New Downtown Neighborhood

The City of Sun Prairie received a BUILD grant of $30,000 in 2000 to fund 80 percent of the cost of a Downtown Master Plan. Downtown Sun Prairie faced the loss of significant industries, Chiquita (cannery) and Wisconsin Porcelain leaving the City with empty industrial eyesores. With BUILD grant funding and city matching funds, the city hired Vandewalle and Associates to lead the city, citizens, and property and business owners through a planning process.

The community came together to identify the opportunities associated with new downtown development opportunities, rapid growth in the City, regional connections to the Madison metropolitan area, the downtown customer base, and the historical assets of the downtown area. Public participation further identified the need for more green space, more downtown housing, greater variety of retail, better parking accommodations, link to potential commuter rail, and a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

The resulting Master Plan (PDF) presented a vision of downtown Sun Prairie as the heart of the community that attract residents and visitors. Three distinct districts are planned. Two historic districts - the Main Street Historic District, and the Historic Four Corners District - will build on the unique assets of turn of the century buildings and small retailers. A Market Street District will rebuild on the former industrial area with a new neighborhood of homes, shops, offices and potential commuter rail link. The Sun Prairie City Council adopted the Master Plan in 2001.

To implement plan the City created a Community Development Authority (CDA), received a brownfield grant from the State of Wisconsin, and established a Tax Increment District (TID). Phase I of the plan focused on the Market Street District and redevelopment of blighted industrial parcels. The CDA used TID revenues of approximately $6.5 million to purchase property, demolish buildings, and remediate contamination. The City issued a Request for Proposals to developers and selected DSI Realty, a subsidiary of Veridian Homes, to develop Phase I.

DSI is developing Cannery Square as a new downtown neighborhood. Cannery Square adds about a dozen new residential, commercial and mixed-use buildings oriented towards pedestrian-oriented streets, including a new street, Cannery Place, added to reduce block sizes. The Historic Cannery building is preserved for a use such as a brew pub.

A new public square adds green space and public gathering area enclosed by mixed-use buildings and the Sun Prairie City Hall.

The development will add 180 - 230 new residential units, ranging from apartments, condominiums and townhomes. The first residential units are scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2004. It will also include between 32,000 to 60,000 square feet of commercial space. DSI expects to complete the project in 2008.

The City of Sun Prairie adopted Phase II of the Downtown Master Plan (7MB PDF) in December 2004. Dane County awarded a second BUILD grant of $17,500, matched by an equal City contribution for this planning effort. Phase II details plans for the area bounded by Main Street, Market Street, Linnerud Drive, and Bristol Street. Plans call for redevelopment of older industrial properties and public facilities into a mix of commercial, housing, and public spaces included a public marketplace.

Implementation of Phase II began in 2005 with the demolition of the vacated Royle Printing building to enable the construction of a diner-style restaurant. Also slated for 2005 are improvements to the rear alley of buildings along the south side of Main Street, extension of Lane Street from King Street to Market Street, and construction of housing units at Lane and King Streets.

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Last Modified: March 14th, 2005