Potawatomi buys 128 acres for $12.2M in Kenosha County

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The Forest County Potawatomi Community this week closed on a $12.2 million purchase of 128 acres of land, according to state records and a release from the tribe.

The tribe bought a total of five parcels of vacant commercial real estate in the Lakeview Corporate Park in Pleasant Prairie, tribe officials said. The land will be used for commercial and industrial development in the future.

The Potawatomi owns a total of 391 acres in Kenosha County. In early 2023, the tribe bought 23 acres of land on Interstate 94 in Kenosha across from the former Dairyland Greyhound Park. In 2017, the tribe acquired the 240-acre park and announced plans for the “Greeneway” multi-family and commercial redevelopment several years later.

Tribe officials said they’ve invested nearly $30 million since 2017 to buy and develop properties on their treaty homelands in Kenosha County.

The Potawatomi worked with Zilber Property Group for the purchase. According to state records, they acquired the land from global real estate company EQT Exeter.

James Crawford, chairman of the Forest County Potawatomi, said the community was excited to bring more positive development in the county.

“The Potawatomi have called Kenosha home for hundreds of years. This most recent property acquisition highlights our ongoing and long-term commitment to Kenosha,” he added.

In 2020, the group announced plans for the Greeneway redevelopment at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park. Plans call for a mixed-use development with integrated sustainable design features on the 240-acre property.

Tribal officials said the development will include multi-family residential, industrial, office and commercial space. The project will be designed to maintain natural sites and enhance Kenosha’s community. The tribe expects to break ground for Greeneway this year, officials added.

The Forest County Potawatomi Community employs around 4,000 people in Wisconsin through government and business operations, including the hotel and casino in Milwaukee and subsidiaries owned by the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation, officials said. This includes Greenfire Management Services LLC, which oversees residential and commercial construction.