GREEN BAY - A Milwaukee developer needs a few months to finalize its plan to redevelop a downtown Green Bay parking lot, but shared a few details that piqued local officials’ interest.
New Land Enterprises requested Green Bay’s Redevelopment Authority give it another three months of site control over the Adams Street parking lot, aka 221 Cherry St. The surface parking lot has drawn periodic interest in the last decade as a site that could be put to better use than the 100-plus surface parking spaces.
Boris and Tim Gokhman, the father-and-son duo who serve as New Land's founding and managing directors, respectively, indicated they had two viable building designs for the site, but needed the additional time to finalize which one to present.
They offered a few specifics on Tuesday and pointed toward three recent Milwaukee-area developments in order to give committee members an idea of what they plan to propose.
“We can guarantee it will be cool,” Boris Gokhman said. “It will not be boring.”
Here’s what we know and what New Land expects to be able to share in the months ahead.
Who is New Land Enterprises?
Milwaukee-based New Land has completed 28 mixed-use site developments that often include a mix of retail and parking on lower floors with market rate apartments on upper floors.
One of the most notable projects was Ascent, a 25-story mass timber apartment building in Milwaukee that set a record for tallest mass timber building in the world.
Ascent came up, but Tim Gokhman said two of New Land’s other housing developments provide better comparisons to what they plan to propose in downtown Green Bay.
For clues, look at Nova, Kinetik and Black Cat Alley in Milwaukee
Gokhman said two recent mixed-use projects, the 144-unit Kinetik in Bay View and the 251-unit Nova in downtown Milwaukee, provide better comparisons for what New Land plans to propose in downtown Green Bay.
Both buildings offer what Tim Gokhman called a “robust amenity program” that includes outdoor resident lounges, rooftop spaces, EV charging stations, coworking spaces, pet amenities, fitness centers and other services.
Both buildings also include retail space and heated indoor parking on the lower floors of the site.
Tim Gokhman also said the space between its building and City Center Lofts, located directly north of the Adams Street parking lot, could be turned into a creative, activity space similar to Black Cat Alley, a revitalized alley behind Milwaukee’s historic Oriental Theatre that’s now home to more than 20 murals, is managed by the East Side Business Improvement District and is popular with visitors.