A new multi-use development could be coming to the neighborhood across the street from Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
The Green Bay Plan Commission last week unanimously approved development plans for roughly three acres at the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Ridge Road that have been largely empty since 2016. The project still needs approval of the city council to move forward.
The plans call for building three structures — a three- to four-story commercial building, a mixed-use building with first floor commercial space and 24 apartment units, and an eight-unit condo building. The commercial space could be used for offices, retail or restaurants, said Stephanie Hummel, a planner for the city.
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The project is being developed by Tim Kuehn and Michael Coppens, who own the three-acre site. It’s across the street from Lambeau Field and the nearby Titletown District, but on the same side of the street as a neighborhood of mostly single-family homes.
During the meeting, Corey Behnke, president of the Lombardi Neighborhood Association, said the development proposal was “incongruent” with the surrounding homes.
“The buildings are too tall and would disrupt important views, including those of Lambeau Field — a feature cherished by many residents and which serves as a symbolic skyline feature across our entire community,” he said.
The commercial building would be built on sloped land, so it would be 50-feet tall from one end and 64-feet tall from another, according to Hummel. The mixed-use building would be 53-feet tall and the eight-unit residential building would be 52-feet tall, she said.
She said city staff believe the building heights are appropriate, especially because plans for the commercial building were scaled down from an initial maximum height of 75-feet. She also said the proposed placement of the buildings inside the three-acre site would still allow for views of the stadium.
“The placement of these buildings was really strategic,” she said. “They’re at the corners and then along the frontage on purpose to still allow some visibility through the neighborhood, so you can still get some sight lines with those buildings.”
Brad Rymer, a project manager for community planning and engineering firm Vierbicher, represented Kuehn at the meeting. He said the building heights were reduced after the developers held a community meeting in the fall.
“The heights that we’re going with are still much lower than the Titletown District,” he said.
Beyond concerns about viewing the stadium, neighbors also said they were worried about possible increases in traffic in residential areas, and fear the development would change the neighborhood’s character.
“This would give (the neighborhood) a downtown feel,” said Ellen Merriman, who owns a house down the street from the proposed development. “If I wanted to live downtown, I’d move downtown.”
Despite pushback, a few residents did speak in favor of the proposal.
Sara Draeger, who lives in the neighborhood, said much of the development around Lambeau Field has come on Ashwaubenon’s side of Lombardi Avenue, so she welcomes development on her side of the street.
“This is a chance for Green Bay to develop on our side for the Packer games,” she said.
Green Bay Alder Chris Wery, whose district includes the Lombardi Neighborhood, is not on the plan commission but spoke at last week’s meeting. He said there’s a lot of people in the district that want to see development on the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Ridge Road.
“They’ve been waiting for something to happen,” Wery said. “They don’t necessarily want to come out and say that because they don’t want neighbors angry with them.”
The full City Council is scheduled to review the proposal on Tuesday and again on Feb. 4, according to the city.
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