Marshfield’s long-empty landmark on West Second Street is finally getting its shot at a second act. On Tuesday, the Marshfield Common Council voted to direct city staff to enter exclusive negotiations with Milwaukee-based developer J. Jeffers & Co. over a plan to convert the city-owned Weinbrenner Shoe Company factory into affordable apartments. The decision revives a years-long push to reuse the 1930s-era complex that anchors the West Second Street redevelopment corridor downtown.
As reported by Marshfield News‑Herald, the council’s action authorizes staff to negotiate terms with J. Jeffers & Co. for redevelopment of the property at 305 W. Third St. According to the News‑Herald, the concept under discussion would prioritize historic preservation while aiming the new apartments at households earning around 60% of Wood County’s median income.
Developer’s Plan And Earlier Selection
J. Jeffers & Co. emerged as the city’s preferred partner after a competitive RFQ process and has floated a concept that would create roughly 80 apartments through an adaptive reuse of the factory, as reported by OnFocus. The proposal calls for preserving key exterior elements of the historic building and using a stacked financing package that includes historic tax credits, low-income housing tax credits and other public tools to close the renovation funding gap.
Council Members Call The Building A Lynchnpin
Some council members made it clear they see the hulking brick plant as too important to lose in the wider West Second Street push. District 9 Alderperson Richard Kranz told colleagues the factory is central to the block’s future. “We do not want to lose the lynchpin, which is the old Weinbrenner building, of the Second Street development,” Kranz said, according to the Marshfield News‑Herald. That sentiment helped build support for moving ahead with negotiations instead of reopening a broad search for new proposals.
Weinbrenner Has Already Moved Out
The timing is not an accident. Weinbrenner shifted operations earlier this year into a new 70,000-square-foot, 14.5 million dollar facility, which opened the downtown plant for redevelopment, The Business News reports. Local coverage earlier in 2026 noted that city officials had been working to line up a developer so construction could begin shortly after the property was vacated, according to the Daily Reporter. With Weinbrenner moved out, staff told the council that negotiating a term sheet with J. Jeffers & Co. is the logical next step.
Downtown Goals And Funding
The Weinbrenner property sits within the West Second Street Redevelopment District, where the city’s 2022 plan calls for residential adaptive reuse projects to serve as catalysts for fresh downtown activity, according to city planning documents. Those documents note that the site is city-owned and outline a toolbox of potential local support, from pay-as-you-go TIF participation to a mix of state and federal grants, to help fill financing gaps. Earlier council materials have also highlighted a one-time pool of money from a closed tax increment district that officials have flagged as a possible contribution to downtown affordable housing efforts.
Timeline And Next Steps
With Tuesday’s vote, staff now has authority to work out an exclusive right-to-negotiate agreement with J. Jeffers & Co. If a term sheet is reached, the Common Council and the Community Development Authority would then review a detailed development agreement along with any proposed incentive package. Coverage of the RFQ process and city agendas points to a multi-month stretch of due diligence, funding applications and public review before any construction could begin, with exact timing tied closely to tax-credit award cycles and grant decisions.
