Trying To Make Lakefront Dreams Reality

The 70 or so people at Thursday's third and final lakefront public-input meeting were taken on a little trip.

They didn't even have to leave their seats to do it. This trip was more of the virtual variety, with sketches up on a projector screen at the .

But it was easy to visualize what could be in the next several years at .

The journey began at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ryan Road. Oak Creek and its consultant, JJR, imagine this as a kind of gateway to new development on the 250 acres north of Bender Park.

The road would be an extension of Highway 100/Ryan Road and wind its way on what is now dilapidated former industrial land. In the future, officials plan for the land to include a public park, retail, multi-family housing, commercial and green space.

The exact form it will take is still anyone’s guess, but planners Thursday laid out the possibilities in more detail than they ever have. 

Among the key aspects of the plan:

• A corporate conference center;

• A public square as part of “Carollville Green,” which could include an amphitheater or other amenities;
• Medium density, multi-family housing;
• A public park that will include trails, recreational fields and a "Lakefront Terrace" that would allow people to go down the bluff and reach the lakeshore itself.

Representatives from JJR stressed that the plan is still conceptual and subject to change. But they added they are anxious to get going and promised the plans will not collect dust on a bookshelf.

"There is absolutely no reason why these 250 acres can’t be transformed into a beautiful place," consultant Ed Freer said.

Getting specific

JJR divided the property into four parts: Southern Neighborhood, Northern Neighborhood, Carollville Green and the public park.

The idea is that the southern neighborhood and park comes first and sets the stage for the rest of the area. The northern neighborhood, which is planned for mostly commercial uses, will likely come last.

In the middle of all of it is the Carollville Green. Planners envision it as the most public of the public components, with retail, a public square and references to the neighborhood’s proud history.

"This is one of the parts we’re most excited about," Freer said.

Executing the plan will require some creativity to clean up environmental problems, but officials are confident it will get done.

It’s part of the "implementation" phase that city leaders are shifting into. Once the environmental issues are taken care of, work will begin on the infrastructure and park portions of the project. The city is shooting to start next summer.

"When I was brought into the community, the number one project the council had for me was, ‘We need to have something happen at the lakefront,'" City Administrator Gerald Peterson said. "I'm a to-do person as opposed to a planning entity, and we expect to move this project along."

For more details on the plan and to view a map, see the "Lake Views" section of the city's website.