JANESVILLE 鈥 Residents say they want to see the former GM/JATCO property on 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 south side become a place for jobs, housing, trails and community amenities, according to feedback gathered in the city鈥檚 ongoing planning of a roadmap to redevelop the sprawling post-industrial site.
The GM/JATCO Redevelopment Advisory Board reviewed results from a community visioning workshop and a public survey, which together provided more than 1,400 responses and ideas about the future of the 250-acre site.
Consultants working on the redevelopment plan said the response to the survey exceeded expectations.
鈥淭o date, we鈥檝e done seven market analysis interviews,鈥 said Stantec project manager Amy Worsham. 鈥淲e held a visioning workshop with approximately 200 attendees. The survey had 1,209 responses, which is absolutely outstanding.鈥
Stantec has also completed five stakeholder and focus-group interviews, with additional discussions planned. Those conversations are confidential and will be used to inform the redevelopment plan, Worsham said.
Resident feedback at earlier forums showed interest in mixed-use redevelopment at the GM site. During the in-person visioning workshop, industrial development ranked as the top priority, followed by housing, commercial use, and parks and recreation.
Survey responses showed a slightly different emphasis, with recreation, green space and commercial uses ranking highly.
鈥淲e saw industrial as the top at the visioning workshop, but we鈥檙e seeing it as a lower choice in the survey, and really the focus is on recreation and green space and commercial,鈥 Worsham said.
Residents repeatedly highlighted the importance of connecting the site with the surrounding south side of 糖心Vlog传媒, including through trails, walking paths and other transportation options.
鈥淥verall, trying to connect the site to southside 糖心Vlog传媒 is definitely a priority for many people,鈥 Worsham said.
Trail connections, public access and creating links to nearby destinations such as parks and the future Boys & Girls Club were among the themes discussed.
Housing was another major topic, with residents expressing interest in options ranging from workforce housing to smaller homes and apartments.
Residents also expressed interest in having commercial services closer to the south side, particularly grocery options.
鈥淭he area is a food desert, and grocery store came up as one of the most desired uses,鈥 Worsham said.
Other uses included restaurants, retail, entertainment, outdoor gathering spaces and recreational amenities.
The consultant team said the challenge will be balancing community desires with what can realistically be supported by the market.
鈥淲e are taking this community feedback and we are also combining it with the market analysis to see which of these uses the top desires can be market viable,鈥 she said. 鈥淪ometimes we can get one or two at the top, but maybe not all of them.鈥
Industrial development also remained a major topic, with residents expressing interest in bringing employment opportunities back to the site while considering compatibility with nearby neighborhoods.
鈥淧eople overall wanted to see jobs come back to the area, since some jobs were lost with the plant closure,鈥 Worsham said.
Board members also discussed the importance of making future engagement accessible to residents who may not participate online. Ideas included mailers, flyers and additional in-person opportunities.
The next opportunity for public input will be a design workshop scheduled for Oct. 14. That workshop will allow residents to review potential development concepts and provide feedback on how different uses could fit together on the site.
The panel is reviewing where it might host the panels. It鈥檚 looking at some south side buildings like the UAW building, the School District building or UW-Whitewater at Rock County.
Board Member Erin Klipstein said she felt like some community members had a hard time thinking about the GM site in a more open way. She said many seemed to get stuck on budget or cleanup efforts.
Klipstein asked how a design workshop would show community members what could be at the site.
鈥淲e had a really hard time getting people to think in an unconstrained manner,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here were some preconceived notions coming into the workshop around the environmental mitigation requirement, the costs associated with it, et cetera.鈥
Worsham said the goal is to help residents envision options and possibilities for the property rather than focusing on a single use.
鈥淭he next workshop is going to show how varying uses could be intertwined in the site, and I think that will definitely help with that, and really kind of open up people鈥檚 eyes,鈥 she said.