Leader Staff
Contributed Illustration This rendering shows a retail center being developed by the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe on state Highway 22 in Belle Plaine. Groundbreaking is scheduled for Friday.
The Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe will break ground Friday for a 12,000-square-foot retail center on state Highway 22 in the town of Belle Plaine.
The tribe said the $1.3 million project is aimed at spurring growth throughout the area.
“As the largest employer in Shawano County, the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe is committed to being good stewards of our resources and good neighbors to our surrounding communities,” said Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Council.
The retail center will be located near U.S. Highway 29, on the corner of Highway 22 and County Road CC, a highly trafficked area that sees about 5,000 passenger cars per day.
“We’re thrilled to develop our first off-reservation retail property near Highway 29, which is a critical economic artery for our North Star Mohican Casino Resort and countless other local businesses,” Holsey said. “Thanks to the continued success of the North Star Casino – our tribe’s primary source of revenue – we’re able to make these sorts of investments, which support the long-term prosperity of the entire North Central Wisconsin region.”
Preparation work is being done at the site now and the foundation is expected to be poured soon, with exterior construction completed by the end of 2016.
Leasing efforts are underway for retail and quick-service restaurant brands, and tenants will have input into the interior design of their respective spaces.
The retail center can house up to five tenants, which are expected to bring a number of permanent new jobs to the area, according to the tribe.
Bayland Buildings, based in Green Bay, will serve as the general contractor and estimates 15 to 20 construction jobs from the project, the tribe said. The majority of subcontractors and vendors for the project are based in the Northeast and North Central Wisconsin areas.
“This retail center will bring new jobs and increased shopping activity to the Belle Plaine and Shawano areas,” Belle Plaine Town Chairman Alvin Bartz said. “We expect this will spur other developments in the area and we applaud the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribe for their continued investment in the local communities surrounding their tribal lands.”