Shopko redevelopment, Thrivent plans, more housing: Major Fox Cities projects coming in 2024
APPLETON — In 2024, Fox Cities residents can expect to see a grocery store move into a former Shopko building, new flights take off from Appleton, and other redevelopments modify the landscape.
The Post-Crescent followed up on previous reporting and talked with developers about major projects expected to be completed later this year in Appleton, Kimberly, Neenah and Kaukauna. Some developments may stretch into 2025 — or even further — while other longtime projects are getting closer to the finish line. Dozens of new housing units will become available for residents and local college students.
Here's what to watch for in the new year.
Downtown Appleton will see changes to Chase building, City Center Plaza
By the end of the year, developers hope to unveil the renovations and updates they've been working on at the Chase Bank building, according to David Baehr, owner of Oshkosh Investment. Baehr's group is redeveloping the property at 200 W. College Ave. with Lofgren Properties 6.
Chase will stay on the main floor, Baehr said, along with other commercial space. The upper floors will house 21 apartment units, and Baehr said he envisions the lower level as an entertainment venue.
A block east, Dark Horse Development and The Boldt Co., are creating the Fox Commons, a $33.6 million project to transform City Center Plaza. The goal is to bring "new life to the heart of downtown Appleton by creating a thriving urban hub," according to developers.
The structure will include Mosaic Family Health and Prevea Health, as well as Lawrence University housing. Developers expect students to move into apartments at Fox Commons for the fall 2024 school year.
Thrivent readies plans for Appleton headquarters, campus
In spring 2023, Thrivent announced that it was going to change up its Appleton headquarters and surrounding 600 acres of land. The company said it doesn't need as much space anymore. Plus, the Ballard Operations Center, at 4321 N. Ballard Road, needs significant repairs, according to company leadership. So, Thrivent asked for the community's feedback on development options.
The company held a couple of engagement sessions in the fall and had a "great response," with good attendance and engagement, Eric Merriman, Thrivent's director of real estate and workplace services, told The Post-Crescent in December.
Merriman said they plan to refine a master plan and start working with the city on the first stages in 2024. The entire project is likely to unfold over decades, though, he said, and the master plan will serve as a framework along the way.
New flights set to take off from Appleton International Airport
Starting June 6, American Airlines will offer non-stop, daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.
Allegiant Air also added direct flights to New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport beginning May 17, and to Portland International Airport in Oregon, from June 15 to Aug. 13.
The Appleton airport is also undergoing a $66 million terminal expansion, which will include a new biergarten, upgraded restaurants and other amenities. The project broke ground in December and is expected to continue for the next few years.
More: Construction on I-41 expansion and new roundabouts are coming to Outagamie County in 2024
Festival Foods will replace Shopko; Kimberly continues to redevelop former NewPage mill
Skogen's Festival Foods still plans to open a new location in the former Shopko building at 800 E. Maes Ave., in Kimberly. Construction is underway, and the company hopes to be done by fall 2024, Brian Stenzel, community involvement senior director, told The Post-Crescent in late December.
In the spring, the Kimberly Village Board approved the final phase of Cedars at Kimberly, the redevelopment of the former NewPage paper mill. Blue at the Trail will provide homes, duplexes and condominiums for about 250 residents.
The development's partners "are excited for groundbreaking on the first multiunit townhomes and single-family homes," Sam Statz, president of Hoffman Planning, Design, & Construction, Inc., said in a Dec. 27 statement to The Post-Crescent.
Construction is expected to begin in February or March, and these homes will be completed in mid to late summer, according to Statz.
The groundbreaking of the 870 Terra Blue Court building, with six stories and 45 condo units, will start "shortly thereafter," Statz said. This is the first of four planned riverfront condo buildings, along with four multiunit townhome buildings, he said.
The final stages of infrastructure improvements, including street paving and sidewalks, are tentatively planned for late summer 2024, according to Statz.
More: New high school, library construction: What happened in Appleton area in 2023
Barring further issues, Neenah apartment complex will start to go up
After months of delays, developer Tom Vandeyacht expects construction to begin in June 2024 at Bridgewood Luxury Apartments in Neenah, on the site of the former nine-hole Bridgewood Golf Course.
"As you would guess, this is subject to no additional economic chaos as we have had for the last few years with inflation and ever-increasing interest rates," Vandeyacht said in a Dec. 19 email to The Post-Crescent.
Vandeyacht said his team has "spent the last year and a half moving ground and doing sitework to prepare," and they will work on underground utilities this winter.
"We are thankful to the City of Neenah for our main entrance, the new bridge off Jewelers Park Drive," he said. "It is mostly complete with just a few items to be completed in the spring."
More housing coming to Appleton, Kaukauna
An affordable housing development, called Rise Apartments, is under construction in Appleton. The property will open in phases, MF Housing Partners told The Post-Crescent late last year. Developers expect the two-unit townhome to open in February, the six-unit townhome to follow in April and the 40-unit midrise apartment building to open in June.
Baehr — who's working on the Chase redevelopment — said he's also creating 20 loft-style apartment units at 217 S. Badger Avenue in Appleton. Baehr hopes to finish in the next couple of months.
In Kaukauna, a $20 million project called Legacy Creekside Apartments will add 175 units on the city's north side. The first 50-unit building is expected to be done by summer, while the rest of development will run through the end of 2025.
Construction of the Dreamville Kaukauna Apartments on Lawe Street was previously expected to be finished by late 2023 or early 2024. The city said on its Facebook page in August that increased building costs and interest rates led to delays. The project is set to be completed in winter 2024/2025, according to Abacus Architects' website.
Reach Becky Jacobs at bjacobs@gannett.com or 920-993-7117. Follow her on Twitter at @ruthyjacobs.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Shopko, Fox Commons, Thrivent part of Appleton area's 2024 projects
