Surf Cat

Proposed in the fall of 2018, the plan lays out an ambitious roadmap for Kenosha’s downtown, including numerous high-rise housing units, new retail development, a park and a performing arts center.

The most significant project related to the plan to get a green light this year was Brindisi Towers, a high-end apartment/condominium complex planned for a 1.6-acre parcel located directly north of the Kenosha Municipal Building on 52nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues.

The $79.5 million project received overwhelming support from the Plan Commission in December, with a final hearing planned for Jan. 9.

The Brindisi Towers includes an 11-story apartment structure on the north, 10-story condo building on the south and a fourth-floor grass terrace between the two towers.

Condominiums are expected to start at $500,000, with penthouse units reaching $1.5 million. Monthly rent for the apartments could range from $2,500 to $4,000.

New city hall

A key component of the vision project is relocation of city hall. That plan also advanced in 2019.

In September, a Chicago-based project management company was chosen to construct a new city hall at Sheridan Road and 56th Street.

The building on that land now, which houses the Kenosha Public Library administrative offices and the Kenosha Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, would be torn down and replaced with an 80,000-square-foot city hall.

After that is completed, the current city hall would be razed, with the land becoming a public park. The proposed performing arts center would be built at the west end of the park.

Parking ramp

Another aspect of the plan calls for three parking structures to accommodate downtown residents. However, the first of those structures hit a snag in 2019.

A five-story, 331-spot ramp slated just east of the Kenosha Post Office on Eighth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets was sent out for rebidding when estimates came in roughly $1 million over its $8.5 million budget.

Redevelopment projects

The downtown area saw a significant boost in April when a major redevelopment project — The Stella Hotel and Ballroom — opened at 5706 Eighth Ave.

The former Elks Club/Heritage House, which had fallen into disrepair, was transformed into a gleaming facility that quickly became a destination for locals and visitors alike.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Association selected the project as a finalist for its Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse award.

The year also saw redevelopment projects for two long-vacant former department stores.

A project to overhaul the former Barden’s, at the northeast corner of 58th Street and Seventh Avenue, got underway as Public Craft Brewing Co. set about transforming the nearly 22,000-square-foot commercial building into its new home, with a banquet facility planned for the second floor.

Across the street, BluePaint Development LLC in September agreed to develop the Alford Building, 702 58th St., into a mixed-use building, with residences on the upper floors and commercial use on the first floor.

Construction would begin no later than April 4, 2020, and be completed by Jan. 31, 2022.

On the same block, in November, Herzing University announced it would move into the former Kenosha News building at 5800 Seventh Ave.