Whitewater University Technology Park

Whitewater is a vibrant community that brings together a unique combination of university life and small-town hospitality. With assets including the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, employers have access to a youthful, educated population and a business community focused on growth. The Ice Age Trail is located just four miles to the east, and extends for nearly 1,200 miles, from Minnesota to the shores of Lake Michigan, making Whitewater an appealing location both for companies and for the people they hire. Located on the border of Jefferson and Walworth Counties in southern Wisconsin, Whitewater provides convenient access to Interstate 90, connecting businesses to Madison (45 miles away); the Wisconsin/Illinois border (34 miles away); and Interstate 43, connecting businesses to Milwaukee (54 miles away). Residents and businesses also have easy access to Chicago, allowing for day trips to a larger metropolitan area. Whitewater has a population of over 14,000 people, with access to over 45,000 people within a 45-minute drive. Whitewater Technology Park is a 35-acre park located on the northeast side of the city. Close proximity to the Whitewater Innovation Center and UW-Whitewater allows businesses to tap into the innovation and creativity of a collegiate population and entrepreneurs in the area.

Site Features & Contact

35.1 contiguous acres of buildable land

Access roads in place to site, or plans in place to extend access roads to site

No utility easements that would prevent development

Proximity to interstate and other highways

No wetlands present on the site

Commercial airport access

No known environmental impediments to immediate industrial development

Freight airport access

No known archaeological/historical impediments to immediate industrial development

No direct rail access

No known impediments to immediate development related to endangered species

American Land Trust Association (ALTA) survey

Fire insurance classification rating 3

Site not located on or adjacent to flood plain

Industrial zoning

Flight path certifications not proximate of any airport

Zoning of surrounding properties compatible with industrial development of site

No significant topography issues

Dave Carlson, Executive Director
Whitewater Community Development Authority

262-473-0148

dcarlson@whitewater-wi.gov
WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Community Intro

Requirement Comments

Community overview

  • General community fit for industrial activity
  • City of Whitewater is a community of ~15,000 people located nearly equidistant (45-50 miles) from Madison and Milwaukee in southeast Wisconsin
  • Home to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where total enrollment exceeds 12,000 students (undergraduate and graduate)
  • Total labor force of ~8,700, of which 59% occupy positions considered to be “blue collar” in nature. Approximately 4,100 workers live in Whitewater, but commute to work in other proximate municipalities (common employment destinations include Janesville, Troy, and Milwaukee). The majority of people employed in Whitewater (~80%) commute into the city from other locations
  • Manufacturing is a leading industry alongside higher education. Top jobs by occupation include production workers at 14.5%, office and administrative support at 13.2% and sales at 10.4%
  • Majority of existing industrial users engage in light manufacturing of equipment and electronic components, as well as some food processing
  • Generac and Universal Electronics operate facilities nearby, employing 600+ and 200+ respectively, as the city’s largest industrial users
  • Established downtown and university areas have begun to welcome more modern businesses and amenities geared toward students and young professionals; inventory of new single-family and student housing is increasing in recent years
  • City of Whitewater community profile

Site environment overview

  • General surroundings fit for industrial activity
  • The site comprises a substantial portion of the developing Whitewater University Technology Park, which is adjacent to the long-established Whitewater Business Park. Both comprise the city’s primary industrial corridor, located ~1 mile east of the city center and UW-Whitewater campus
  • Adjacent residential uses include a farmstead that encroaches into a large block of the eastern half of the site; additional residences reside to the east and just beyond the town border on Howard Road
  • Small (8-9 acre plot) of undeveloped land lies adjacent to the southern border of the second lot, separating the site from main rail line and a newer townhome development to the south
  • Site is located directly east of the Whitewater Innovation Center, an incubator of small tech-focused businesses in the local community (17-18 currently active)
  • New electronics recycling plant to begin operations in May of 2016; will be located ~0.5 miles southwest of site in the Technology Park and is expected to employ 160 FTEs by February of 2017
  • Map of Whitewater Technology Park existing and planned uses

Roadway access

  • Proximity to interstate and other highways providing convenient access for labor and logistics
  • Access roads in place to site, or plans in place to extend access road(s) to site
  • Thoroughfare extending eastward from central Whitewater (E. Starin Road – Innovation Drive) borders the site on the north
  • The site is 1.5 miles directly north of tw0-lane Hwy 12 and ~12 miles east of four-lane Hwy 26
  • New paved cul-de-sac access ingress/egress comprises southern boundary of site
  • Map of current road access to the site

Rail access (if applicable) – not required

  • Feasibility of service (if site is to be marketed as rail-served)
  • Site is currently not rail served
  • Freight access is available in the community, with main line located 500 feet from southern site boundary; would require extension for rail spur or dedicated station

Commercial airport access – access to airport(s) with commercial air service

  • Driving distance to proximate commercial airport(s) and overview of service available
  • Dane County Regional Airport on northeast side of Madison is 47 miles from the site; does not require trip through city proper; ~55 min with traffic via I-39 and I-90
  • About 1 hour to Milwaukee Mitchell (50 miles)
  • About 2 to 2.5 hours to O’Hare (93 miles)
  • Information on nearby airports

Freight airport access – access to airport(s) with freight air service

  • Driving distance to proximate
    airport(s)
  • Description of the handling capacity of each proximate freight airport (e.g., current tonnage/year, runway length)
  • Janesville Airport provides freight transport and is 28 miles southwest of site
  • Dane County Regional Airport also provides freight access
  • Information on nearby airports

Site Intro

Requirement Comments

Master Site plan and/or site plan illustrating exact dimensions and number of parcels for the specific site being submitted for certification

  • Minimum of 20 contiguous developable acres
  • 35.1 acres of buildable land comprising two individually recognized plots (separate tax identification numbers), Lots A and B, of approx. 26.3 and 8.8 acres respectively
  • Lot A is the northern lot and makes up over two-thirds of the total site acreage; southern tip of site borders northwest corner of Lot B (directly south)
  • Whitewater Technology Park Master Site plan
  • Whitewater Technology Park acreage map

Aerial photograph illustrating the specific site being submitted for certification as well as the surrounding properties

  • High-quality aerial maps submitted that delineate immediate surrounding uses
  • Expansion potential of site is likely limited to a 7.5-acre parcel directly south of the site (but separated by utility infrastructure and a road access stub)
  • West of the site is an environmental and drainage corridor and the Whitewater Innovation Center; Innovation Drive and industrial uses to the north; Howard Road and residential uses to the east

ALTA Survey (American Land Trust Association) inclusive of site being submitted for certification

Flood plain map (FEMA-produced FIRM map)

  • No part of the site may be located on (or directly adjacent to) a flood plain
  • FEMA-produced FIRM map submitted; updated September 3, 2014
  • No part of site is on or directly adjacent to a floodplain

Flight path specifications (if site is within 2 miles of an airport)

  • Documentation (letter or map from FAA) indicating any restrictions related to airport proximity
  • Not proximate (within 2 miles) of any airport; nearest airport is small, private, and maintains a single runway ~3.1 miles northwest of site

Ownership – entire site must be wholly controlled by a single owner with documented willingness to sell to an industrial user

  • Site is wholly owned by the City of Whitewater; intent to sell has been documented
  • Documentation of past transition of ownership has been produced
  • Substantiation requested for property transfer in 1997 has been received

Asking price – current asking price for sale or lease of the land must be indicated

  • Documentation of asking price on a per-acre basis
  • Asking price of $43,000/acre set for land and documented in open session of CDA
  • Site was recently appraised based on its existing location and development potential; CDA has articulated that the asking price could be adjusted depending on the anticipated level of investment

Topography – no significant topography issues that could present major obstacles to industrial development of the site

  • Topographic map with clearly defined contour intervals of 2’ or less
  • Current ALTA survey includes topographic detailed (stamped 6/17/2016)
  • Site was recently leveled in anticipation of future development, resulting in the removal of a ~20-foot hill in the center of the northern lot (Lot A)
  • Site presently slopes slightly downward from east to west
  • Site is barren with no significant foliage or any other significant physical impediments present
  • Topographic map of Whitewater Technology Park

Easements – site not intersected by utility or any other easement that would prevent development of 20 contiguous acres of the site

  • Maps of all utility infrastructure directly proximate to (or intersecting) the site
  • Map of all utilities produced along with a plat of survey depicting all current easements on or adjacent to site
  • There is a 15’ utility easement running east/west between the two lots (A and B) that make up the site; the easement is reportedly not occupied by any utility
  • Easement has been officially abandoned by City of Whitewater as of June 7, 2016

Wetlands – demonstrate that a user can utilize 20 contiguous acres that are not affected by wetlands

  • Wetlands delineation report conducted on the site, demonstrating that impacts to be protected waters will be avoided (or approved mitigation plans)
  • Wetlands report dated June 23, 2016 confirms that no wetlands are present in the parcels included in the proposed certified site

Environmental assessment – no known environmental impediments to immediate industrial development

  • Phase I within the past 2 years; remediated sites provide completed Phase II and documentation of liability protection

Geotechnical – minimum of 5 soil borings (for 20-acre site); no presence of sinkholes or limestone caves; suitable water content/water table depth

Archaeological/historical – no known archaeological/historical impediments to immediate industrial development

  • Archaeological survey conducted in May of 2009 of proposed technology park area (including entirety of the site) by personnel from Archaeological Consulting and Services, Inc.
  • No artifacts were discovered on site and no concerns exist regarding any archaeological or historical impediments (documentation from Wisconsin Historical Society)

Endangered species – no known impediments to immediate industrial development related to endangered species

  • Endangered resources review completed on January 8, 2010, covering the entire area of the Whitewater University Technology Park
  • Study indicated no presence of endangered resources within the study area

Fire protection

  • Fire insurance classification rating
  • Distance to the nearest servicing fire department
  • Class 3 rating applies to the community
  • The site is 1.6 miles from the City of Whitewater Fire Department

Zoning

Requirement Comments

Industrial zoning (or equivalent) currently in place, or zoning change procedure underway as of field investigation

  • Zoning certificate and relevant ordinance; or letter from municipal authorities communicating status of zoning change procedure as of field investigation date
  • Site is zoned Whitewater University Technology Park (WUTP) District; permitted uses include technology-related production or processing, R&D, business office, pilot plants, and telecommunications centers. A broad range of additional types of production operations are indicated as conditional uses (requiring approval by the zoning commission).
  • Covenants, including the approval process for conditional uses and a high-level conceptual design of potential future operations on the site, have been submitted.
  • Comprehensive list of conditional and permitted uses currently in place to ensure that the site’s ultimate user aligns with the City of Whitewater’s vision for the park, including but not limited to an aesthetically pleasing landscape and façade, non-nuisance operations, and maintenance of desire to be an asset to the community and forward economic development activities.
  • Any desired zoning changes must be approved by the Technology Park Board; estimated process time is one month, including one to two weeks for a public hearing to present and approve the desired conditional use.
  • Zoning confirmation letter
  • Zoning ordinance
  • Whitewater University Technology Park covenants

Surrounding area zoning – zoning of surrounding properties compatible with industrial development of site

  • Comprehensive plan of area (if applicable)
  • Zoning map of area including site (if applicable)
  • Existing/planned zoning of surrounding land
  • Codes, covenants, and restrictions on site and surrounding sites, as applicable
  • Site sits directly adjacent to similarly zoned (WUTP) land to the west and south, in addition to a small portion of agricultural and open land currently serving as a municipal area of recreation (e.g., park, bike paths)
  • Site is bordered to the north by land zoned M-1 industrial across Innovation Drive (within the Whitewater Business Park) and agricultural (mostly open land outside city boundary with some farmsteads) to the east across Howard Road
  • Whitewater University Technology Park surrounding uses map
  • Whitewater Technology Park future uses map

Electric & Gas Utility Infrastructure

Requirement Comments

Proximate electric power infrastructure availability and capacities

  • Utility maps indicating location and current size/capacity of proximate transmission lines, distribution lines, and substations; available capacity that could be provided to the site for each of the above
  • We Energies provides distribution-level service to the region
  • Existing 24.9 KV overhead power line runs north/south along Howard Road, which bounds the site to the east, and also east/west along Innovation Drive, which bounds the site to the north
  • These lines take service from the Whitewater substation, which is served by two transmission lines from ATC; available capacity at this substation is 30 MVA
  • Discounted service rates offered to volume users as well as new We Energies customers; discount amount and duration depends on the specific usage and infrastructure required (e.g., line extensions, on-site transformer)
  • Whitewater Technology Park utilities infrastructure map

Detailed description of dual feed potential (current or proposed redundant service)

  • Overview (and map) illustrating dual feed electric service routes, including location, size and capacity of each node of delivery (substation, distribution line, etc.)
  • Installation of a dedicated reserve line (two-line supply) would require about a 2.5-mile line extension from the site. This would be fed from another transformer at the We Energies Whitewater substation.
  • If the customer would require more diversification, a line extension of about 10 miles being served from the We Energies Fort Atkinson substation would be required.

Introduction of any proposed improvements to/extensions of electric service to the site

  • Cost, timing and funding responsibility of any improvements required to provide proposed service to the site
  • Enhancements to enable dual feed as described above would need to be funded by the customer
  • We Energies recently extended service to a new electronics manufacturing operation located near the site

Proximate natural gas infrastructure availability and capacities

  • Utility maps indicating location and current size/capacity of proximate transmission lines, distribution lines, delivery points, etc; available capacity that could be provided to the site for each of the above

We Energies is the natural gas provider and owns distribution and transmission lines that both run along the eastern boundary of the site:

  • 4” 18 Dkth/hr distribution line runs along eastern boundary of the site in the right-of-way of Howard Road
  • 12” 960 psi steel main line also runs along Howard Road in the right-of-way; this is owned by We Energies and currently serves LS Power, another utility provider
  • Whitewater Technology Park utilities infrastructure map

Introduction of any proposed improvements to/extensions of natural gas service to the site

  • Cost, timing and funding responsibility of any improvements required to provide proposed service to the site
  • Preferred point of service is on the corner of Innovation Drive and Howard Road
  • One-day timeline required for line extension underneath road and to site (if necessary)

Proximate water and wastewater infrastructure availability and capacities

  • Water: 12” distribution line adjacent to the site at northern and eastern boundaries. Multiple wells throughout the city provide water to the residences and businesses. Well #8 ~0.5 miles directly west of site feeds the looped system that serves the 12” line adjacent to the site. Also a 500,000-gallon water tower 0.5 miles from the site. Flow is 1,000 gallons per minute with 68-70 lbs of pressure. System capacity is estimated at 2,400 gallons per minute with 47-62 lbs of pressure.
  • Wastewater: 10-18” sewer lines currently surround site on three sides (excluding eastern boundary). 500 gallons per minute flow for 10” and 1,800 gallons per minute flow for 18”. Sewer line dead ends at Howard Road heading east on Innovation Drive and Greenway Court
  • Map of sanitary sewer facilities
  • Map of stormwater facilities
  • Map of water facilities

Introduction of any proposed improvements to/extensions of water and/or wastewater service to the site

  • Existing wastewater treatment facility is currently undergoing a $21 million expansion to update treatment processes and technology to replace an outdated system
  • Plant is currently operating at 44% of its allowable capacity (1.6-1.7 MGPD currently in use out of 3.65 total available MGPD)
  • Timeline for completion is 18 to 24 months