Schmitt: Washington-Walnut plans today He says a developer has plans for his 'signature building' By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle One of the goals of Mayor Jim Schmitt, expressed as soon as he announced his run for mayor, was a "signature building" for the corner of Washington and Walnut streets in downtown Green Bay. Today, he plans to reinforce that goal to the city's Redevelopment Authority, and he says he has a developer with plans that match his goal. Schmitt would not discuss more about the plans, but did say "the plans will fit" his stated goal. The site, now a parking lot, had been designated last year for a federal courthouse if funding had been voted for immediate construction. It wasn't, and now alternate sites for the courthouse are being looked at. "We've been working hard on relocating the courthouse with Judge (William) Griesbach and (Rep.) Mark Green, and we've got three alternate sites lined up, which has freed up Washington and Walnut," the mayor said. He said there had been interest in the site, and today he plans to bring a developer who has a plan that meets his specifications to the RDA meeting. "I'll be laying out my specifications for that property in terms of what I'm looking for - its value, its height, its use," Schmitt said. He has said he wants a building to tie into that area of downtown and to tie into it being a "financial center," with Baylake Bank's new building and Associated Bank's headquarters nearby and other banks in the area. Schmitt has also indicated he wants a landmark building on the site, jokingly showing a photo of Chicago's Sears Tower during a downtown meeting last month. "I'm going to tell the RDA that's what I'm looking for on that corner; it's the last undeveloped part of downtown, and I want to make sure it sets the town for the next 100 years," he said.