La Crosse Redevelopment Authority Meeting: River Point District Actions, April 24, 2026
La Crosse Redevelopment Authority Meeting: River Point District Actions, April 24, 2026
The City of La Crosse Redevelopment Authority met on April 24, 2026, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 400 La Crosse Street. Source materials supplied for this summary are dated Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.; this date discrepancy is noted rather than silently resolved. No agenda was supplied. The meeting opened at 4:00 p.m. with six members present and Edward R. Przytarski excused; Michael Sigman arrived at 4:08 p.m. and left at 5:26 p.m. The board approved minutes, received a River Point District project update, approved Lot 11/12 planning agreements, accepted the April financial report, and acted on two closed-session negotiation items before adjourning in closed session at 5:35 p.m.
Discussion Items
- Project Manager Update (26-0437): RDA project manager Jason McGillman reported that War Eagle and The Lofts are now occupied, with all but five units leased in the 100-unit building and 50% of The Lofts units committed. He said 42 townhouses on Lots 1 and 2 will be built in phases with occupancy estimated between July and October 2027, and that 360 Real Estate, MSP, and Red Earth are expected to start or continue work in 2026. He also described the Renter Economic Stability Program, funded by a Community Foundation grant, as a potential workforce-housing incentive being discussed with employers and financial firms, and said it could serve rental buildings across the city and region rather than only River Point District.
- Certified Survey Map and Planning Option Agreements (26-0436, 26-0441, 26-0439, 26-0440): Staff explained that Lot 11 will be split into Lot 1 (1.1 acres for RyKey Properties, planned for a 60-unit apartment building) and Lot 2 (0.34 acres for Cowboy Jacks/Capital Investment Partners LLC). The original PDD had shown two 7,000 sq ft buildings on Lot 11, one 12,000 sq ft building on Lot 12, and a 50-stall parking lot on Lot 11; the approved approach shifts parking to Lot 12 and allows more building volume on Lot 11. The board approved the certified survey map and the three option agreements, changing the placeholder "Cap Vest" to Capital Investment Partners, LLC for Lots 11-2 and 12.
- Lot 12 Parking and Design Discussion: Bill Albright, representing Capital Investment Partners/Cowboy Jacks, presented a Lot 12 parking-area design developed with landscape architect Paul Nelson. It includes switchback access, native and fruit-bearing plantings, connections to the park trail, possible shared public/farmers-market use before the restaurant opens, and a solar feasibility review. Albright stated Cowboy Jacks' current 90-space lot is full from about 4 or 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., that 45 spaces are Cowboy Jacks-only and 45 are city spaces, and that a city-built bypass lot of about 80-100 spaces is underused; he also said the Altoona restaurant drew 25,500 visitors last year and argued that the restaurant would bring the traffic needed to make River Point's commercial spaces succeed. A participant identified in the transcript as Councilmember Trost, though not listed in the official roll call, questioned the need for 90 spaces, said the city had just eliminated minimum parking requirements, and said she would not support what she called "flippant use of surface parking" on expensive land. Councilmember Janssen expressed support for the design and confidence in Albright's experience; Councilmember Ostrem said the lot has limited feasible uses and dedicated parking is needed; Councilmember Henline asked that the public/community space between Cowboy Jacks and Lot 12 be evaluated in addition to parking. Staff noted that PDD guidance identifies parking as critical to commercial development, that the original PDD included extensive off-street parking, and that the Lot 12 concrete monolith is roughly football-field-size, 9-11 feet deep, with removal likely costing over $1 million.
- Monthly Financial Update (26-0414): The April financial update was presented for awareness; no questions were raised, and it was accepted and filed as presented.
- Preliminary Term Sheet for RyKey Properties (26-0442): Julie Henline said RyKey's TIF application had been reviewed the previous day by the Economic and Community Development Commission, which unanimously approved the term sheet. Lee Haremza summarized a proposed 60-unit general-occupancy building on Lot 11-1, including high-end facade materials, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies for about 90% of units, EV charging stations, and a large amenity package, while noting the organic riverbed soil will require deeper footings, larger geopiers, and vapor mitigation. He described the requested assistance as an 85% pay-as-you-go TIF rebate over 20 years, with a guaranteed project assessed value of $8.522 million, guaranteed construction cost of $13.58 million, and a land sale amount of $275,000 consistent with Lot 8.
Closed Session
- Items 26-0428 and 26-0442 were noticed for closed session under Wis. Stat. 19.85(1)(e) to discuss negotiation strategies. The board moved into closed session at 4:49 p.m. on a motion by Janssen, seconded by Henline. Formal votes on both items are recorded below; the meeting was adjourned in closed session at 5:35 p.m.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the March meeting minutes (motion Fimple/Henline, voice vote).
- Approved the Certified Survey Map submittal for Lot 11 (motion Janssen/Fimple, voice vote).
- Approved the Planning Option Agreement with RyKey Properties for Lot 11-1 (motion Ostrem/Sigman, voice vote).
- Approved the Planning Option Agreement with Capital Investment Partners, LLC for Lot 11-2, with the entity name corrected from Cap Vest (motion Ostrem/Janssen, voice vote).
- Approved the Planning Option Agreement with Capital Investment Partners, LLC for Lot 12, with the entity name corrected from Cap Vest (motion Janssen/Ostrem, voice vote).
- Accepted and filed the April 2026 financial update; no formal motion was recorded.
- Denied the purchase offer from 7 Copeland, LLC for parcels 17-20400-210 and 17-20400-234 after closed session (motion Janssen/Fimple, voice vote).
- Approved the Preliminary Term Sheet for public assistance to RyKey Properties for Lot 11 (motion Janssen/Ostrem, voice vote).
- Adjourned in closed session at 5:35 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the April meeting of the redevelopment authority of the city of La Crosse. Welcome to those joining in person and those joining online. We will get right into our agenda with an approval of our minutes from our March meeting. I look for a motion to approve in a second. Motion by Gus, second by Julie for approval. Any questions or comments on the uh minutes as presented. Seeing none, all in favor of the motion, aye or thumbs up. Aye. All opposed, same sign? Motion curious. All right. Uh tonight's uh first agenda item of 26-0437, the monthly project manager update for River Point District for April. Uh welcome Jason McGillman to the podium. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and uh good evening members of the redevelopment authority. I have uh just a short uh um video I'd like to show you just uh highlighting some of the progress on the site, and then I'll uh make a very uh brief uh report uh from my um my uh monthly report. These are um images I take every Monday just to for posterity, but also some of these are images we'll use in the ULI uh presentation in Nashville on May 6th. Internet's a little slow. Oh, and I want to acknowledge B Vision's uh media too for some of the aerial imagery they took. Incidentally, MSP uh Milo Pinkerton this week told me all but five units are leased in that building, and Lee Aremza indicated that 50% of the lofts is complete is uh rented. I see Paul Nelson is online, he's the landscape architect that's working on the parkway plans. So those are just a few uh okay. Um close that so I don't know why I'm getting a little echo. Um in addition to the progress that is uh the War Eagle and the Lofts are currently being occupied uh now, so they're uh open. Um I mentioned two reports I got from developers that uh Lee Haremza, who's online indicated that 50% of the lofts is already committed, and Milo Pinkerton was very happy. Uh, all but five units in the hundred unit building are full. Um and Jake Buswell, I think the last time I talked to him, they were doing very well too in terms of lease up. So uh very strong showing in terms of uh interest in the project. Uh this year um I'm you know working most of my work is is coordination with the developers that are wanting to start in 2026. Uh that would include uh Lee and Bill Albright, who you're gonna be talking to today uh on lots 11 and 12. Unwind property management on lots one and two for the 42 uh townhouses, which will be done in phases. Uh so not all of those 42 will be built in one year, but they'll start this year. Um I think occupancy on those was uh estimated between July and October of next year. So it's you know about a 12-month uh proposition to get those ready for occupancy. Um 360 real estate, who is also on the agenda tonight. Um they're they're uh starting their commercial building this year. And then uh Jeremy Novak uh explained to me that they would move right on to phase two and phase three because of the efficiency of that uh, you know, as they're uh working through construction on uh lot uh lot 13 and out lot five. And then uh MSP on lot six. Uh it's conceivable that they could start in the fall. They're in the middle of their architectural and engineering work. Um that was the big project that they showed you last month uh with the uh uh multifaceted senior living. Um and the last one is uh Red Earth's uh condominium development on lots three and four. And you'll be uh looking at an option extension for them next month in May. Uh I was gonna have it on this agenda, and Andrea really wanted to be here for that. Um so she'll she'll be here next month, and Jake Buswell was fine having it on next month's agenda. Um, but they he did confirm that they want to start those condominiums uh as part of their first uh the next phase of work after Warrior Yield's done. Um a few other odds and ends that I've been working on. Uh I've been meeting with uh the renter economic stability program is coming together nicely. This is the grant we got from the community foundation. Uh I've been working with uh, you know, meeting with financial management companies.
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