Riverfront Living

Watch the bald eagles fishing in the river … launch your canoe from the backyard… enjoy the nature trails along the Fox River … walk to a variety of coffee shops and eateries …. bike to work…. ride the trolley to the Downtown Farmer’s Market… the opportunities are endless.

Urban Wilderness Living

Does wilderness have to be limited to a remote location?

Today, urban planners are thinking outside the box to embrace the concept of urban wilderness: urban areas with wilderness attributes. This emerging urban planning technique recognizes the value of preserving natural areas within the City to :

  • Improve quality of living
  • Encourage biodiversity and environmental restoration
  • Create harmonious links between the natural and built environments
  • Inspire recreational opportunities in urban parks, rivers and natural areas
  • Introduce potential for environmental education and ecology in our own backyards, workplaces and communities.

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You can have the best of both worlds! At Appleton’s Eagle Flats, you can have the convenience of being in the center of all the activity, while enjoying the benefits of riverfront living.

Residential Buildings launch Eagle Flats Neighborhood 

Two new buildings will be constructed to launch the multi-phase, mixed-use Eagle Flats development.  One is a 70-unit affordable senior housing project called River Walk Place, which has the potential to become occupied immediately with the residents of a facility now operated by the Appleton Housing Authority.  The second is a 54-unit workforce housing complex called The Landing at Eagle Flats, geared toward working families and entry-level professionals.  More than $16 Million in WHEDA tax credits were awarded to the projects in June. 

The projected five-year, multi-phase project will continue to achieve its viability through public-private partnerships. The development process will depend on approvals for additional funding from a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) request. Upon approval of TIF funding, zoning requests and additional financing, the first phase is slated to begin in late 2010 with the demolition of the former Riverside Paper mill, and redevelopment of the east end of the property in 2011. 

A potential visitor center, boating and kayak facilities, restaurants/commercial, trails and other riverfront amenities are also being considered for the future.

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A Unique Sense of Place

Four main attributes help define a GREAT place, according to Project for Public Spaces:

  • Easily accessible

  • Provides recreational &
    social activities

  • Creates a comfortable,
    positive image

  • Sociable place where people like to gather

In addition to being accessible, successful placemaking connects people with each other. A major emphasis of this development project is to create walkable and transit links to neighboring destinations, including Downtown Appleton. Several public input sessions will be held to gather feedback about what types of new places would enhance the area.