Foxconn Technology Group has named Brookfield-based Hammes Co. as the master planner for its Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Mount Pleasant.
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Hammes will be the lead partner for planning infrastructure and other development activities on the project, but Foxconn is also inviting other developers to participate.
The park includes the entire roughly 2,900-acre project area surrounding Foxconn’s planned 22-million-square-foot LCD manufacturing campus. The village of Mount Pleasant has acquired about 80 percent of the land as of early May.
The campus itself will be built on about 800 acres and the village has already transferred that land to Foxconn. The company has guaranteed that area will have $1.4 billion in additional property value by 2023 as part of a tax incremental financing district to support the project. Additional development in the area surrounding the manufacturing campus would help benefit the financial health of the TIF district, potentially allowing the company to earn incentive payments included in the deal.
“Our goal is to establish the park as a key base for scientific and technology cooperation between the U.S. and Asia, where technical talent and entrepreneurs in American can meet investors and leading technologists from Japan, China and elsewhere in Asia,” said Alan Yeung, Foxconn director of U.S. strategic initiatives.
Yeung said the park would attract vertical industry leaders, high-tech companies, higher education institutions and research institutes to establish a presence in the state.
“Hammes Company, with its deep roots in Wisconsin and understanding of the state’s unique competitive advantages as an investment location, is an ideal partner for Foxconn in realizing many aspects of our vision for this important project and our ‘Wisconsin First’ commitment to contribute to the state’s attractiveness as a global high-tech hub,” said Louis Woo, special assistant to Foxconn chairman Terry Gou.
Woo said the park would also be home to Foxconn suppliers, startups and “leading global companies looking to leverage the opportunities presented by Wisconn Valley and the vibrant AI 8K+5G ecosystem that Foxconn is creating.”
Foxconn has repeatedly emphasized the role the next generation of screen resolution and cellular data will play in its efforts to establish its operations in the state.
“We are pleased to partner with Foxconn in our planning, strategic advisory and development related services roles, utilizing our experience and knowledge to provide for a successful expansion of Foxconn’s geographic footprint in the United States, as well as the establishment of Wisconsin’s most innovative campus,” said Hammes Co. founder and chief executive officer Jon Hammes.
Hammes is also the campaign finance chairman for Gov. Scott Walker’s re-election bid.
