People have talked about building a convention center or arena in the Chippewa Valley for decades. Now a local realtor has enlisted the help of a world-renowned developer to make it happen.

That man is Richard Browne- he developed The Woodlands in Texas, where former Eau Claire city manager Don Norrell works.

Mike Clover, a local realtor, says the project would cost about $300 million and would be privately financed through Browne and his connections. The 100 acres of land are in Lake Hallie, between the Wal-Mart on Highway 53 and the new Highway 53 bypass.

Right now, you’ll just see empty fields, but Clover says the location is ideal for this project.

“We're right in the middle there and it has the most possible impact for the whole Chippewa Valley from Chippewa all the way down to Eau Claire, Elk Mound, and the surrounding area,” Clover says.

The plan calls for a mini-community of sorts with retail, housing, shopping, parks, and theaters.
The arena would be the centerpiece- a $50 million structure with seating for at least 10,000 people.

To make this project happen, Browne says the airport needs to grow and the entire Chippewa Valley needs support the idea. Right now, Clover is waiting for the Convention and Visitors Bureau to pick one of the three sites before it moves forward.

Clover says this would help the whole area.

“We would like to see the impact on the Chippewa Valley be a destination in Wisconsin,” he says. “Everyone needs it here.”

“If you bring something in like this where you're going to bring in 5 to 10,000 people in an event, you know gas stations, the restaurants, the hotels- those are the immediate things that get impacted,” Clover Real Estate co-owner Brian Johnson says.

Clover says the location means lots of people driving through the area would see the complex.