Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday that the Wisconsin Department of Commerce is providing a $60,300 grant to the City of Racine to assist in the redevelopment of the Thompson Building, a 94-year-old former industrial building and a brownfield site located at 718 S. Marquette St.
The city purchased the property in 2004 and is working to convert it and other abandoned warehouses into residential buildings. The four-story, 86,000-square-foot Thompson Building is one of the first buildings in the Root River area targeted for this type of conversion, Doyle’s office said. The remediation of the site will consist of excavating contaminated soil and importing fill. The total project cost is $1 million.
"I am pleased that we could help the City of Racine undertake a project that will increase the availability of residential housing," Doyle said. "Cleaning up brownfields is about more than just renewing damaged or vacant land – it is about renewing the pride of a community."
