Artist rendering of The Foundry on 3rd in Wausau
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – You’ve probably heard the commericals on WSAU, urging the public to support the redevelopment of the Wausau Center Mall. One of the women speaking says, “the mall, as it is, is no longer viable… it’s our responsibility to turn what was there into a new vision.” She’s right.
But now that the mall is demolished, the developer has leverage. We can’t have an empty slab of concrete downtown. This is a mistake by a rookie mayor and an under-informed city council. Wausau put public dollars into this project with only wishy-washy plans for what would actually be built. The city has already paid for the demolition, and has given a $1-million loan that’s almost entirely forgivable. Last week we learned that the developer is asking for another $10-million in city funding; $6-million for the project, the rest is interest that taxpayers will cover over two decades. There is another to-be-developed block with to-be-determined plans. Taxpayers will be asked to contribute to that too.
What choice does the city have? If the city says ‘no’ and the developer walks away, we are literally left with a concrete jungle downtown. And this is the same developer dragged negotiations out for months on a separate project at Riverlife. And threatened to sue the city when the project was given to a new developer.
If Wausau were truly a hot market, developers would be willing to finance their own projects. The city would be asked for reasonable contributions, like extending sewer and water lines and paving the roads near the development.
I live in a modest home about a mile away from the mall. I carefully factored in the principal, interest, and taxes for the home I bought. The rent for a tiny 350-square foot studio apartment will cost more than my mortgage. A 2-bedroom will be twice what I pay. So why should I, and other Wausau taxpayers, subsidize the building that our new, wealthy downtown neighbors will be living in? The answer is obvious. We can’t have an undeveloped, empty downtown. Something must go there. Which is why I’m turning my attention to city leaders who’ve put us in this lousy situation.
Chris Conley
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