Plymouth is a small Southeast Wisconsin community located on the western fringe of the growing Sheboygan urban area and within a one-hour drive of downtown Milwaukee. The community of Plymouth is taking bold steps to direct future growth, redevelopment and revitalization activities that will reinvigorate the "soul" of the community - Downtown Plymouth.

The City of Plymouth, in collaboration with the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, Plymouth Downtown Business Association and Plymouth Advancement Association, retained Downtown Professionals Network (DPN) to facilitate the creation of the Plymouth Downtown Revitalization Master Plan. The plan will be the blueprint that directs and orchestrates revitalization activities in an orderly and effective manner.

Like most communities during the past 30 to 40 years, Plymouth's downtown has taken on a new complexion. Once the hub of commerce, many downtown districts are only a shell of what they once represented.

Downtown Plymouth isn't a shell. In many ways, it has continued to evolve in a positive fashion. On the other hand, it is showing some deterioration and a widely changing complexion, as significant commerce has developed on the outlying borders of the city. The goal, then, is to plan for the future of Plymouth's downtown. Plymouth wants to have a vital downtown that can meet the new expectations of visitors and residents alike. 

A series of community forums and findings from the Downtown Plymouth Market Analysis are providing direction for redevelopment and revitalization strategies that will catalyze investment, nurture a quality business mix based on trends in the marketplace, and reinvigorate a strong sense of the downtown as a community center.

Concepts and strategies advanced by the Master Plan include the intensification of mixed-use commercial and residential development to house a variety of uses that will generate activity in the downtown for up to 18 hours per day. Connections between the Mullet River and the downtown district would be enhanced to create new business opportunities and a more appealing pedestrian experience. Demographic trends, easy access to larger markets to the east, and a business mix that appeals to residents and visitors alike provide a basis for downtown Plymouth to pursue an identity as a regional destination for arts and entertainment.

Findings from the Downtown Plymouth Market Analysis indicate interest in a variety of new, owned and leased housing options, including condominiums, townhouses and apartments. New mixed use development would extend downtown street level commercial uses and capitalize on river views and amenities..

Plymouth residents, business people and community leaders are working together to plan for the future and reinvigorate the “soul” of Plymouth – downtown Plymouth.

The expansion of the community center to house the performing arts would complement the downtown business mix and would help Plymouth establish an identity as a regional destination for arts and entertainment

By nearly all accounts, the current Post Office facility is too small and inefficient by today’s standards. Maintaining its downtown location will be a challenge, but it is also vital to retaining a key activity generator and, in a sense, an important piece of the downtown’s historic character.

The Mullet River is a community treasure that offers a great opportunity to integrate nature into the patterns of downtown development.  Efforts to restore and preserve the river’s natural beauty should be a priority, and possibilities for restoring the native habitat should be pursued.