The former Macwhyte property has been cleared of buildings for the last two years. Now, the city is hoping to finalize plans to fill that space back up relatively soon.

The site of the former wire rope company at 2906 14th Ave. was cleared and leveled of buildings more than two years ago. Remediation and cleanup efforts have continued at the site and the Department of Natural Resources is waiting for a few testing results before signing off on the cleanup effort, Kenosha Public Works Director Ron Bursek said.

As the site nears completion, the city is considering its options for the property.

Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman said no plans have been finalized for the Macwhyte property, but the city aims to have a clearer vision for the property shortly.

“We hope to have something to move forward with in the next month or two,” Bosman said.

The city’s plans include making 14th Avenue continuous through this property, a project the city has requested federal stimulus money for.

“The key ingredient to this is to get 14th Avenue put through with outside funding,” Bosman said.

Bosman said adding on to nearby Petzke Park is also a likely option.

“We would like to come up with a new plan for Petzke Park that would make the park larger,” Bosman said. “It’s kind of a long, skinny park right now and we are just starting to work through the process of getting some ideas together and we would like to be ready to do something next year.”

The possibility of returning buildings to the site is also under consideration.

“We really have a bunch of ideas, but there is nothing concrete,” Bosman said. “Perhaps the east side of 14th Avenue could be some kind of residential development, but there are a lot of discussions that will go into this.”

Despite the desire to start development, Bosman said there are numerous steps that need to happen first.

“It has a long way to go in terms of developing a plan,” Bosman said. “We have to get input from the public, the park commission, the alderman of the district and city development. But hopefully that plan will develop over the next few months.”

Alderman Tod Ohnstad represents the city’s 6th District, which surrounds the Macwhyte property. Ohnstad said he hoped for some positive developments on the dormant property.

“I think we just have to make sure it is a responsible development,” Ohnstad said. “It’s good that there is some interest and eventually the city needs to look to returning 14th Avenue to west of the railroad tracks. There has been a lot of interest in what a development on the site would look like; we just need to be cognizant that it fits in the existing neighborhoods.”

Bosman said he hopes whatever develops on the former Macwhyte site can happen while keeping development costs out of the city’s budget.

“We’re trying to get this done without having taxpayer money involved,” Bosman said. ‘That is the first priority for us on this project. Any housing would be private and would give us money to develop the other parts of the site. We’re trying to get outside stimulus dollars to get this completed, and it is on our stimulus list. We’re working to keep this in front of the decision-makers.”