City: $20 Million Grant Could Help Fund JATCO/GM Redevelopment

City Manager Kevin Lahner said under consideration to go on the JATCO site are housing, a community building, greenspace, trails, public open space and other green initiatives on approximately 40 of the JATCO parcel’s 127 acres. The 40 acres would be developed by GreenPrint: Janesville.

Lahner said the the grant could help fund infrastructure development such as water mains and roads on the JACTO site, that he noted contains less brownfield contamination than the main GM plant site.

He noted that while most people think of environmental cleanup when they hear that the EPA is involved, this grant narrowly aims to address challenges related to housing, pollution and economic development.

The city is partnering with engineering consultant Ayers Associates, of Madison, and about a dozen Janesville-area organizations on the development plan and grant application.

If the grant is approved, it could pave the way for the first major redevelopment of a portion of the former GM/JATCO site, that totals 240 acres in all, and that shut down in 2009.

Lahner said three community meetings the city hosted over the summer provided it with the local feedback it needed to move forward. Lahner noted that a survey link regarding the future of the property is open until Friday on the city’s website.

He said the city’s planned condemnation and purchase of the GM and JATCO sites continues to move ahead.

He said the city has competed the appraisal of those two sites and of some adjacent private properties in the surrounding neighborhood. Affected property owners should expect to soon receive a package that includes that appraisal, and property owners will be invited to have their own appraisal done.

The city will then enter into negotiations with property owners. Late in 2024 or early in 2025, the council is expected to be presented with a purchase price. The council will then vote on whether to purchase the properties.

Other grants

Lahner said the city is also considering applying for other grants including a separate, up to $5 million, grant from the EPA and a grant though the office of U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, to help with site clean-up and planning.

He said the process of condemning a property of this size will pose challenges, but he said the city is moving along at a good pace.

“I have been involved in a similar process in the past, cleaning up brownfield sites and redeveloping them, but not one of this size.” he said. “It takes time because it has to be done in a certain order. We are excited to move the ball forward on a site with a legacy like this one, to develop it into a place where it benefits the entire community.”

He said the negotiation process has safeguards built in to protect the rights of adjacent business owners.

“It is a very difficult thing to have the city come in and take the property away from you,” he said. “However, after appraisals and negotiations the city will provide a relocation specialist to help them relocate, to help them find another place to put their business. We want to help them as much as possible, to have them land on their feet.”

He said it will take a long time to redevelop the site. He said city officials are working every day to breath new life into the site, that means a great deal to the community, and said the city wants to make it a place to be proud of.

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