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.
No. Mountain biking enthusiasts have been requesting mountain bike trails at Rib Mountain State Park since 2006. Granite Peak Ski Area has been discussing potential expansion for alpine skiing with the DNR since 2014.
Granite Peak has a need to expand and modernize ski and year-round resort infrastructure to maintain viability in the mid-west ski market in terms of both guest expectations and adaptations to climate change. Nationwide there has been a decades long closure of ski areas while ski populations continue to be stable. A complete ski area now has adequate ski terrain and lifts for all levels of skiers, adequate base facilities to meet customer demands, sufficient parking, and a modern ski school. Currently, Granite Peak Ski Area does not have the terrain available to provide facilities and services at the level that customers desire.
Yes. As noted in Mountain Recreation Needs Assessment — part of the SE Group’s Climate Change Assessment — there will be an expected reduction in the viable length of ski seasons in the Midwest. Granite Peak’s operating season may shrink from five months to three. Since the Greater Wausau area wishes to grow current annual visitation levels, a growth in ski terrain capacity and facilities will be needed to serve more visitors in a shorter timeframe.
No. The existing “top of the mountain features,” such as the amphitheater, day use areas, tower, Friends shelter and parking lots will be untouched. Hiking trails off the top will also continue to exist and be open to use. The quarry area will be untouched. The only alterations described in the SE assessment are the addition of multiple-use areas on small portions of existing trails and the grade adjustment to hiking trails in certain areas to improve their sustainability or alignment with other recreational features. Hunting will also continue at the park, as will skiing at Granite Peak, which is working with the DNR to facilitate safety and seasonality.
Granite Peak Ski Area would pay for leased land for new ski terrain, base facilities, lifts and proposed summer activities like zip lines, mountain coaster and challenge courses. Sponsors and donations would generally pay for mountain bike trails. The Wisconsin DNR is not expected to have any costs associated with recreational expansion.
If Option Four is chosen as the preferred course, the majority of proposed improvements will be completed in four to six years, with the remainder being built out within a 10-year timeframe.
Over the last 90 years, non-winter use of the ski lands at Rib Mountain State Park has amounted to only occasional events and some hiking. However, with its high vertical terrain, the landscape at the ski area can provide for exceptional experiences not found elsewhere in the state. These could include flow and gravity mountain bike trails, ski lift and forest tours, zip lines, a mountain coaster and additional events centered on outstanding scenery and open space. The SE Group recreational assessment points out a variety of experiences that could be created to greatly expand non-winter visitation to the area.
The goal is attainable due to Wausau’s location and the existing base of premier recreational activities already in place in the area. If Option Four were approved, the area can become an IMBA Mountain Bike Ride Center, drawing thousands of enthusiasts from around the country. The expansion of Granite Peak will amplify its status as one of the premier alpine ski areas in the central U.S. The addition of summer activities utilizing the vertical landscape at Rib Mountain State Park will potentially separate the area from all other Midwest recreational destinations.
Yes. All four alternatives have been reviewed for environmental impacts. While each alternative has a larger footprint than the former, the design layouts suggested by the SE Group are carefully inserted on the landscape to allow for minimal impact. Work will continue with the Wisconsin DNR on preserving Areas of Highest Ecological Concern.
No. While there are several isolated stands of second-growth northern mesic hardwood communities atop Rib Mountain State Park, much of the landscape, including the north face, is covered with trees with lower lifespans. Many of these species struggle to survive due to vulnerability to insects and diseases, with normal regeneration of many tree species limited by thin soils, steep slopes and over-browsing by deer. Opening spaces for ski runs and trails may increase forest sustainability by expanding edge habitat and allowing for deeper solar penetration into the forests.