Coffee House at Chestnut & Pine, Burlington

The Sheboygan Falls Main Street Program began in December 1988, when it was named one of the first five pilot Main Street programs in the state of Wisconsin. At this time, only three buildings in downtown Sheboygan Falls had been renovated, and many stood vacant. However, the actual push for downtown revitalization had begun nearly 15 years earlier, when a few passionate individuals formed a Sheboygan Falls historic preservation group out of the Sheboygan County Landmarks Association. Two separate historic districts were created as a result of this effort. The community effort to launch the program resulted in significant private sector investment, as local property improvements totaled more than $3.6 million in the program’s fifth year after steady year-over-year improvements. Early successes included the Brickner Woolen Mill Apartments, which was a successful $3.3 million adaptive reuse project to create affordable housing units along the river downtown. Projects like this, along with many individual business examples, paved the way for the Brickner Square project and 1878 Broadway redevelopment, which both resulted from local investors pooling funds to purchase and restore long-vacant properties. Bemis Manufacturing was an early investor, leading by example through renovations of a downtown showroom facility, but also providing $15,000 in seed funding toward a revolving loan pool for other downtown property owners. Early activities also set the stage for community-oriented and family-friendly events such as the Ducktona 500, which has grown to attract 8,000 annual attendees. Today, Sheboygan Falls is one of Wisconsin’s successful Chamber-Main Street organizations, a model made possible when the larger business community recognizes that the health of the downtown center is a reflection of overall economic opportunity. Sheboygan Falls has won more than 40 statewide Main Street awards in virtually every category offered. The program is especially recognized for its well-preserved historic architecture and successful community-wide partnerships designed to engage the City, business community, civic organizations and residents to preserve and promote a strong and vibrant local community while retaining its quintessential small-town charm.

WEDC contributed $212,000 in site assessment and brownfields funding toward a $7.6 million project to renovate a failed downtown mall into an office and educational campus. The site was formerly home to a dry cleaning facility, which was destroyed by a fire. The site is now home to Mid-State Technical College and office space for 150 workers, and has also helped catalyze additional downtown projects including renovation of a historic theater, construction of a new hotel and improvements at other downtown properties. Additional project funding included CDBG and TIF funds.

WEDC provided $534,000 toward the redevelopment of the 27-acre Royster-Clark site. The site was developed by Ruedebusch Development in partnership with Stonehouse Development, with new development including apartments aimed at low-income and disabled residents, commercial development and the construction of a library. Veridian Homes is also looking at developing 57 lots of single-family housing as a second phase of the project.