Village of Sussex — Village Administrator Jeremy Smith says he anticipates that village officials will know by the end of March whether four community not-for-profit organizations will be interested in leasing space in the new civic center that is expected to be completed by 2017.
The organizations – Sussex Outreach Services, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Sussex Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lisbon-Sussex Historical Society — are expected to provide a combined nearly $3 million in additional revenue for the construction of the $12 million, three-story, 45,000-square-foot civic center that will also house most of the offices and functions of village government.
The remainder of the project is expected to be paid for by village bonds and existing cash on hand, according to village officials.
If the organizations agree to lease space, they are expected to occupy much of the second floor and some of the first floor of the building.
The lease agreements are expected to primarily pay for the utilities of the office space but the organizations will contribute to cost of building the space.
If the organizations do not agree to lease space, the conceptual design of the building, which has been approved by the village board, is expected to be changed, according to village officials.
Smith said three of the four organizations have indicated that they are interested in moving into the new building. Smith said the historical society is continuing to have discussions among its membership about whether to occupy space in the civic center.
The historical society, the VFW and Sussex Outreach Services will have to sell properties they presently own in order to be able to afford to help pay for the civic center construction, according to leaders in the organizations.
The chamber of commerce presently maintains a small office in the basement of village hall.
Smith acknowledged last week that Brookfield developer Art Sawall is in negotiations with the three organizations that are seeking to sell property.
However, Sawall told The Sussex Sun that there was only a “remote possibility” that he might be interested in buying the properties from the three organizations. However, he said he was in discussions with all of them.
Sawall is in the process of gaining village approvals for a nearly 250-home subdivision that he is developing along with William Ryan Homes on Main Street near the village’s community center property, which Sawall has purchased.
Sawall is also developing the Mommoth Springs residential and retail complex at the intersection of Main Street and Waukesha Avenue.
While development and rentals of apartment buildings in the complex have been running ahead of schedule, the leasing and construction of retail space has been more challenging, Sawall has acknowledged.
He is also reportedly interested in acquiring additional property north and west of Mammoth Springs.
The VFW building and parcel are located on Waukesha Avenue, immediately east of the Mammoth Springs complex.
The building owned by the group of churches that sponsor SOS is located on Silver Spring Drive, west of the Mammoth Springs complex.
The historical society’s old railroad depot and land are located along Main Street, across the street from the village government and library campus.
Sawall says he is not concerned about the possibility that he might be over-investing in Sussex.
He said because of the village’s location, its quaint, small-community atmosphere, and the quality of Hamilton School District, it is an attractive market for both developers and families.
And, he has praised the village government.
“The village, in my opinion, has a true understanding of what it takes to move forward and a solid grasp on planning for the future,” he wrote in an email. “Basically, if someone is willing to put up a quality product, as Mammoth Springs, for example, they are truly understanding of the process and expense for the developer as well as the benefit for the community, not just the additional property taxes.”
Smith says he sees nothing wrong or risky about the village establishing a strong working relationship with a single developer.
“Developing and redeveloping downtown business districts presents more challenges than developing open spaces. You need a developer who is willing to take the risks,” he said. “It is not usual for a municipality to have a single developer working in the downtown business district. For example, Delafield had Bob Lang. Pewaukee has Jim Siepmann.”
And, apparently Sussex has Sawall.
Written By Kelly Smith
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