Wisconsin Rapids development projects to watch in 2024: Noodles & Co., Kwik Trip, former Shopko property and more
Caitlin Shuda, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
5 min read
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Last year brought a few exciting developments to Wisconsin Rapids, like Harbor Freight and Five Below opening in the former Shopko building, and Pizza Hut building a new drive-thru and takeout location.
And there are more projects in the works for the city in 2024. We reconnected with developers, companies and organizations to get the latest on these developments and when you can expect to see them complete.
Noodles & Co. will renovate the former Pizza Hut building at 2001 Eighth St. S. in Wisconsin Rapids. The restaurant chain plans to there open in June 2024.
The restaurant chain’s plans for redevelopment and opening have shifted a bit since that announcement and its original plans to open by the end of 2023. In November, a company spokesperson told the Daily Tribune Noodles & Co. was looking at opening in the spring of 2024 and was aiming for April.
Earlier this month, the spokesperson said Noodles & Co. is now looking to open in early June.
Marshalls plans for 2024 opening date
Harbor Freight and Five Below are open in the former Shopko building in Wisconsin Rapids. Marshalls will join the development in 2024.
Harbor Freight and Five Below are already open at the former Shopko building, but Marshalls will join them this year.
A spokesperson for the company told the Daily Tribune in November that Marshalls anticipates opening the store in 2024, but as of earlier this month, the company did not have any specific timeline as to when the store would open.
There are more projects at the former Shopko property
Two developments will be built at the edge of the former Shopko parking lot along 12th Street South and East Riverview Expressway.
There are more developments coming at the former Shopko property, both in the former big box building and along the edges of the parking lot.
Tom Richards, a partner with Cool Investment LLC − an Arizona-based business that purchased the Shopko building and lot − told the Daily Tribune a fourth “top national retailer” will open along with Marshalls, joining Harbor Freight and Five Below, although that store has not yet been announced.
Two developments are also set to build at the edge of the parking lot along East Riverview Expressway. Tidal Wave Auto Spa plans to start construction this spring on a new car wash near the existing Sudzee Car Wash and plans to open later this year, said Josh Henderson, a marketing representative for Tidal Wave.
Valvoline Instant Oil Change will also build a new location on the edge of the lot, on the corner of 12th Street South and East Riverview Expressway. It will also likely open this year, Richards said.
Wood County Jail construction is on schedule
Construction progress is seen on Nov. 14, 2023, at the new Wood County Jail in Wisconsin Rapids.
The project broke ground in October 2022, and the new building will be connected to the current Wood County Courthouse by a three-story entry hall where security will check staff and visitors. The new building will house the Sheriff's Office reception area, inmate intake area and 24 individual holding cells, increasing from the six holding cells in the current jail. The second and third floors will hold cells and a central command center. The fourth floor will be more open and feature a dormitory style layout for lower-risk inmates.
The new 150,000-square-foot building will offer space for more than double the number of inmates the county can hold, as Wood County currently contracts to house inmates in other counties.
Once the building is finished, the state will need to approve the new facility, and corrections officers will train in the new space and learn procedures for the new building. The jail is expected to be operational by February 2025.
Renovations begin at West Grand Avenue Kwik Trip
Renovations at the Kwik Trip on West Grand Avenue will begin Jan. 22 and last through early March in Wisconsin Rapids.
Over the next few months, the convenience store will add about 1,381 square feet to the space, expanding the store's kitchen, beverage and checkout spaces. More parking also will be added behind the store. A Kwik Trip spokesperson told the Daily Tribune in November the renovation project is expected to be finished in May, although a sign on the store's door tells customers the project will run until early March.
While some portions of the store may be closed off during renovations, Kwik Trip will remain open throughout the expansion.
Original plans to renovate the site in 2019 called for building a car wash at this Kwik Trip location, but the latest project plans do not include a car wash.
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School will build new home
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School will begin construction soon at the site of its future home near Home Depot in Wisconsin Rapids.
Immanuel held a groundbreaking ceremony in July, and the land has since been cleared for development. The first phase of this project will include a new church and another building, called a Mission Center, that can be used for wedding receptions, family events, church events and conferences. A second phase of this project will include building Immanuel Lutheran School on site, with the church and school sharing a main entrance and administrative offices.
Jonathan Blum, Immanuel's facility administrator, said foundational work will begin soon on the Mission Center, depending on weather conditions, and crews will start building that facility first. It's expected to be finished in June. Construction on the main church building will begin once the weather gets warmer, and that facility, including the sanctuary, is estimated to be finished by December 2024 or January 2025.
Immanuel plans to close its existing church building on Eighth Street and move services to the Mission Center this summer before permanently moving to the church once it is completed.
