The Goal

The Village of Union Grove sought to redevelop a vacated, three-acre site adjacent to downtown. The property was previously used as a mill and became environmentally contaminated. The Village’s redevelopment initiatives included providing market rate rental housing to meet demands and generate foot traffic downtown, create additional retail spaces on downtown main street and clean up and improve the public infrastructure, including water, sewer and road reconfiguration.

The Solution

The Village of Union Grove officials engaged Ehlers for economic development and redevelopment services. Ehlers advised the following solutions to achieve the Village’s redevelopment initiatives: creation of an Overlay TID District (blight TID), generation of a developer contact (this was the third developer who attempted to make this site work), assistance in developer negotiations collaborating closely with staff and legal counsel and pro-forma review in the process of financing both incentives and public infrastructure costs.

The Results

The development brought 73 market rate housing units, helping the community meet current and future housing needs; a 2,800 square-foot retail/office building development on main street; and upgrades to both water and sewer utilities in the area as well as street reconfiguration and improvements to better service the development and overall area. The environmental contamination on the site adjacent to the downtown was cleaned up.