Oshkosh approves Woodman’s shopping center redevelopment

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By JUSTIN MARVILLE

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

OSHKOSH – Woodman’s has the official go-ahead.

The regional chain can start looking to build its next supermarket at the Shops at Oshkosh after Common Council greenlit development plans for a grocery store, gas station and car wash at the 37-acre property on South Washburn Street.

The decision felt almost procedural, with nary a discussion before council unanimously approved Woodman’s zone change requests, creation of a five-lot commercial subdivision, general development plan and site implementation plan at its May 12 meeting.

What are the next steps?

Woodman’s will return to Plan Commission before FoxArneson Construction, designer and contractor for the project, likely begins construction in February.

What will happen to the outlet mall?

Common Council’s vote effectively spells the end of the Shops at Oshkosh, which were first opened as the Manufacturers Marketplace outlet mall in 1990.

“I have seen some chatter but this is really a private sale and development [and] we don’t deny private sales once they follow our ordinances,” explained council member Joe Stephenson. “This city is not king of the land.”

Drawn up by Brookfield-based consulting firm raSmith, the site plan calls for the razing of the entire outlet mall to develop five lots including the supermarket, gas station, stormwater pond, two separate outlots and four driveways.

Woodman’s intends to build a 272,182-square-foot grocery store that will replace the entire C-shaped west wing of the mall.

A gas station, convenience store and car wash are earmarked for a 3,078-square-foot lot on the property’s northeast end that currently situates stores like Nike and Famous Footwear and an accompanying parking lot.

What about the proposed outlots?

Plans call for two big parcels on the east side property that runs alongside South Washburn Street.

One of those lots is a 179,283-square-foot space that will retain Oshkosh Mills Adventure Golf in the lower third of the outlot. The mini golf course opened in May 2025.

The second outlot is a 100,479-square-foot parcel that occupies the southeast corner of the property.

FoxArneson Construction said the plan is to sell those outlots.

Will any of the stores be kept in the proposed outlots?

Woodman’s nor FoxArneson Construction were on hand to address the future of any of the current 21 full-time tenants.

Jim Arneson, FoxArneson Construction president, previously said most of those current leases are set to expire at the end of January next year, with Woodman’s proposing to buy out the remainder of the leases.

The existing stores were always thought to be in jeopardy when Woodman’s first bought the property for $12 million in 2024 but the mall’s management, Mid-America Real Estate, said the regional chain had no plans of redeveloping the space into another supermarket location.

But Hanes and Adidas both shut their doors within weeks of those comments before Ralph Lauren became the mall’s latest high-profile departure, leaving The Shops at Oshkosh with just 21 full-time storefronts.

“With all respect to the wonderful stores that have populated that area throughout the ages, driving out there now it is not as vitalized as I would like to see it,” Deputy Mayor Karl Buelow told the Northwestern following a previous Plan Commission meeting.

“I am hopeful that this new project can bring new life,” Buelow added. “It will bring different jobs and there are still some areas to develop with lot three and four that could be additional opportunities.”

How many stores does Woodman’s have?

The Oshkosh Woodman’s store at South Washburn Street would mark the regional chain’s 14th location in the state and 21st overall, joining branches in Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, Menominee Falls and Kenosha.

The chain was founded in 1919 in Janesville, with current stores based on a modified warehouse model offering lower prices because of the company’s bulk purchasing model.

Northwestern readers appeared to be in favor of that Woodman’s model, with several community members pining for the company to build its trademark supermarket as part of a 2024 reader callout and again in a 2026 wish-list callout.