De Pere council approves development agreement with Newland Enterprises for downtown redevelopment

The De Pere Common Council on July 7 voted to approve Resolution 26-65 authorizing a development agreement with Newland Enterprises for redevelopment of the west side of the 100 South Broadway block, subject to final review by the city attorney. Mayor Boyd moved the resolution; the council conducted a roll-call vote and the motion carried.

Staff planning manager Dan told the council the project would add roughly $70 million in assessed value and includes a potential George Street extension, reconstruction and restriping of an existing parking lot, a publicly accessible pedestrian plaza adjacent to the Fox River Trail, public art, and a waterfront restaurant concept. Dan said the developer reduced the unit count after market analysis and public feedback from about 198 units to roughly 173 units to address parking and neighborhood concerns.

Dan said the agreement includes about $8.3 million in upfront project grants staggered through construction and approximately $3.5 million in annual pay-as-you-go municipal obligations to the developer. He described the project’s parking plan as providing 255 on-site stalls, exceeding the zoning-code minimum of 218 stalls by roughly 37–40 spaces. Dan summarized the shared-parking model and estimated about 1.47 stalls per unit on a net basis.

The staff presentation also addressed site cleanup and stormwater improvements. Dan said the plan calls for removing contaminated soils on the site and for stormwater pretreatment that he estimated would reduce suspended solids by about 40 percent compared with existing runoff.

Alderperson Hansen asked about a Charles Street right-of-way shown in the ALTA survey and whether building footprints would encroach; Dan said the ALTA confirms the right-of-way and that, while most of the building footprint avoids it, some areas near the bridge require additional title and easement work. When asked about the projected $1,070,000 in annual property-tax increment, Dan described major costs including the George Street extension and parking-lot reconstruction and noted the city’s financial adviser had structured debt and guaranteed minimum revenues used to cover debt-service obligations.

Kim, a staff member, outlined schedule milestones included in the development agreement: conceptual planning and the park by September 2026, construction documents by year-end, construction starting around February (next year) and substantial completion by the end of 2028 if the schedule holds.

Council members and staff praised the developer’s responsiveness to design concerns, including removal of outboard balconies in favor of recessed balconies, revised façade materials (removal of Hardie board on the Broadway side, added stone and cornice details), and other architectural adjustments intended to better match downtown character. Staff said planning commission review and any required design exceptions will be handled as the project moves forward.

Mayor Boyd moved approval of Resolution 26-65, subject to final city attorney review; the council completed a roll-call vote and the chair declared the motion carried. The resolution authorizes the city to enter the development agreement and initiates follow-up steps including street vacations, design exceptions, grant submittals and documented easement agreements.

The council also recorded that cost-sharing language for replacement—beyond routine maintenance—will be developed in a separate, recorded agreement to define responsibilities for significant repairs or replacement of public-amenity elements.

Next steps: staff will finalize legal language with the city attorney; separate items (easement recordings, planning commission reviews and any design exceptions) will come back to the council for approval as required.