WEDC partners with Appleton to transform former downtown mall

MADISON, WI. JAN. 8, 2025 – Appleton is adding to its list of magnetic projects, including the Fox Cities Exhibition Center and Appleton International Airport, by transforming a former downtown mall into a pedestrian-friendly space featuring apartments, shops, and health care facilities.

A $250,000 Community Development Investment grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is helping to fill in the final financing gaps for the $15 million project, with a focus on the creation of the Fox Den, a central food and community hub within the larger Fox Commons building.

The Fox Den will feature up to 10 food stalls and micro-retail spaces next to the building’s central atrium area. Each space will be pre-constructed to offer entrepreneurs with affordable start-up opportunities and low overhead costs.

“The Fox Commons and Fox Den projects will create a hub for the downtown Appleton community, including the students and faculty from Lawrence University, which is an amazing asset right in the heart of Appleton,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s leading economic development organization. “By encouraging pedestrian activity and supporting local small businesses, this development sets an example for how other communities across Wisconsin can turn spaces into places where people want to spend time together.”

The building’s central downtown location will attract foot traffic from surrounding buildings and businesses and provide increased exposure and opportunities for community growth, said Kara Homan, community and economic development director for the City of Appleton.

“These opportunities help owners take their businesses to the next level and then, at some point, maybe they occupy an entire building on College Avenue,” Homan said. “It creates opportunity for some of those smaller entrepreneurs to put down roots in the city of Appleton’s historic core.”

Mosaic Family Health will anchor their operations and services within the building, a move expected to serve over 6,000 patients in the Appleton area. The building also includes apartment-style housing for Lawrence University students, who began moving in ahead of the fall semester. Once complete, the student housing will accommodate up to 174 Lawrence students.

“Fox Commons is taking the city’s vision and implementing it, which is really cool to see,” Homan said. “Our primary goal is to focus on revitalizing our presence as a city rather than building new buildings somewhere on the edge of town.”

Fox Commons aligns with the City of Appleton’s broader City Comprehensive Plan and the College North Neighborhood Plan, which prioritize finding new purposes for existing businesses and maintaining the surrounding infrastructure. The city has already invested funds into downtown amenities, improving streets, and making the area more pedestrian and bike-friendly, said Homan, who emphasized Fox Commons’ role in boosting downtown growth.

“Having more businesses and folks downtown really creates a thriving local economy,” said Homan. “The more feet, the more folks you have working and living here. We’re really starting to see an immense change and our vision coming to reality.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.