Ashwaubenon marks 150th anniversary Aug. 8-14

Nancy Barthel

Contributor

August 29, 2022

The weekend before the Village of Ashwaubenon holds its sesquicentennial celebration Aug. 8-14, the village will be busy doing what it does best — playing host to thousands of people visiting their community.

The annual Green Bay Packers Family Fun Night, set for Saturday, Aug. 5, marks the unofficial start to football season here in Packer country and is just one example of the multitude of important events Ashwaubenon hosts each year.

On any given day, Village Manager Joel Gregozeski said the daily “population” of Ashwaubenon goes up from just more than 17,000 residents to perhaps 35,000 to 50,000 people in the community.

And then, of course, there are those game days at Lambeau Field.

And even though the stadium itself is in the City of Green Bay, Ashwaubenon surrounds the stadium on three sides.

Most everything is in close proximity to the stadium — the Titletown District, the Resch Center complex, numerous sports bars, Bay Park Square and other shopping, hotels, Capitol Credit Union Park, The Epic Event Center and the new high-rise multi-unit housing developments — all of which are in Ashwaubenon.

Also in the village are some of the community’s major manufacturers and employers, Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport and Ashwaubomay Park, which will host Artstreet this year on Aug. 26-28.

“Your small business is the heartbeat of the community,” Village President Mary Kardoskee said. “All those people keep the restaurants, the hotels, the gas stations going.”

The Town of Ashwaubenon was founded in 1872 and was incorporated as a village in 1977 – 105 years later.

“There is no other community in the State of Wisconsin like Ashwaubenon,” Gregozeski said. 

Kardoskee said close-knit residents and long-time businesses have called Ashwaubenon home for many years. Yet, said Ashwaubenon is “constantly evolving.”

Village growth
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Today, Aaron Schuette, director of community development, said that evolution comes in the form of redevelopment.
“From a village as a whole, we are almost entirely built out,” he said. 

“What we are seeing now are those first-generation buildings now being redeveloped,” he said. “The buildings served their purpose… and now they’re being redeveloped for other uses.”

For example, Schuette said, the Iowa-based Hy-Vee grocery that is under construction at the former Shopko site; the Mission BBQ, now under construction at Oneida and Cormier taking the place of a where a small strip mall once stood; and Capital Credit Union Park on Holmgren Way, home of the Green Bay Rockers, was carved out of a former industrial site.

“It’s been a very busy few years,” he said.

Schuette said housing is also being developed as a result of boom redevelopment. Including Aldon Station, an attached home, townhome and condominium development on 21 acres along the Fox River that was once the former Schneider National truck repair yard.

Kardoskee has a large map of Ashwaubenon on her office wall sectioned off into four quadrants by Interstate 41 and Wisconsin Highway 172. She said the northern two quadrants have a lot of residential units, “but with the census, our southern part really grew,” she said.

Kardoskee said that includes the Highland Ridge residential subdivision at Highland Ridge Drive and Sand Acres.
“The southern part of some of the open land is in the process of developing,” she said.

And then, she said, there are the upscale, multi-story apartment complexes like The Element Apartments and Titletown Flats, built with the goal of creating urban walkable housing, close to shopping and entertainment venues.

Also currently on the under construction docket are The 88-unit Common Place Apartments, Odyssey Climbing + Fitness and The 50-unit Bohemian Park Apartments.

Kardoskee said convenience and quality of life means a lot to people as they look for housing.

“You are so close to a lot of things,” she said. “You can get any of your needs filled – whether it be gas, milk, groceries – within five minutes.”

Schuette said he likes the fact that the village is developing property, instead of green space areas, all with the goal of meeting the village’s comprehensive plan, yet also efficiently meeting the needs of developers.

“We have great relationships with our neighbors – municipal and tribal,” he said. “I think that’s part of our success. We really strive to work with people.”

Those neighbors include the Green Bay Packers with its many projects, including the Titletown District.

“We really try to find common goals so it’s a win for everyone,” Schuette said.

One of more recently-announced projects is the new Discover Green Bay Visitors Center, set for construction at the Lombardi Avenue exit off Interstate 41.

“It’s going to be a really nice facility to advertise, not just the Green Bay area, but what Northeast Wisconsin has to offer visitors,” Schuette said. “We’re fortunate to have it in Ashwaubenon.”

Kelly Armstrong, vice president of economic development for the Greater Green Bay Chamber, said under Kardoskee’s leadership, Ashwaubenon is “constantly looking at growth and how they are meeting the needs of the community.”

Armstrong said a housing study done a couple years ago revealed Brown County as the third largest county for growth in the state, so, with both of those factors, the growth in housing in Ashwaubenon is “significant.”

“We have a very strong economy here (in Northeastern Wisconsin)…” she said. “Our (area) is so diverse across industries. It’s been growing leaps and bounds, and certainly Ashwaubenon is part of that. Congratulations to their growth, their community spirit and the way they’re tackling economic development.”

Also under construction in the village is a 75,000-square-foot addition at Fox Valley Metal Tech, on Parkview Road, Green Bay Packaging’s 153,000-square-foot addition on Spirit Way, Schneider National’s “The Grove” Innovation Center on Packerland Dr and the 262,000-square-foot Bellin Health Ambulatory Surgical Center at on Waube Lane.

Schuette said commercial projects recently completed are the US Venture Center Office Building, Broadway Automotive Collision Center/Offices Redevelopment and the Marina Circle Office Building.

He said approved, but not started projects, include The Berkshire Ashwaubenon Senior & Workforce Housing and The Hampton Inn Stadium.

Sesquicentennial celebration

Festivities kick off Monday, Aug. 8, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. with opening ceremonies and continue each evening through the week.

The celebration concludes Sunday, Aug. 14, with a pancake and porkie breakfast in the Community Center at 900 Anderson Dr. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. where Jerry Voelker & The Jolly Gents – who performed at the village’s centennial celebration in 1972 – will perform from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

More details can be found at ashwaubenon.gov/150/schedule-of-events.