Wisconsin DNR assists in downtown Beloit demolition project

The city of Beloit, Wisconsin, has been awarded a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that will go toward a building demolition, allowing for the expansion of the Riverwalk downtown.

As reported by the Beloit Daily News, the city plans to demolish the vacant building at 80-100 East Grand Ave. and expand the Riverwalk. The building formerly housed Kerry Inc. and Fat Wallet/Ebates.

The DNR told the city the 11,380-square-foot structure must be removed by 2042, largely because of environmental and stability concerns in how the building overhangs the Rock River.

According to the Daily News, the building is owned by Hendricks Commercial Properties and East Grand Development LLC, a Hendricks company. The owners intend to build a four-story, 48,000-square-foot building that could include a restaurant, offices and residential and commercial use space.

The demolition and reconstruction of the building, as well as the Riverwalk extension, would represent a $16 to $20 million investment in downtown Beloit.

“The city is leading the demolition and Riverwalk portion of the project,” Sarah Lock, Beloit director of strategic communications, told the Daily News. “The demolition and Riverwalk project will be funded by the Wisconsin DNR grants plus the local match provided by the developer. The developer will be responsible for the costs to construct their building. No local city of Beloit tax dollars are being used in the project.”

Beloit will receive over $1 million from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program for the development of the city’s downtown Riverwalk. In addition to this grant, the city also will receive a $495,000 Municipal Flood Control Grant from the DNR to assist with the overall project.

A required local match to both grants will be provided by the developer. The project was expected to begin in 2023, if the grant money was approved, according to a joint press release between Beloit and Hendricks Commercial Properties.

“The City of Beloit has not yet issued any request for proposals for the demolition of the building and/or the Riverwalk portion of the project,” Lock says. “We are evaluating options to determine how the project will go to bid; it could be one request for proposal or multiple proposals. I expect it to go to bid in early 2023 but I do not yet have a timeline.”