Permit OK`d for downtown complex

MARINETTE — The Marinette Plan Commission moved forward on Wednesday to assist community action agency Newcap Inc. with a long-term plan to redevelop a set of empty lots along Main Street into a work force housing complex. After a public hearing, the commission voted in favor of a conditional use permit to allow Newcap to develop the land into multiple-family residences under its current zoning. 

The three empty parcels under discussion — the former “Colonial Building property” at 1529-1533 Main St., the former “Contamone LLC property” at 1531 Main St. and the former “Bay Area Medical Center parking lot property” at 1515 Main St. — were designated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as contaminated after years of industrial use. As such, the city cannot use the lots unless they undergo a costly decontamination process.