ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Things have sure changed around Lambeau Field since the Packers announced the future creation of the Titletown District.
From the once-controversial renovation of the stadium to the development of Titletown, the transformation of the area has contributed to numerous seasonal attractions in Ashwaubenon.
In 2000, Brown County residents voted by a slim margin to raise the sales tax in town by half of a percent and use the money to renovate Lambeau Field. The renovation would ultimately cost 295 million dollars, and that was the first move to help ensure the Packers would be in Green Bay long-term.
"This really helped secure the Packer's future here in Green Bay," says Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy reminiscing on the project.
That was just the beginning, the Packers then turned their focus from the stands to their backyard and by 2015, the Packers announced they had been acquiring land in the shadow of Lambeau Field for a new project.
"Well, you know it actually predates me. The Packers did have the foresight to start buying up and purchasing land around the stadium, not with a specific plan or idea, but just knowing that land around the NFL stadium is valuable," adds Murphy.
Murphy says acquiring the 45-acres of land needed for the Titletown District project was the first step, the next would be deciding how to best utilize it.
"Shortly into my tenure, we started looking at what different things we could start doing around the stadium," says Murphy.
Soon thereafter, three businesses signed on to become the Packer's first tenants on the property. Bellin Health, Lodge Kohler, and the Hinterland Brewery all were slated to move onto the site and the Packers remained optimistic others would follow suit in the years that followed.
"I have to give credit you know to the first tenants. All (of them) kind of believed in us and all were northeast Wisconsin companies," says Murphy.
The Packers started focusing on public space in addition to potential tenants of the property in the years that followed. This space would ultimately make up about one-third of their property. Today the district includes everything from an ice-skating rink, a sledding hill, a massive park, to a full-sized football field. The focus according to Murphy has always been to emphasize how the public can utilize the property.
"No private developer would put a full football field right in the middle of their development. The return on a football field is not much," says Murphy.
The Titletown District ultimately became a community asset and By 2021 the construction of townhomes, apartments, and additional office space for future businesses had become a reality.
"We're starting to invest in companies that are really going to make a difference in this community," says Murphy.
So, what's next for the Titletown district? Well, Murphy says by August the Packers plan on opening up about four additional acres of public space to the public, which will include fire pits in open space for families to enjoy in the summer. The four acres that will soon open up will also have a staging area where folks can take in concerts or performances.
