Downtown Refresh FAQs
Find the answer to your questions about every phase of the Wausau Center Mall demolition and Downtown Wausau revitalization projects.
Wausau Mall Stores: The Buckle, Maurices and Spencer’s now call the Rib Mountain Drive retail corridor their home. Reflexology Massage is now located on 3rd street and Fashion Mix is located at their new location on Thomas Street.
Demolition will take place Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Noise will consist of typical sounds of heavy equipment used during demolition and construction.
Throughout demolition, the dust will be controlled through watering the construction site as best as we can.
Washington Avenue and Third Street will be open during demolition. However, occasionally streets may be temporarily closed for movement of large equipment or work done to the front of the Wausau Mall. This will be done for safety reasons. Street closure signage will be posted to warn and redirect traffic.
Yes! Directions and all Downtown Wausau parking information can be found here.
Parking in the Wausau Mall ramps is free for the first 2 hours. After parking your vehicle, you’ll need to register your license plate using the lot’s Pay Station or Passport Parking phone app.
Depends on the ramp, click here to find hours of downtown parking ramps and lots by location.
Street Parking: Enjoy 2 hours of free parking on any downtown street. No registration required. No re-parking in the same block for the day.
Lot Parking: Park and register your license plate using the lot’s Pay Station or Passport Parking phone app. The first 2 hours are free per day.
Ramp Parking: Park and register your license plate using the ramp’s Pay Station or Passport Parking phone app. The first 2 hours are free per day.
Yes, parking ramps are easily accessible from the city streets and are clearly marked with signage.
Yes, Concerts on the Square events are Wednesday evenings from 6-8 pm, June 16 – August 18, and Dining on the Street is Wednesday and Saturday 5-9pm, June 9th – September 15th.
The JC Penney building will remain standing for now because it sits atop an important and valued parking structure. The building serves as a protective barrier against the elements, too. Once future development for the current JC Penney site is identified, the building will be removed to make way for a new development.
The Wausau Center sits on 7 acres making up nearly 8 city blocks in downtown Wausau. A total of 425,000 square feet will come down during demolition.
The City/County Parks Department secured the statue, keeping it safe until they determine a new place to relocate the Boy with the Boot.
The project will unfold in phases. The first phase will address the demolition of the Sears site. The total downtown revitalization project will be completed over several years.
The plans for the site include mixed use of market-rate apartments, restaurants, retail and specialty boutique businesses. Opportunities for office space will be available, too. Along with the redevelopment of new streets and buildings, public green spaces and a public marketplace are planned.
Wausau Opportunity Zone, Inc. is the owner of the site, working towards getting the site pad ready to attract developers with expertise, experience and interest in this type of development. Click here to learn more about Wausau Opportunity Zone, Inc.
Demolition is scheduled to begin mid-May at the Sears building then working gradually towards the west and stopping at the JC Penney building by middle August. HOM Furniture will remain intact and be open for business during the demolition. The two parking ramps will remain open as well.