MARINETTE – Six houses at a time, Tycore Built is developing Shipyard Estates, a new 22-home community in Marinette designed for working families.
The company also is preparing to construct the first 63 townhouse-style rental apartments in a separate area of the development at University Drive and Shore Drive with plans for as many as 110 more.
The 900- to 1,100-square-foot apartments are designed with separate entrances, garages and luxury features, such as fireplaces and in-unit washers and dryers, said Alex Ryczek, director of business development at Tycore Built.
The goal is to provide more options to workers employed at local companies and address what Mayor Steve Genisot has called a housing shortage.
“Every unit you put up is one less than they need,” Ryczek said about the Shipyard Estates project in Marinette.
“We’re not going to cover all of the need, but we’re doing what we can to play our part in helping. We’re always looking for more land.”
Tycore Built has dug out the basements for six three-bedroom, two-bath single-family homes between 1,400 and 1,600 square feet with a starting price of $300,000, he said.
“All the infrastructure is in; the roads are in and sewer, water and stormwater,” he said.
The houses, on lots 80 or 90 feet wide and 120-feet deep, are in different stages of construction. They’ll have two- or three-stalled garages, he said. The basements are built with full windows and could be finished with an extra bedroom, Ryczek said.
“As soon as the roofs and windows are enclosed; that’s when we list them for sale,” he said. They’re expected to be finished in the spring.
Shipyard Estates is located where the old Bay Area Hospital formerly was located. The project began in 2024 with Tycore Built’s purchase for about $900,000 of the hospital property and a strip of government lots 2 and 3, Section 17, in the Town of Peshtigo near the UW-Green Bay — Marinette campus that was annexed to the City of Marinette.
The city’s common council approved a zoning change and the annexation a year ago. Then a road and city water and sewer lines were installed, Ryczek said.
The development, located at 3100 and 3132 Shore Dr., lies within the Marinette School District. It’s also in the general area where “forever chemicals,” or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have been detected in groundwater from Johnson Controls Inc.’s Tyco firefighting foam.
“PFAS isn’t isolated in Marinette. If you go across America right now, I believe it’s over 50% of people’s wells have PFAS in them. We’ve done extensive testing and we have no PFAS report that would be any concern,” he said.
Fueling the desire for more housing units in northeast Wisconsin is the need to lure more businesses to create jobs, said Michael Kunesh, broker/owner of Place Perfect Realty in Marinette and board treasurer of Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
“There’s economic competition among the states. We’re competing for talent. If you don’t have housing, it’s hard to recruit,” he said.
Ryczek said Tycore Built has similar projects underway in nine municipalities.
“What our model is from a business perspective is to address workforce housing,” he said. “Typical families, everyday normal people working should be able to afford this — that is the missing middle. That is where municipalities see the biggest discrepancy or shortage in housing. Anybody can put up a $600,000 or $700,000 house, but that’s not necessarily where the demand is, so we’re building these.”
As people move from existing Marinette homes to newly built homes and apartments at Shipyard Estates, it will open up existing homes, magnifying the effect of the development, Ryczek said.
Rising home prices over the past five years has contributed to a shortage of homes that are affordable for young adults and senior citizens, said Jennifer Sunstrum, director of public relations and government affairs at Northeast Wisconsin Association of Realtors.
Historically, first-time homebuyers have been in their mid- to late-20s and “at latest” 30, but the age has been pushed to 40 because most younger adults don’t have the down payments and the income to purchase homes for $400,000 or more. First-time buyers in other generations were able to purchase homes for a fraction of the price of today’s average home, she shared.
Contributing to the affordability challenge are aging demographic changes, and Wisconsin is ahead of the curve on them, she said.
In its “State and County Population Projections 2020-2050” report, the Wisconsin Department of Administration projects the state’s population will decline, as lower birth rates and the maturing of the oldest population segment are expected to tame growth from migration, but smaller household sizes may require more units. Smaller households are expected to drive demand for condos, townhouses, apartments and smaller single-family homes in northeast Wisconsin, according to planners.
Younger people postponing marriage and childbirth don’t need 3,000 feet on a quarter of an acre, Sunstrom said, but they do embrace the American dream of homeownership.
As businesses expand, they’ll need to fill more jobs, Kunesh said. “They can’t do it without skilled labor or housing being available,” he said. “Whoever has housing is going to win.”
Some developers see a split in the market, with some buyers having the funds to invest in single-family homes or second homes, while others seek luxury apartments. New multifamily units are planned for other communities in northeast Wisconsin, including Crivitz and Wausaukee.
More densely populated municipalities generally have a larger revenue base to draw from to provide services for older residents and families, giving local governments a reason to support new housing.
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