Renard Island is a 55-acre, man-made island located in southern Green Bay at the mouth of the Fox River that represents a significant opportunity for waterfront access, recreation, and habitat benefiting the greater Green Bay community. This Strategic Master Plan outlines a vision for the island which has sat unoccupied since it was closed as a confined disposal facility (CDF) in 1997 and capped in 2015. It is an extremely rare opportunity to shape and provide new, large-scale waterfront open space for a mature and diverse urban metropolitan area. 

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This plan was created through a rigorous and focused process that engaged stakeholders, regulators, adjacent property owners, and interested public citizens with the purpose of coming together to determine a path for the island that represents the values and needs of the community. The plan’s goals, objectives and ultimately its physical form were developed using a values-based approach that balanced the four pillars of sustainability (Economic, Ecological, Social, and Human Spirit). The process was transparent, and the words were their own, building a level of trust and community buy-in that was essential to the client. To maintain a high level of defensibility, the goals were weighted and then used for scoring during the alternatives evaluation process to determine which alternative best achieved all the project’s aspirations. 

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The final plan artfully weaves together ecological enhancements, landforms, a variety of places to explore, and active marina and retail/concessions facilities focusing on revenue generation to support implementation and operations and maintenance funding. It aims to convert this former environmental challenge into a community-based regional open space resource that is a beacon of health, wellness and lakefront vitality.