed examples of prior mixed‑use projects and said the design would include a concrete podium with residential levels above, townhomes facing the river and an amenity deck.

City staff (Dan Quayson) walked the council through technical and financial details: the site was described as a 2.2–2.4 acre assemblage that includes city‑owned parcels and privately owned parcels; remediation of historic fill and stormwater improvements were described as required actions; and the project would remove an underutilized 110‑stall surface lot. Staff reported the developer’s internal parking count at about 255 stalls and said the project will be required to perform a traffic‑impact analysis and other site‑plan work if the agreement moves forward.

On financing, staff said the city would use tax‑increment financing (TIF) tools alongside pursuit of state and federal grants (brownfield grants and other funding). The terms discussed include phased, project‑cost reimbursement grants (with early disbursements timed to help finance structured parking) and an annual pay‑go obligation tied to captured increment. Staff noted the developer is requesting gap assistance typical for urban redevelopment and described a preliminary structure that would phase reimbursement (for example, partial payments at footings/foundations and at building dry‑in, with final disbursement at certificate of occupancy).

Council members pressed on affordability, public benefits and scale. Staff and the developer said the project currently does not include income‑restricted affordable units because the downtown site and underwriting do not qualify for the federal or state tax‑credit programs typically needed to make affordable units feasible without a larger subsidy. On public art, the team said about a quarter‑percent of project cost is proposed for public art (staff estimated roughly $170,000 based on current figures).

Several residents told the council they supported redevelopment but raised concerns about building height and river views, fire apparatus access if Front Street is vacated in part, neighborhood traffic and long‑term maintenance of public spaces. Maureen Van at Hogan told the council: "You're taking away the view of the Fox from all the citizens when you go up that high," citing a desire to preserve sightlines along the river. City staff responded that the Culture District Master Plan is a guiding document while the 2023 zoning code removed prescriptive height caps previously discussed, and that final elevations and materials will be resolved in site‑plan review.

Next steps: the council’s approval of terms signals willingness to negotiate a developers' agreement; if staff and the developer proceed, the project would return to the council for a formal development agreement (staff gave a target of June for a follow‑up). The developers said construction could take about 20 months and the first full tax value would likely be realized on Jan. 1, 2029. Required additional steps include property closings, ALTA survey work, environmental testing, a TIA, site‑plan review, and neighborhood meetings.

Because the presentation contained several technical and financing assumptions that will be refined in later approvals, council members and staff said they expect more detailed reporting on parking, traffic recommendations from the TIA, final public‑space design and precise TIF disbursement schedules before any binding city commitments are executed.