MEET YOUR HQ FOR
NMU PACKER WEEKEND 26:
THE PACKERPLEX!
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| This Shadow Lane home, called the Packerplex, is available for rent on game weekends in Green Bay. . |
Green Bay - The modest-looking residential neighborhood is only a few hundred feet away from the city's most important landmark: Lambeau Field.
And right on Shadow Lane, there are a handful of residences that serve a different purpose than a place to raise a family.
Harry Boebel has one of those homes on the normally quiet street. A Milwaukee-area resident, Boebel has been to 114 consecutive Green Bay Packers' regular-season and playoff games. That's a lot of back and forth.
A few years ago, Boebel was tailgating at Miller Park for a Milwaukee Brewers' game when a friend told him about a home on Shadow Lane for sale. The next thing he knew he was meeting with the owner.
"I'm a big Packers fan," he said. "I go to every game. I just had the idea of buying a home."
Boebel bought the home and began the process of getting a conditional-use permit from the City of Green Bay that gives him the right to rent out the place for game weekends.
A home for Packers fans. And walking distance to your seat.
"It's worked out fantastic. This season I was completely sold out," Boebel said.
Boebel charges $2,300 for a minimum three-night stay. He says he's not out to make a lot of money.
"I'm looking to cover my mortgage," he said.
The place has been so popular for him that Boebel isn't able to use it himself. For this weekend's Packers-New York Giants NFL divisional playoff game, Boebel says he will either get a hotel room in the Brown County area or just drive back after the game.
City officials say there are five homes in the area that have conditional-use permits to rent out for Packers games. The permits are reviewed each year. Officials say they are careful to make sure the users of the home are respectful of neighbors.
So far, the homes have not caused any major problems, according to Ald. Chris Wery, who represents the neighborhood.
"Since we started permitting, things have worked pretty well," he said. "We've found a good equilibrium. They want to be responsible neighbors."
On the other side of Lambeau Field, in the Village of Ashwaubenon, officials say they do not regulate party homes.
Another Shadow Lane home is owned by three men with Wisconsin ties who now live in Tucson, Ariz. Nick Ciadella and his two partners bought an apartment complex about a mile from Lambeau, then invested in the Shadow Lane home.
"You can't get a better view," he said of the home.
Ciadella said the group rents the place out about five times a year and has spent thousands remodeling the place in a Packer motif. A unit at the apartment complex also is offered.
Ciadella said his customers tend to be high-level professionals who return season after season.
While some of the homes on Shadow Lane are rented out to Packers fans, one home is reserved for corporate use. Ken Metzler of La Force Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of door products, says the company created a limited liability corporation to buy the home.
"We use the home for most games," Metzler said. "Since 2008, we've used it for customer appreciation."
And right on Shadow Lane, there are a handful of residences that serve a different purpose than a place to raise a family.
Harry Boebel has one of those homes on the normally quiet street. A Milwaukee-area resident, Boebel has been to 114 consecutive Green Bay Packers' regular-season and playoff games. That's a lot of back and forth.
A few years ago, Boebel was tailgating at Miller Park for a Milwaukee Brewers' game when a friend told him about a home on Shadow Lane for sale. The next thing he knew he was meeting with the owner.
"I'm a big Packers fan," he said. "I go to every game. I just had the idea of buying a home."
Boebel bought the home and began the process of getting a conditional-use permit from the City of Green Bay that gives him the right to rent out the place for game weekends.
A home for Packers fans. And walking distance to your seat.
"It's worked out fantastic. This season I was completely sold out," Boebel said.
Boebel charges $2,300 for a minimum three-night stay. He says he's not out to make a lot of money.
"I'm looking to cover my mortgage," he said.
The place has been so popular for him that Boebel isn't able to use it himself. For this weekend's Packers-New York Giants NFL divisional playoff game, Boebel says he will either get a hotel room in the Brown County area or just drive back after the game.
City officials say there are five homes in the area that have conditional-use permits to rent out for Packers games. The permits are reviewed each year. Officials say they are careful to make sure the users of the home are respectful of neighbors.
So far, the homes have not caused any major problems, according to Ald. Chris Wery, who represents the neighborhood.
"Since we started permitting, things have worked pretty well," he said. "We've found a good equilibrium. They want to be responsible neighbors."
On the other side of Lambeau Field, in the Village of Ashwaubenon, officials say they do not regulate party homes.
Another Shadow Lane home is owned by three men with Wisconsin ties who now live in Tucson, Ariz. Nick Ciadella and his two partners bought an apartment complex about a mile from Lambeau, then invested in the Shadow Lane home.
"You can't get a better view," he said of the home.
Ciadella said the group rents the place out about five times a year and has spent thousands remodeling the place in a Packer motif. A unit at the apartment complex also is offered.
Ciadella said his customers tend to be high-level professionals who return season after season.
While some of the homes on Shadow Lane are rented out to Packers fans, one home is reserved for corporate use. Ken Metzler of La Force Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of door products, says the company created a limited liability corporation to buy the home.
"We use the home for most games," Metzler said. "Since 2008, we've used it for customer appreciation."
About Don Walker
Don Walker covers Milwaukee's City Hall and the business of sports.
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