GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – JBS is donating half a million dollars and nearly 26 acres of land to the city of Green Bay.
It comes almost one year after a COVID-19 outbreak infected hundreds of workers and temporarily shut down the JBS beef processing plant on the city’s east side.
The land is located between the Kroc Center to the west and Walmart to the east.
“We don’t have a lot of developable land within the city of Green Bay,” said Eric Genrich, Green Bay’s mayor. “To be able to develop this greenfield, nearly 26 acres of greenfield, in the city of Green Bay is a pretty unique opportunity.”
Genrich says preliminary plans call for mixed-income housing, community gardens, outdoor gathering space, and a destination playground.
For donating the land, the city has agreed to give JBS naming rights for the public amenities.
“Our future is to be in partnership with the city and have our team members as well that work in JBS and their families out there that believes in the east side,” said Hicham Timejardine, the Green Bay plant’s general manager.
Timejardine provided a brief statement during the city’s Redevelopment Authority meeting, but JBS said it had no one available for an interview about the donation.
JBS provided the following statement:
“We are proud to partner with the City of Green Bay and support this important community development project through our JBS Hometown Strong initiative. We believe it will have a meaningful and lasting impact in the Green Bay community, both for our team members and our neighbors. The multi-faceted approach that includes housing, a park, a community garden and outdoor gathering space will improve and strengthen the area for individuals and families to enjoy.”
“I’m just very excited to see the housing that might be put up for the people that work at JBS,” said Barbara Dorff, Vice President of Green Bay’s city council and a member of the Redevelopment Authority.
While a portion of the housing will look to accommodate the 1,200 people who work at JBS, city officials expect some market-rate units could be part of the development as well.
“We’re probably going to end up recruiting certainly some type of housing developer to come in and kind of tell us what the market can hold in that particular area,” said Neil Stechschulte, Green Bay’s Economic Development Director.
Genrich noted the land is currently classified as agriculture land, so having the land transferred to the city won’t have much of an impact on tax revenue.
“They only pay a couple hundred dollars a year to the city of Green Bay in taxes in spite of the fact that it is 25 acres of property here,” said Genrich. “Not much of a downside there to my mind, just upside in terms of what we’ll be able to offer the community as far as the amenities covered and that housing.”
While there is no timeline for development, city officials say it could also include a new home for Brown County’s east branch library. However, the president of the library board, Brian Anderson, tells FOX 11 that hasn’t been presented as an option.
“We feel very strongly to locate that east branch library say within a half-mile, one-mile radius of its current location would be ideal for our east side residents,” said Genrich.
As for how JBS handled the coronavirus, it was fined $13,494 last October for not taking proper precautions. JBS has appealed the fine.
