CARW brought the Fox Valley commercial real estate community together tonight for one of the most compelling conversations of the year — and nearly 100 registered attendees showed up ready to listen.
The program featured Ian Martin of Land By Label and Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford, with a discussion centered on Wilden Portfolio Park — the ambitious redevelopment of the former Thrivent campus into a large-scale, mixed-use community on Appleton’s north side. The project encompasses housing, office, retail, hospitality, trails, and public gathering space, and is being watched closely as one of the most significant redevelopment efforts in Wisconsin commercial real estate today.
The conversation touched on several themes that resonated deeply with the CRE audience:
- Placemaking as an economic strategy — how thoughtfully designed, mixed-use environments attract talent, investment, and long-term community vitality
- Public-private collaboration — the critical partnership between the city and private development in making a project of this scale and complexity work
- Housing demand and market pressure — the role large redevelopment projects play in addressing supply constraints in growing markets like the Fox Valley
- Infrastructure and entitlement — navigating the practical realities of bringing a campus-scale project from vision to reality
- Regional competitiveness — how Appleton is positioning itself relative to other Wisconsin markets for talent retention and business attraction
Mayor Woodford offered the city’s perspective on why projects like Wilden matter not just for real estate, but for Appleton’s identity and long-term growth trajectory. Ian Martin brought the developer’s lens — the vision, the challenges, and the opportunity that comes with reimagining a major anchor site. Thank you to Lyle Landowski for moderating this discussion!
This project has been a long time in the making — and momentum is building. The team is currently in the midst of negotiating a development agreement with the city, with hopes to move the project forward in the coming months. As that process unfolds, Ian and the team are actively seeking input and engagement from the broader commercial real estate community. If you have perspective, interest, or connections that could add value to the project, now is the time to get involved.
The evening wrapped with a networking happy hour, giving members the chance to continue the conversation — and no shortage of interest in what comes next for Wilden.
Big thanks to our sponsors: Amundsen Davis, Colliers, Greenfire & Kapur!