By David Nordby, The Brillion News, April 30, 2020
Brillion Works LLC, the group established by Ariens Co to purchase the former Brillion Iron Works foundry with the city, now has a conceptual map in place for its redevelopment plan for part of the site.
The group’s plans for the first phase of redevelopment is both transformative and imaginative. Phase one includes the overhaul of four original Brillion Iron Works buildings, the restoration of Spring Creek with an 11-acre park and a new mixed-use building.
A new road, Parkway Drive, will run from south from Highway 10 through the redeveloped area, and has been approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The first phase is a segment bordered by Pine Street (extended) to the north, North Francis Street to the west and the new Parkway Drive to the east.
While everything on the map is pending, additional development plans for the site include the expansion of the city’s trail system and Horn Park, public greenspaces,
restaurants, office spaces, an amphitheater, hotels and apartments or other residential living, and a STEM area that area schools could use. “We’re trying to [create] a new gateway here from the east into the city,” Mark Olsen, vice president with AriensCo, said. The project will mix old, new and nature across one massive space.