WEDC provided $205,000 toward a $1.4 million project to completely renovate a vacant downtown property to help an existing business, The Coffee House at Chestnut & Pine, expand, while also adding space for a new bakery, a meeting space/event venue and a commercial kitchen, with a combined 10 additional employees. The renovated building has become an anchor for the growing downtown revitalization effort, spurring developer interest in a long-vacant parcel on the same block for an $800,000 investment to create co-working space. The coffeehouse itself is now the top ranked business in the City of Burlington and has been featured in multiple publications, driving additional tourism activity.

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WEDC contributed $249,455 toward a $3.2 million project to renovate and preserve the historic Al Ringling Theatre in downtown Baraboo. The project, completed in time for the theater’s 100th birthday, restored many of the building’s original fixtures, while also adding modern conveniences like updated restrooms and a bar. The theater regularly draws visitors from Madison and Milwaukee, and is responsible for driving foot traffic in the downtown area to support additional businesses. Other funding partners included the City of Baraboo, Jeffris Family Foundation and private contributions. The theater is in the process of expanding its staff by five to accommodate increased volume of activities and tours as a result of the project

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WEDC contributed $459,529 toward a $31 million redevelopment project including housing, retail and a health care facility on the former Bancroft Dairy site. The dairy plant had closed 10 years prior, and the 1.64-acre site had residual soil contamination, which required disposal and capping.

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WEDC contributed $6,500 toward a $25,000 feasibility study to jumpstart the renovation of the 40,000-square-foot former courthouse facility in the center of Green Lake. Following the completion of the study, the nonprofit ownership group invested in upgrades to the facility, which is now home to 23 local tenants, including several entrepreneurs who make use of the certified commercial kitchen. In addition, the center hosts a number of community- and youth-oriented educational programs.

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WEDC contributed $20,000 toward an $80,000 planning project to provide a master plan for future downtown development and address connectivity issues within the community. The plan identified a need for $1.2 million in public investment, which would leverage $7.9 million in private investment in the form of property improvements and new development. Since the plan, the village has identified a number of village-owned parcels downtown with redevelopment potential, and is working to market them to developers. They have also addressed many of the access and parking constraints identified in the plan.

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