#Wausau Center mall redevelopment

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Developer says downtown Foundry project construction to begin soon

Construction is slated to begin in May.

Damakant Jayshi A major downtown development is on the cusp of launching, with developer T. Wall Enterprises estimating construction for The Foundry on 3rd will begin May 15. The date is two weeks before a city-imposed deadline for groundbreaking that was approved last year. Wausau extended the deadline in October, one of multiple delays marking redevelopment for the former Wausau Center mall…

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The Wausau Finance Committee issues warning to Wausau Center Mall owners

The Wausau Finance Committee issues warning to Wausau Center Mall owners

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WAUSAU, Wis. (WAOW) — Tuesday evening the Wausau Finance Committee said Rialto Capital Management has failed to make two annual rent payments. Those payments consist of ten percent of the mall’s profits for the year.

The committee added that Rialto Capital has given little input into mall redevelopment discussions. It’s something the city doesn’t want sole responsibility for.

“If the…

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Part three, opinion: Let's better protect taxpayers

The final segment of our three-part investigative series on the Tax Incremental Fiasco that was the Wausau Center Mall - and how Marathon County could better protect its people.

By Peter Weinschenk My wife, Susan, and I bought our house in Edgar in 1987 for $39,500. The home, built in 1917, was originally a farmhouse located on the outskirts of town which featured a small red wooden barn. The house suffered a top floor fire in the mid-1930s. People told us they could see the house fire flames all the way from downtown Edgar. Peter Weinschenk. Contributed photo This…

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Part Two: Local business boosters defend mall subsidies

Part 2 of our 3-part investigative series on the impact of tax increment financing and who benefits (and pays) when public-private partnerships are part of the city's economic landscape:

By Peter Weinschenk The Wausau Center Mall built 1n 1983 was the biggest economic development project Marathon County had ever experienced. It replaced a tired downtown with a 423,132 square foot mall served by two multi-story parking ramps. The mall featured three anchors–Sears, JCPenney and Prange’s (later Younkers)–and funneled shoppers across northcentral Wisconsin into downtown Wausau. At…

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Wausau mall redevelopment project extended, but questions remain over funding and viability

A more detailed analysis of the deal extended by the city, questions over funding and how development agreements are meant to be vetted in Wausau:

By Damakant Jayshi and Shereen Siewert The City Council on Tuesday approved an extension to a development agreement for The Foundry on 3rd project to build 154 market-rate apartments and commercial space at the site of the former Wausau Center mall. The approval comes despite a lack of funding details from the team’s development analyst, Nick Patterson, who did not state categorically whether…

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Wausau mall redevelopment plan tab surpasses $6.5 million - as residents wait for action

That amounts to more than $163 for every man, woman and child in Wausau, with no new apartments breaking ground to date and a highly anticipated project on hold until at least spring.

By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review A plan to redevelop the former Wausau Center mall site has already cost residents millions, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside legal expenses added to the mix. The more than $200,000 in outside legal expenses does not include work performed by city staff in any department, but adds to the roughly $6.3 million already spent since 2019.…

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Records show sharp divide among Wausau residents, leaders in former mall redevelopment

From questions to potential open meetings violations to worries about zoning codes, emails received as part of an open records request show strong resistance and criticism for the project. Here's what those records showed.

By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review A records request submitted by developer Terrence Wall revealed significant concerns among taxpayers and city leaders about a proposed downtown apartment complex planned for the former Wausau Center mall property. Wall, who spearheads Madison-based T. Wall Enterprises, Inc., made the expansive request of Dist. 3 Alder Tom Kilian on Sept. 5 amid a…

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Local developer offers $700K for former Sears building

Wausau bought the Sears building in 2017 for $650K. Now, a local developer is interested in taking it off the city's hands.

By Shereen Siewert

WAUSAU — A local developer is offering to purchase the former Sears property at Wausau Center Mall for $700,000, according to city documents.

Wausau bought the Sears building in 2017 for $650,000 but has since struggled to fill the space. Micon, a family-owned theater company with three theaters in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, had originally planned a 10-screen complex for…

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Wisconsin malls add amenities in effort to rebound

Wausau Mayor Robert Mielke said he would love to see the Wausau Center Mall turned into a mixed-use development with housing and office space in addition to retail stores.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Some urban and suburban malls are being revived through redevelopment that adds amenities, but that approach might not succeed in smaller Wisconsin markets where distressed malls are having a harder time coming back to life.

Brookfield Square in suburban Milwaukee will have a movie theater tavern and Whirlyball game venue by the end of the year, Wisconsin Public Radio…

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City leaders get first look at mall redevelopment ideas

Some pretty cool ideas from the consultants on the mall. But the question is whether mall owners will buy in.

By Shereen Siewert

WAUSAU — A group of consultants presented initial findings from the first phase of the market study for the Wausau Center mall Tuesday, giving the economic development committee a first look at possibilities for the struggling shopping center.

Consultants from Place and Main and Archive DS unveiled two potential solutions to better use the mall and integrate the space with the…

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City to explore mall redevelopment with WEDC grant

A Wausau Center redevelopment market study and plan will kick off with a public meeting on May 31.

By Shereen Siewert

WAUSAU — City leaders and stakeholders will undergo a planning process to re imagine the Wausau Center mall, thanks to a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Commission.

A Wausau Center redevelopment market study and plan will kick off with a public meeting at 5 p.m. May 31 in Council Chambers at Wausau City Hall.

The planning process will include participation from…