$19M mixed-use project tackles city’s biggest issues

By Justin Marville
Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

OSHKOSH − The city’s latest mixed-use development project is about to tackle two of Oshkosh’s biggest issues — affordable housing and child care.

Residents now have another lower-income option for both housing and child care following the opening of The Corridor apartment complex and Oshkosh Child Development Center July 9 at 650 N. Main St.

The project brings new housing to a city that says it needs 1,700 more units by 2030, while adding evening child care for parents working nontraditional hours.

“This is the front-facing affordable development in Oshkosh right now and having it be on Main Street in our downtown is incredibly valuable,” said Oshkosh Common Council member Joe Stephenson.

Stephenson made the comments during a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the $19 million project originally conceptualized four years ago.

How many housing units are in The Corridor?

Developed by Commonwealth Development Corporation, The Corridor features 55 units, including 15 townhomes on the Jefferson Street side and a three-story apartment building with one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

The apartment building is equipped with a multipurpose community room, fitness center and computer lab, with free internet for each resident throughout the entire complex.

It also features the first fully licensed child development center in the area to offer two shifts of care, giving families more flexibility.

“It really helps a community thrive when people can live and work and have access to amenities and be close to the same area as all of the services and employers,” said Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority Commercial Economic Development Officer Lydia Van Thiel.

What ages does the daycare cater to?

Situated on the first floor of the apartment building, the Oshkosh Child Development Center will cater to children ranging from newborns to 12 years old across four classrooms.

The center is scheduled to be open from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., accommodating 42 kids per shift. Enrollment is expected to begin this month before the center starts classes Sept. 1.

“The years of experience that I have has really helped kind of guide us to make sure we have what’s necessary in the classrooms that is developmentally appropriate for different learning experiences,” said the center’s executive director, Elizabeth Storms.

Are there available apartments at The Corridor?

The apartment complex is already at 70% occupancy while the 15 townhomes are occupied, according to Commonwealth Development Corporation’s Justin Mitchell.

The Corridor’s official ribbon-cutting ceremony comes less than three months after the opening of the Mill on Main project at 740 S. Main St.

That housing development features 115 apartments of varying types from studios to three-bedroom units, helping the city address a housing shortage.

Oshkosh conducted a comprehensive housing needs assessment in 2022 that showed the market will need to add 1,700 housing units by 2030 just to support an increasing population.

The study also found that Oshkosh needs to add 400 housing units priced between $169,000 and $253,000, based on 2021 dollars.