[May 30, 2026] Kenosha officials celebrate Harbor District progress at Karrick Apartments ceremony (Kenosha News)

Kenosha's Harbor District's growth and development was firmly in the spotlight at a special ceremony last Wednesday.

City officials and development partners held a ribbon-cutting for the Karrick Apartments, marking the first completed block of the $450 million, nine-block Kenosha Harbor District redevelopment project.

City officials and development partners from Cobalt Smith cut the ribbon on the Karrick apartments on Wednesday. From left to right, Scott Yauck, CEO at Cobalt Partners, Mark Theder, CEO at Summit Smith, Michael Krolczyk, Senior Vice President at C.D. Smith Construction, Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala and Ald. Bill Siel.

The ceremony was a grand opening for the 158-unit luxury apartment building, which started welcoming its first residents in January.

Speakers at the celebration said it was about more than new apartments.

“This new housing will support local businesses, restaurants, employers and the long-term viability of the City of Kenosha,” said Scott Yauck, CEO of the Harbor District’s primary developer, Cobalt Partners. “When people live in these apartments, they do more than just occupy space. They really strengthen the economic, social and cultural fabric of the city.”

Yauck spoke about the global community the Karrick has already drawn during the ceremony. Initially envisioned as strongest with the Chicago housing market, Yauck said, the apartment complex has drawn residents from Uganda, Russia and Turkey – as well as longtime Kenosha residents.

Property Manager Kristoffer Saunders said the Karrick has 58 units occupied, with additional pre-leases signed. Monthly rent at the Karrick ranges between $1,500 to $2,600, with one, two and three-bedroom floor plans available.

Yauck lauded the Karrick as a “transformational project” that was only achieved through public-private partnership -- a point city officials like Mayor David Bogdala and District 2 Ald. Bill Siel echoed.

“This city is hot,” Bogdala said during the ceremony. “It’s hot because we know how to do partnerships.”

“This is the fruition of decades of talks about Downtown development,” Siel, whose district encompasses the Karrick, said. “This is the beginning of it.”

Next steps

More than a decade of planning between developers and city officials went into the Harbor District redevelopment project, which seeks to transform the Downtown area through new housing, retail and public spaces.

The next phase of the $450 million project, a 212-unit apartment complex northeast of the Karrick, is set to break ground later this year. The new complex, named “The Helmsman,” had a first hearing on its conditional use permit earlier earlier this month. The Helmsman project is valued at $62 million.

The Harbor District project was first launched in 2023 and is projected to take seven to 10 years. Once complete, it’s expected to bring approximately 1,000 new housing units, a hotel and a new city hall to Kenosha’s Downtown.

“The momentum is strong,” Bogdala said. “We’re looking forward to what’s to come.”

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