Marathon County Administration. MWC by Michael Crow
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Marathon County leaders held a meet-and-greet for developers interested in redeveloping the UWSP Wausau campus after it closes this spring.
Deputy County Administrator for Public Works and Capital Projects Chris Holman says it’s a small step in what will likely be a long process, but that’s deliberate. “We’re casting a wide net so there are lots of possibilities. It could be [someone] wants the entire campus, or it could be various interests want different pieces. The [proposals] could be complementary, or they could be independent.”
Thursday’s session was designed to help facilitate discussions among groups that could work together on an idea. “It may be that there are complementary proposals or just questions people have about their ideas. Providing this venue will hopefully help people think through what they want to do.”
County leaders have left the request open to a variety of possibilities, including both sale and lease options. The proposals will be scored based on the number of jobs or workforce housing created, sales or property tax generated, the quality of the idea, and alignment with community needs.
Proposals are due back to the county at the end of March. Interested developers are also required to participate in a campus walk-through with Administrators on March 3rd. A board vote on one or more of the proposals could come in June.
The campus consists of seven buildings, including a fieldhouse, two arts buildings, a main campus building, and Marathon Hall. The campus is closing and merging with Northcentral Technical College this summer.
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