Home construction planned for former Manitowoc mall site

By PATTI ZARLING

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The wait is almost over — construction of new homes at the former Mid-Cities Mall and Edgewater Plaza site could begin sometime in August, according to city officials.

The Manitowoc Plan Commission approved the final plat for the Mariner Lux Subdivision earlier this month, with the full City Council expected to vote on the plan Monday, July 20.

The plat is a sort of blueprint showing how the property will be laid out, indicating where homes, apartments, commercial space and streets will go.

Once the plat is approved and recorded, Green Bay-based developer Tycore Built will likely begin pulling home permits, according to city Community Development Director Adam Tegen.

“My best guess is that would occur sometime in August,” Tegen said. “We expect permits to be pulled for the first round of apartments this month and again we expect construction to occur sometime in August.”

A development years in the making at former Mid-Cities Mall

Development of the former Mid-Cities Mall and Edgewater Plaza property, in a prime spot across from the Lake Michigan shoreline and Memorial Drive, has been a long time coming.

After years of the vacant mall sitting empty while the parking lot crumbled, city leaders became proactive about spurring action. Dominoes started to fall in 2023 when the city looked at taking over the property through eminent domain if the previous owner wouldn’t sell.

The plaza’s most recent owner, Lakeshore Mall LLC, bought the property in 2005.

In 2007, the same owner purchased the vacant mall to the south, Mid-Cities, at 828 Memorial Drive.

The city bought both sites in 2024 and city crews soon began gutting and demolishing the old Mid-Cities Mall.

New Manitowoc development to include homes, apartments and commercial space

Last year, demolition and site preparation were completed, paving the way for Green Bay developer Tycore Built LLC to install utilities and infrastructure.

A mix of housing, retail and commercial space is planned for the site. The total project will cost around $70 million, and Mayor Justin Nickels said the first phase of housing construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.