A Cleaner Path Forward A Market Analysis for a Former Diesel Sales Lot in Richland Center, Wisconsin Project Summary Community: Richland Center, Wisconsin Technical Assistance: Market Analysis Former Use: Diesel Sales Lot Future Use: Hospitality and Related Uses Richland Center, Wisconsin is the county seat of Richland County and is located on Highway 14 between Madison and La Crosse. Richland Center continues to look for opportunities for economic development. Multiple planning efforts, including a comprehensive plan for 2022-2032, were conducted to identify key goals for the city. The plan identified the need for Richland Center to attract visitors and young people through restoring vitality to the downtown and creating an active area for residents and visitors to live, work, and play. The Downtown Historic District offers unique shopping and business opportunities. Already, a 70-acre plot was acquired for a new hospital construction in Richland Center and is expected to drive local demand for goods and services through an influx of workers and visitors. The Community's Challenge The Ferguson properties are a series of parcels located at the edge of downtown Richland Center. The sites are owned by a single owner and were historically used as a diesel care sales lot and printing press. The Ferguson properties offer immediate opportunities for redevelopment and are considered priorities for stimulating activity on brownfields redevelopment across the city. Richland Center and Richland County are seeking support in identifying potential uses and key next steps for the redevelopment of these properties. EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance In 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Land Revitalization Program provided contractor technical assistance to conduct a market analysis on the Ferguson properties. This assistance occurred in conjunction with a Roadmap to Remediation project completed on the former Weber's Dry Cleaners property downtown. The market analysis assessed the feasibility of re-use options identified by the community as part of a previous visioning exercise. The analysis includes an assessment of the market potential and real estate dynamics and concludes with recommendations and next steps. The assessment evaluated the demographics and labor force of Richland Center to understand the spending profile and workforce characteristics in the region, an analysis of the retail market to identify demand for local retail sectors, and an assessment of visit trends. An examination of the local economy identified a hotel as the most suitable use for the Ferguson site to support needed supplementary uses such as retail and restaurants. Estimated New Establishments Potential by Industry, 15-min Radius Estimated New 2017 Industry Group (NAICS) Establishments For more information, contact Ashley Green, EPA Region 5 Brownfields Program, at qreen.ashley@epa.gov. Supported Building Materials, Garden Equip. & Supply Stores ~1 Health & Personal Care Stores ~ 0 Food Services & Drinking Places ~\ Clothing & Clothing Accessories Stores ~1 Miscellaneous Store Retailers ~ 0 Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book & Music Stores ~ 0 Furniture & Home Furnishings Stores ~ 0 TOTAL ~ 3 SEPA United States Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization Environmental Protection Agency 560-F-23-324 ------- |