Saukville's Plan Commission has given the green light to a four-story, 62-room Cobblestone Hotel & Suites planned for 535 Market St., clearing the way for construction to begin by the end of the year on a project expected to cost about $13 million. The hotel will anchor the southern portion of the sprawling Northern Gateway Community Collective, landing in a section known as Mel's Village.
The approval, first reported by Ozaukee Press, comes about a month after Cobblestone Hotels announced it had signed an agreement with Saukville Hotel Group, LLC to build the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites Main Street location. The Neenah-based chain's announcement described the project as a 62-room property featuring a Cobblestone Marketplace-branded convenience store, a meeting room, an onsite lounge, and a swimming pool, along with a hot complimentary breakfast, Seattle's Best coffee service, and high-speed internet throughout. Ozaukee Press reports the hotel will instead offer an indoor pool, flexible meeting and event space, a fitness center, and a patio with a fire pit that converts to a lounge, along with standard guest rooms, suites, and two-room extended-stay accommodations.
A Four-Story Addition With Local Flavor
Per the Ozaukee Press report, the hotel will incorporate local historic artwork into its public spaces and guest rooms. It's expected to serve business travelers, vacationers, and families in town for Gateway Academy sporting events. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year and take 12 to 14 months, according to Anna Jakubek, who also said Cobblestone is the only hotel franchise headquartered in Wisconsin — the company is based in Neenah, with its closest existing location in Hartford.
Cobblestone's own announcement states the chain has more than 160 hotels open, under construction, or in development across 26 states, while the Ozaukee Press account puts the figure at more than 160 locations across 28 states. Jakubek said Ansay Development approached Cobblestone about locating in the Gateway district, noting the chain's focus on providing hotels in smaller communities.
Second Building in Mel's Village
The Cobblestone hotel is the second building planned for Mel's Village, following the Gateway Sports Academy and Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, which share the first building in that section. The broader Gateway project, developed by Ansay Development and Three Leaf Development, is described as an integrated community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering both places to live and work.
Mel's Charities, the Ozaukee County nonprofit guiding the project, plans to move its offices into the Northern Gateway development, according to the Ozaukee Press report. A public plaza and other amenities in the area will be jointly operated by the village and Mel's Charities. The nonprofit's involvement reflects the broader goal described by Ansay Development Corporation, which says Mel's Village is being created with close guidance from the nonprofit to improve quality of life for all residents, especially those with developmental disabilities.
Northern Gateway's Bigger Picture
Ansay Development describes Northern Gateway as a 99-acre mixed-use initiative that could ultimately include up to 620 housing units alongside a public market, splash pad, bandshell, indoor sports facility, green spaces, commercial space, and walking trails, with completion scheduled by 2027. The Ozaukee Press report describes the development more broadly as set to include apartments, single-family houses, an office and commercial area, a day care facility, green space, walking trails, and a public plaza with a splash pad. The project's north side already includes the Daniels Apartments, the Paape Family Farms subdivision, Anita's Gardens senior living, and American Orthodontics, per the same report.
Earlier reporting on the project has described it differently. A 2023 account from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Northern Gateway plans included a hotel, more than 500 residential units, an indoor sports facility, a splash pad, office space, and retail businesses, and noted the village broke ground on Aug. 31 for what it called the largest development project in Saukville's history. A separate Ozaukee Press account had earlier described a 110-unit hotel planned for the Mel's Village south campus, a figure that differs from the 62-room hotel now approved; the available reporting does not explain the change. Acreage figures have also varied across coverage: a 2022 GMToday report described the project site as 60 acres, while Ansay's current project page lists it at 99 acres.
Local Reaction and Economic Stakes
Andy Hebein said the hotel will benefit the local economy, add lodging options, increase the village's tax base, and bring customers to local businesses, according to the Ozaukee Press report. Dawn Wagner said the hotel will be a welcome addition to Northern Gateway and that people have been waiting for it. Ian McCain, identified as Ansay Development's vice president of development, joined Hebein in affirming that Ansay has consistently followed its vision for the development.
The hotel approval lands against a backdrop of strong regional tourism numbers. GMToday reported that tourism generated a record-breaking $258 million in economic impact in Ozaukee County in 2025, a 5% increase over 2024, along with $14.1 million in state and local tax revenue. The same report noted Wisconsin has now recorded four consecutive years of record-breaking tourism growth, underscoring the kind of demand local officials are counting on the new Cobblestone hotel to help capture.
