Question: What is the plan for the development of the Thrivent property between Ballard Road and Mead Street in Appleton? I’ve been seeing survey crews on the property. If it is intended for residential development, what is the plan for traffic on Ballard? It’s already extremely busy.

Answer: Preliminary plan concepts unveiled by Thrivent late last year show a mix of uses for the 600-acre campus north of Interstate 41.

Parks and open spaces would comprise 30% of the property. That includes 128 acres for a natural, walkable greenway loop, 28 acres for a water-centric park, 14 acres for community-oriented use, 4 acres for an iconic park, 2 acres for a destination parkway and 9 acres for neighborhood parks.

The balance of the campus, progressing from the northwest to the southeast, would consist of single-family homes, multifamily homes and senior living, and office and commercial development.

Appleton Community Development Director Kara Homan said city officials have been involved in the planning process.

“The city has coordinated with Thrivent in the same manner we would any private development proposal, by providing feedback, technical information, and advising on next steps should a development proceed in whole or in part,” Homan said.

Appleton has identified additional housing as a need and is making changes to encourage and streamline housing development.

Watchdog Q&A: Duke Behnke answers your local government questions

Thrivent’s preliminary plan concepts depict additional access points to the campus, including two on Ballard Road (Outagamie County E).

If those plans hold, Homan said Appleton traffic engineers would work with the county highway department to ensure the traffic effects are analyzed.

“That evaluation would guide what, if any, improvements to roadways or intersections are required by the developer as part of any future development,” Homan said.

Thrivent is a Fortune 500 financial services company whose roots in Appleton date to 1902.

The needs of the company’s workforce changed following the coronavirus pandemic. In May 2023, Thrivent announced it would explore development options for its Ballard Operations Center, 4321 N. Ballard Road, and the surrounding campus.

“Our teams have continued to thrive in a hybrid and remote environment,” Paul Johnston, Thrivent’s chief legal officer, general counsel and secretary, said at the time, “and we now have fewer teams going into the office. We don’t need as much physical space, and the space we need is for collaboration and connection for our team.”

Thrivent is evaluating options for its 1,500 employees based in Appleton, including renovating the Ballard Operations Center, building a new, smaller building on the existing property, or leasing space in a different Appleton location.

Since the announcement, Thrivent has been working with the city officials and the greater Appleton community to devise a master plan that will guide the development of the campus over the next several decades. The planning process involved two online surveys and two open houses to gauge the wishes of the community.

“We held two community feedback meetings last year and are now moving into the first phase of land development,” Justin Herndon, Thrivent’s director of public relations and enterprise reputation, said in an email. “This includes surveying work, due diligence and other planning activities.”

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Plans for Thrivent’s Appleton campus show parks, trails and housing