Ozaukee County I-43 corridor sees activity

Despite a reduction in activity, Ozaukee County is seeing development, particularly along the I-43 corridor, notes Randy Tetzlaff of the Ozaukee County Economic Development Corp. Hotspots include Belgium, Grafton, Port Washington and Saukville.
"The village of Grafton is seeing some hotel development – a Baymont Suites – going up at highways 60 and 43," he said. This commercial strip has also recently seen the addition of a Home Depot and a Target, and the area was the site of a controversial proposal for a Colder’s furniture store.
In the village of Belgium, activity is picking up in a TIF district, according to village clerk Lila Mueller.
"We started with 234 acres and we’ve got 10.5 acres sold," Mueller said. "The industrial park is part of a TIF, and the Village of Belgium has installed the infrastructure and will divide to suit. The development is owned by Team Belgium, with stockholders Michael Ansay, Gerome Schwabenlender, Juliane Demge and Marie Ansay.
"We expect the park will fill up within the next five years. So far in the park we have AST Machinery Builders, a custom machinery design and engineering firm; and Trimen Industries and Watry Devices share a building. Trimen is a liquid painting and coating company, and Watry Devices manufactures hand-held Fibra-Float equipment for the concrete industry. A third building will house Fire Chef, a manufacturer of stamped metal components."
Mueller added that a commercial strip along I-43 will likely see development activity soon. Possibilities include a new day-care center and a retirement home.
In other Ozaukee County development action, Gateway Plastics, formerly known as Glendale Plastics, will soon be in a new 110,000-square-foot building in Mequon, according to Scott Welsh of Inland Companies. "This is a stand-alone project about a mile away from the Mequon Business Park. It represents real opportunity in a growing area. Our client got a good deal on buying a piece of land that has extra land attached to it that they could grow their business into."
The project is about 20% completed.