WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Mayor Doug Diny says Wausau doesn’t want to be in the business of buying and holding land.
That’s why he feels an open-ended Request for Interest (RFI) for land at the intersection of Bridge Street and North Second Street is the right move. He admits that the land isn’t what every developer is looking for. “It’s not a single-family lot, but it’s also not a major lot. It’s kind of a sweet spot, and that’s why some of the developers we’ve seen looking at it are not your [big-time] developers,” said Diny. “We are going to be looking at someone who is in the smaller category, which may take a little more coaxing or bush-beating.”
The city put up two RFIs in 2025 and received one proposal. That developer backed out of the deal before an agreement could be signed. Last week, the city’s economic development committee approved a new RFI with no end date, meaning it will stay posted until an agreement can be reached. Diny says he’d prefer to have something done sooner.
“It’s a great little property and we should be pushing or promoting that. We don’t want to have a dozen [properties] like this around town,” said Diny.
Diny considers the property to be in a good neighborhood, and could see a mix of retail and smaller multi-family housing on the land.
Other topics the Mayor discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- The first two years in office
2:20- Closure of TID 7
6:00- Riverlife concessions proposals
7:50- North 2nd Street RFI
Comments