GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Green Bay neighbors near Lambeau Field raised concerns about a property development years in the making. It all came down to a city common council meeting tonight.
- Green Bay residents near Lambeau Field voiced concerns about a proposed property development
- The development, located at Lombardi Avenue and Ridge Street, includes a five-story building with office and retail space and a four-story building with office space and 24 apartments
- Neighbors cited issues such as increased traffic, storm water drainage, noise, and loss of sunlight and privacy
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details for the web)
Thorndale Street resident John Corddry gets to wake up to one of the most iconic views in Wisconsin: Lambeau Field.
Hallowed ground.
“Built in 1957, the same year that Lambeau went up,” Corddry said, talking about the history of his picturesque home.
Rick Smith, another resident, echoed the sentiment. “We have a professional football team in a quiet little neighborhood. That’s been a calling card for Green Bay,” Smith said.
But for Corddry, a proposed development is dampening his home's future.
“It’s a million-dollar view. I’d lose that. But that's not the end of the world.”
What Corddry does say is "the end of the world" comes in the form of a new development at the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Ridge St.
“The driveway is coming onto Thorndale, a residential neighborhood with a school at the end of the block,” he added.
Neighbors voiced additional concerns about the project, ranging from storm water drainage to safety.
Some worried about how the development will affect the neighborhood’s infrastructure, especially during heavy rainfall or winter conditions.
Others expressed concerns about increased noise levels, traffic congestion, and the strain on public services.
The height of the new buildings has also raised questions about how much sunlight and privacy nearby homes will lose once construction is complete.
At Tuesday’s Green Bay Common Council meeting, the property owner, Tim Kuehn, addressed concerns about traffic, saying multiple changes were made to accommodate the neighborhood. “We’ve done three pages of changes that are working with traffic on Thorndale,” Kuehn said.
Despite neighbors’ objections, the council approved the development plan with a unanimous 12-0 vote.
The approved proposal includes a five-story building with office and retail space and a four-story building with office space and 24 apartments. It will also feature parking stalls both above and underground.
But to many homeowners like Corddry that I also spoke to, they feel that the future of their neighborhood could be bleak.
“Might as well get a bulldozer and do [it to] everyone. From Thorndale, Shadow, Frank? Gone,” he said.
To be clear, many neighbors I spoke to said they weren’t against the development of the property, but they are urging the city and developers to handle construction thoughtfully to preserve the community’s character.
Something that they say makes the area "unlike anything else in the NFL."
