If all of the pieces fall in place, a new housing complex will rise from the shell of the old West Side School and a portion of what is now the west side softball field in Sturgeon Bay. The city council approved the changes that will facilitate the project on a 5 to 2 vote Tuesday evening. The zoning change will allow for the planned unit development intended to provide 10 units in the old school and 30 units in an addition to the building. Northpointe Development has indicated that the complex will provide needed affordable housing.
As part of the action taking related to the project, the city council also approved a price for the west side ball field. The asking price is $850,000, but, because the developer, Northpointe Development, was given permission to pay back the cost, with interest, at the end of 15 years, the payment to the city would be more than $1.3 million. The project and the sale of the ball field is contingent on the approval of state tax credits. Since that won’t be announced until April, the ball diamond is expected to be used for the 2020 season. And, if everything goes as planned, work on the housing project would begin in the fall of next year.
During the meeting, several speakers expressed their opposition to the loss of the softball field during a half an hour set aside for public comment.
