Residents voice concern with Sheboygan's newest proposed Tax Incremental District
45 citizens attended the Town Hall-style meeting at Uptown Social
SHEBOYGAN — Residents voiced their concerns with the redevelopment on the former Sheboygan Memorial Hospital property during a Town Hall meeting.
The city’s Committee of the Whole met Thursday night at Uptown Social to hear a presentation about the proposed Tax Incremental District (TID) at North 7th Street and North Avenue. Residents asked questions and shared their concerns about the proposed District with some saying there is a lack of transparency with the process.
45 citizens showed up to the meeting while notably absent were Mayor Ryan Sorenson and District 7 Alderperson Grazia Perrella. 30 minutes into the meeting, tornado sirens began sounding and District 8 Alderperson Zach Rust interrupted the presentation to assure attendees that they were safe but were free to leave. Fire Chief Eric Montellano was monitoring weather conditions during the meeting.
So far in the TID process, City Administrator Casey Bradley has refused to share who the developer is for the land at North 7th Street and North Avenue. However, WKTS News has learned Pelton Builders is the developer and Lucas J. Pelton is linked to the development. Reedsburg-based Pelton Builders was selected for TID #23 and received a developer incentive to construct multi-family housing in the new Gartman Subdivision. Reedsburg is 16 miles away from Baraboo, Wisconsin where Bradley served as the City Administrator for nearly three years.
The City of Sheboygan purchased the land for $150,000 from Advocate Aurora Health. According to Bradley, the developer wants to build 21 single-family homes on the nearly 7-acre lot, which he says is comparable to homes in the Memorial Neighborhood. The hospital was demolished over the course of a few months in 2023.
Lisa Salgado, founder of Sheboygan First and a vocal critic of the proposed TID, started a petition urging alderpersons to reject the creation of the District. According to Salgado, the District fails to meet the city’s criteria for Tax Incremental Districts. She pointed to the fact that the site is not blighted and requires no environmental remediation. According to Salgado, Sheboygan First is a non-partisan group focusing on local issues to provide an independent perspective, help identify issues, and participate in complaint processes, ultimately enhancing government accountability.
“I’m very disappointed in elected officials, like Mayor Sorenson and alderpersons, for not demanding information that the public should know,” said resident Wyatt Benson, who has a lot of concerns about the proposed District. “The city is giving away the land for free even though it is worth $1.4 million.” Benson went on to say the city is giving over $1 million in developer incentives.
While a number of citizens asked questions, no action was taken by the Committee of the Whole during Thursday night’s meeting.
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