Project Redevelops Housing Downtown at Cherry Lanes

Eight new affordable housing units are now part of the Sturgeon Bay rental market thanks to the rehabilitation of the upstairs portion of the Cherry Lanes Arcade Bar building. The family of owners Moira and Justin Callan cut the ribbon to mark the completion of the apartments May 29. 

The project includes five one-bedroom units, ranging from 584 to 652 square feet, and three efficiency apartments, ranging from 519 square feet to 623 square feet. The units had been reserved for Sturgeon Bay residents whose income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. 

Mayor David Ward thanked the Callans for rehabilitating the building’s second floor and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) for financing the project with a low-interest loan...

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Leo's notes: the completion of The Lofts at Cherry Lanes in downtown Sturgeon Bay transformed a long-vacant second floor above the historic arcade and bowling alley into eight affordable apartments. Supported by WHEDA’s Restore Main Street program and local workforce housing financing, the project received immediate response- roughly 90 applications received and all units leased before opening. The rapid lease-up demonstrates the depth of unmet workforce housing demand in Door County, particularly for smaller, attainable units serving single workers and couples. Just as importantly, the project showcases how adaptive reuse of underutilized downtown buildings can add housing supply without consuming new land—an approach that many Wisconsin communities may increasingly look to as they balance housing needs, historic preservation, and downtown revitalization goals.