SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- Work will now officially start on the construction of market rate apartment housing on the site of the former Boston Store in Sheboygan.
Groundbreaking took place yesterday before the start of the Levitt AMP concert, and Oakbrook Corporation vice president Michael Morey says the location is perfect for young professionals and retirees. "You're a couple blocks from Lake Michigan, you're two blocks from the Harbor, you've got all the restaurants, and obviously the arts center. So all the arts and culture and food, it's really what people want." The new construction will create will include 81 units of market-rate housing, first floor retail space and underground parking.
Morey says creating a downtown space like this is vital to the growth of Sheboygan. "If you talk to renters, they want to be downtown. They want to be able to walk to a restaurant, to take in a live music concert, and they don't necessarily want to have to travel great distances to do that." The $11 million dollar project from the Oakbrook Corporation was announced last fall, and the city will also be using this time to renovate and improve the green space in the area to continue the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Concert Series.
Primary construction on the new apartments is set to start soon. but the city will have to do some more remediation at the location after finding left over debris from when Pranges burnt down. It appears that the crews at the time simply pushed that debris into a pit at the site, leaving it behind and building over the top of it.