MARATHON CITY, WI (WSAU) — Plans for a new retail complex in Marathon City are on hold for now, but Administrator Andy Kurtz says that doesn’t mean the village is in a bad place.
Plans are currently in motion for a new apartment complex near the village business part through S C Swiderski and a new townhome complex will soon rise out of the current village park.
“That will bring another 32 rental units out there,” said Kurtz. “And they are changing the format a little bit. They will be attached garages, single-story structures with one multi-story [building] that features detached garages.”
He says that provides quality rental housing for those who may be just starting out or otherwise aren’t ready to buy a house and poot down roots in the area ten minutes west of Wausau. But for those that are looking for something more permanent plans are also in the works for new townhomes in the area that is currently a Village Park.
“We’re looking at a new park complex that would essentially free up that space and we are looking at ‘what is the best use of that space to address some of the needs that we have in our community?’”
Kurts says when they were presented with a proposal for 32 townhomes, they jumped at the chance to move the idea forward. “That’ll bring a good amount of tax base to the village and more importantly provides the opportunity for someone to either make their first home purchase, or their last.”
To round that out Kurtz says they are also looking at the possibility of some new single-family subdivisions, but those will likely take longer to develop.
As of Thursday, May 20th- when this week’s chat with Kurtz was recorded, there were no single-family homes for sale within the village and Kurtz says it doesn’t appear there were any apartment vacancies as well.
Of course with all of those housing options, people also need access to basics like food and other goods. Kurtz says the village was working with a developer and distributor for a combination pharmacy, grocery store, and hardware store on Main Street, but those plans have since fallen through after bids for the project came in surprisingly high and the investors pulled out.
“We’ve been working since then to figure out what we can do to actually get it back on track. We’ve made some progress, but we’re not completed yet and we’re not giving up on that project.
“It is very important for us to fill those retail voids,” he added.
Marathon City has been without a grocery store for nearly five years, leaving residents to drive to plan trips to either Wausau or Marshfield to buy goods.
Other topics Kurtz discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video: Housing projects in the village
8:30- Grocery/hardware/pharmacy development progress
10:00- High-speed internet challenges
14:00- Outdoor recreation and plans for a new outdoor sports/recreation complex
