Wis. Rapids buys 2 downtown properties, wants more

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – City officials have a plan to revitalize the downtown with a building that might host housing, shops and restaurants.

Wisconsin Rapids officials have been working to buy property in the triangular-shaped block bordered by Market, Jackson and Second streets, across from the Wood County Courthouse, Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Zach Vruwink said.

Once the city owns the property, it plans to find developers who will commit to building a multi-story structure that might possibly hold apartments, government offices, retail space and restaurants, Vruwink said.

The city already purchased the building on the corner by the roundabout and the building next to it, which currently houses a U.S. Department of Agricultural office, Vruwink said. The purchases cost a total of $328,413.

The buildings would have been on the market for years, Vruwink told the Wood County Conservation, Education and Economic Development Committee Wednesday. The city taking over the property is a great way to foster development in the area, he said.

Vruwink hopes city employees can begin demolition of the two buildings in the fall. Officials would like to move on the purchase of other property in the block in late spring and summer.

City officials have talked to all the property owners in the block and will work with whatever property it can purchase, Vruwink said. City officials also hope to get a commitment from Wood County to rent space in a new building, once it's built.

The development would help the county with a couple of its problems, said Hilde Henkel, Conservation, Education and Economic Development Committee chairwoman. The county owns a building in the targeted block that currently is vacant. The county also needs additional space for offices and would like to move departments from other areas in the city to the courthouse, Henkel said.

When the county was working on its space needs study, it made a commitment to stay in the downtown area, Vruwink said. The city's plans for the triangular block are the perfect opportunity for collaboration among the city, county and private developers, he said.

Committee member Jerry Nelson, Marshfield, commended Vruwink for pursuing the plan.

"The area certainly needs something," Nelson said.

Some of the property is contaminated from a former gas station that was in the block, Vruwink said. The city received a grant to confirm the contamination last year, and city officials would like to work with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to get grant funding to help clean up the site.

In the 1990s and 2000s, there was a focus on suburban growth, Vruwink said. Everyone had two cars. Now, people are attracted to more urban areas where they can walk to get the goods and services they need, Vruwink said. Employers in Wisconsin Rapids can't attract those types of people who want to live in urban areas. He expects the project will help address those needs.

Vruwink told the Daily Tribune the block is just more than 2 acres. City officials want to work something out with the county regarding the county-owned property in the block.

"We don't want to be landlords, nor do we want to own the site; we want to get it in the hands of developers," Vruwink said.

The project fits into the long-term plans that previous Wisconsin Rapids administrations had developed for the city, Vruwink said. It's up to current leaders to make those plans a reality, he said.

Vruwink would like to hear from anyone interested in developing the area, renting space for a business or renting an apartment. People who want to be involved can call the mayor's office at 715-421-8216.

You can contact reporter Karen Madden at 715-423-7200, ext. 6729, or follow her on Twitter @wrtkmadden.