Main Street Wisconsin Day: Little Chute’s Big Announcement
Last week Tuesday (July 10th, 2018), the Village of Little Chute was happy to join in the celebration of the statewide Main Street Day with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). The Village was one of 8 communities who participated in the Main Street Day celebrations and welcomed several guest speakers to speak about the new and exciting developments that are happening in downtown Little Chute.
Village Administrator James Fenlon began the celebration by announcing two new developments, the first being a Dollar Tree which will be located in the former Save a Lot building in the center of the downtown, and the second being a senior living facility which will be located in the empty lot behind Seth’s Coffee on Grand Avenue. This announcement was followed by brief speeches by Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch, State Senator Frostman, State Representative Tusler, Village President Vanden Berg, and developer Ed Bowen. Each spoke on the importance of developing the downtown area and how exciting these new development are for the village and its citizens.
More exciting than the announcement of these new developments is how each development is building upon the goals that the Village has set out in the Downtown Master Plan. For 30 years the Village has had the desire to develop a senior living facility in the downtown area but was unable until now. This marks a turning point in the village’s Master Plan by aiding in the increasing of the downtown population which in return will help build and grow existing businesses in the downtown area.
The former Save a Lot building has been empty for over a year, leaving a large piece of downtown land vacant. The Dollar Tree development project would renovate the building as well as create a space for a potential bar or restaurant next door. This once again fulfills goals set in the Downtown Master Plan to maintain and grow businesses as well as increasing foot traffic in the downtown area.
Each of these exciting new developments are set to be started this year and finish either later this year or by the summer of next year. These projects will help boost downtown Little Chute further towards achieving its goals in the Downtown Master Plan as well as creating a downtown where both citizens and visitors want to stay. Even with these wins, there is still work to be done. These projects will allow other primary efforts to be executed, focused primarily on infrastructure or key property acquisitions.
