WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A much-discussed city-owned property will be turned into a restaurant by new local owners.
On Tuesday night the city council gave its unanimous approval to the proposal to turn the former Westside Battery and L&S Printing properties into an elevated breakfast and lunch restaurant. The proposal for the property was submitted in December by current 6th Street Filling Station co-owners Jamie Kroening and Lee Martino.
Kroening and Martino, a brother and sister duo, have owned the 6th Street Filling station since 2017. With the continued growth of the 6th Street Filling Station, Kroening says the goal with the new restaurant, The Dam Place, is to provide excellent breakfast, lunch and catering service.
As for the vision of the new restaurant, Kroening says they want to highlight the Wisconsin Public Service dam that the building overlooks. “The building is very rustic and very industrial looking. It’s going to require a lot of work to get it up and running. But we want to really embellish the dam that it overlooks. So a lot of water and wood accents. And dam good food.”
With the approval of the proposal by the city council, Kroening says the next step for the project is to secure financing. The city is not providing any financial help to Kroening and Martino for the project, so financing must be secured first before the project moves past its current stage.
Kroening explains they are working with the Samuels Group in Wausau to put together the proposal for the restaurant. At this point in time, the project will be a $1.5 million investment into the property to turn it into a restaurant.
There currently isn’t a specific timeline for the project as Kroening and Martino want to take their time to secure all the proper financing. When asked about the potential future of the 6th Street Filling Station with the new restaurant, Kroening declined to comment at this time.
The council also approved the second phase of the Riverlife Villages project, which will be between 25 to 30 owner-occupied condominiums facing the river. The project also includes a proposed amphitheater space that will be designed at a later stage in the process as it will include input from the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee.
