Governor Doyle Announces Wisconsin Waterfront Initiative Website

Website Offers One-Stop Assistance for Community Waterfront Revitalization Projects

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today launched the Wisconsin Waterfront Initiative Website, providing comprehensive information and assistance for communities interested in improving their waterfronts. The website for the Wisconsin Waterfront Initiative is located at http://commerce.wi.gov/wisconsinwaterfront.

“Wisconsin’s rivers, lakes and streams are among our greatest assets.  Revitalizing our waterfronts helps build strong local economies by attracting new business, raising land values, and drawing locals and tourists to a community,” Governor Doyle said. “The Wisconsin Waterfront initiative will help communities protect and develop their waterfronts so they can be enjoyed by all for many years to come.”

Under Governor Doyle’s initiative, communities can go to one spot to marshal resources from the entire state to develop waterfronts.  The website includes information on funding, resources, and successful Wisconsin projects. The best practices section offers a step-by-step guide to the development of a waterfront revitalization project and includes advice on building community-wide support. 

The Department of Commerce will be the guiding force for communities, channeling resources from the Departments of Tourism, Natural Resources, Transportation, and Administration, the Wisconsin State Historical Society, and the Commission of Public Lands. Governor Doyle’s initiative will target all of these state resources to create a one-stop shop for communities looking to develop waterfronts and bring new energy to local economies.

Examples of successful waterfront revitalization projects include:

• Sheboygan Harbor Centre Project – This one-time industrial site on Lake Michigan’s shores lay vacant until the community accomplished a $17 million revitalization project. The project includes new restaurants, retail shops, and condominiums, as well as a new convention center and hotel water-park called the Blue Harbor Resort, which has 185 rooms and employs more than 350 workers.  The incremental value in the Tax Incremental Finance District increased from $17.6 million in 2003 to $91.3 million in 2007, a $73.7 million increase.  Commerce assisted this project with a $1.1-million Brownfields Grant.

• Village of Osceola – Osceola is listed on the National Historic Downtown Register. In 2002, heavy rains broke an earthen dam upstream from the village, flooding a major portion of its downtown. The community developed a comprehensive $9.25 million project that included downtown infrastructure enhancements, a scenic outlook over Osceola Creek; reestablishment of the historic dam and millpond, and bridge reconstruction.  The resulting economic impact included the construction of a new bank and a senior housing project worth $4.4 million collectively, the expansion of seven area businesses, the relocation of six businesses to the downtown area, and numerous private downtown building improvements.