The Village of Sister Bay is one of four entities that will be honored as the state’s top rural development initiatives by Wisconsin Rural Partners. The marketplace redevelopment project in the northern door village was the former site of a refrigerator manufacturer which was later repurposed into a shopping center. By 2008, it had become blighted. As part of the Highway 42 road project, the village partnered with the Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation to acquire the two acre site in the heart of downtown Sister Bay. At first, a single, large development was envisioned for the parcel. However, when concerns were expressed, the village enlisted the help of citizens to develop a plan everyone could live with. The protect now features a number of small redevelopment sites, open green space, a public parking lot and pedestrian/tourism amenities which tie waterfront park to the library/community botanical garden. The rural development initiative award will be handed out on Thursday, April 20th at the Heidel House Resort and Spa in Green Lake.
