A Smarter Path Forward for City Center and Downtown Oshkosh

Logan Jungbacker
May 7
4 min read

Updated: May 8

(Photo Credit: Jim Koepnick)

The upcoming Oshkosh Common Council vote on City Center is one of the most important redevelopment decisions the city has faced in decades. What happens with this property will shape downtown Oshkosh, the riverfront, and the city’s tax base for a long time. The common council will vote on this issue next Tuesday 5/12/26.

1.) I support the city acquiring City Center.

2.) I also believe the city needs to move carefully, realistically, and transparently if this project is going to succeed.

These two ideas can exist at the same time. Too often, conversations like this get framed as either “trust the private market” or “have the city take control.” The reality is much more complicated.

City Center is not a normal redevelopment site. It is a 17-acre downtown riverfront property with aging infrastructure, structured parking issues, demolition costs, environmental questions, and major public infrastructure needs. Projects like this are difficult even in stronger real estate markets than Oshkosh.

That is exactly why public involvement may make sense here.

Private developers are often unwilling or unable to absorb the enormous upfront costs associated with projects like this unless there is a very clear and immediate return. Demolition, environmental cleanup, utility reconstruction, riverwalk improvements, parking structures, and public spaces are expensive. In many cases, those investments are necessary before meaningful private development can even begin.

The city has tools the private market does not. Lower-cost capital, state grants, Tax Increment Financing, and public infrastructure financing can all help bridge gaps that private developers simply cannot justify on their own. The biggest mistake we can make is assuming that “doing nothing” means the site simply stays the same until the perfect private developer eventually shows up.

If the city steps away entirely, the private market will eventually dictate the future of the site based on whatever use generates the safest financial return with the least amount of risk. Public involvement gives the voters of Oshkosh the ability to shape the long-term outcome of the site.

Residents have consistently said they want things like better riverfront access, public gathering space, pedestrian-oriented development, restaurants, green space, and smaller local retail opportunities downtown. Those are important goals. But those kinds of amenities rarely happen by accident. If the community wants them prioritized, there usually needs to be some level of public participation in the redevelopment process.

At the same time, I think it is important to acknowledge the risks honestly.

Large downtown redevelopment projects are notoriously difficult. Cities all over the country have underestimated demolition costs, environmental remediation, infrastructure needs, parking challenges, financing gaps, and market demand. Many projects begin with strong public support and good intentions, only to stall later because the financial realities become far more complicated than originally expected.

That is my biggest concern right now.

As of today, the public still has not seen a detailed sources-and-uses breakdown for the acquisition and long-term redevelopment of City Center. We have not seen a full picture of projected demolition costs, infrastructure expenses, environmental assumptions, parking replacement strategies, carrying costs, or phased financing plans.

That does not mean the project is a bad idea.

But it does mean there are still important questions that deserve answers before the city moves too far ahead.

I think many people supporting the acquisition genuinely want what is best for Oshkosh. I do too. But good intentions alone are not enough to make a project financially successful. Redevelopment at this scale requires disciplined planning, realistic assumptions, and a clear understanding of long-term costs and risks.

A major concern is that the city could acquire City Center, begin demolition and infrastructure work, and then discover that the true redevelopment costs are significantly higher than anticipated. At that point, the city could find itself struggling to rebalance the capital stack, fill financing gaps, delay phases, or scale back major parts of the vision while the site sits partially cleared or underutilized for years.

Unfortunately, that kind of outcome is not uncommon in large public-private redevelopment projects.

That is why I believe Oshkosh should bring experienced redevelopment and real estate consultants into the process immediately. Before moving too far forward, the city should complete a transparent and detailed financial analysis that includes realistic redevelopment costs, market absorption timelines, infrastructure needs, financing assumptions, downside-risk scenarios, and phased implementation strategies.

One of the biggest mistakes cities make with projects like this is trying to solve everything at once. Successful redevelopment usually happens in phases over many years. A phased approach allows the city to adapt to market conditions as they evolve, manage infrastructure costs more carefully, and reduce financial exposure if private investment takes longer than expected.

City Center has the potential to become a transformational project for Oshkosh. It could strengthen downtown, improve the riverfront, expand the tax base, and create new public spaces that benefit the entire community. But getting there will require more than optimism and momentum. It will require patience, transparency, financial realism, and meaningful public input throughout the process.

I hope the Common Council votes yes to acquire City Center.

But I also hope the council takes the necessary steps to make sure this becomes a true step forward for Oshkosh and one that is grounded in sound financial due diligence, economic reality, and a redevelopment strategy the community can support for the long term.

Food for thought:

American Planning Association: Downtown Revitalization in Small and Midsized Cities (2018)

https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/publication/download_pdf/PAS-Report-590.pdf

"Northeast Wisconsin commercial real estate poised for growth as demand rebounds"

Insight Magazine (2/15/26)

https://www.insightonbusiness.com/industries/construction_real_estate/northeast-wisconsin-commercial-real-estate-poised-for-growth-as-demand-rebounds/article_0ec11252-61bd-4475-ba8e-c05690882163.html

Cushman & Wakefield Q1 2026 U.S. Office Report

https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/insights/us-marketbeats/us-office-marketbeat-reports

The Town of Manchester, CT (mall redevelopment plan)

https://www.metrohartford.com/newsroom/manchester-finalizes-36-million-broad-street-parkade-sale-to-anthony-properties (town took 11 years to find a developer)

https://www.manchesterct.gov/Government/Departments/Planning-and-Economic-Development/Broad-Street-Redevelopment-Plan

https://www.manchesterct.gov/files/assets/public/v/2/planning/documents/rda-timeline-narrative.pdf (2026)