Celebrating Community Champions: Sidewalk Success Story!

Meet Jackie Krull, a participant in our most recent Greater Green Bay CTA in the fall of 2025. At our February CTA Alumni Networking Call, Jackie shared a success story that is worth amplifying! As an elected official in the Village of Bellevue, she was involved in a decision making process to uphold the Village's Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan that was adopted in April of 2025.

Above: Jackie Krull stops for a selfie during our Walk and Roll Audit of Downtown Green Bay, September 2025. In the background, the Community Transportation Academy group walks along Walnut Street for a first-hand experience of the conditions for people walking and biking.

The new plan was put to the test this January, when a private redevelopment project sought to eliminate the required sidewalk installation from its site plan, citing concerns that the sidewalk lacked immediate connections (potentially creating safety issues) and noting that the area’s B-3 zoning limited nearby pedestrian destinations.  

During the Village Board’s review process, Jackie advocated for upholding the plan, which recommends sidewalks on both sides of the road as part of a larger, interconnected network and part of the Village’s long-range vision of linking to existing sidewalks within the next six to ten years. 

Ultimately, the Bellevue Village Board voted unanimously to deny the request to waive the sidewalk requirement. During Board discussion, trustees acknowledged that while a single sidewalk segment may not feel complete on its own, it still advances safety and long-term connectivity. Their comments reflected a shared understanding that pedestrian infrastructure must start somewhere and transportation networks aren’t built overnight. By requiring installation now (consistent with the Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan), the Village chose to build its network step by step rather than delay progress and potentially shift the full cost to taxpayers in the future. 

Village staff also noted similar sidewalk segments that were installed ahead of full corridor build-out, later becoming critical links to complete connections when development continued.  

Above: The site of a future new development that will include a sidewalk connection in the Village of Bellevue, as reflected in the local Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan.

We can celebrate this as a meaningful win for active transportation, and a powerful example of CTA alumni putting their advocacy skills into action. Jackie’s leadership helped ensure the Village followed its adopted Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan during redevelopment, closing gaps over time and supporting a transportation network that expands mode choice and better serves the future needs of employees, businesses, and residents. 

Congratulations and great work to Jackie and the Village of Bellevue! If you have a local success story to share with the Active Wisconsin network, reach out to Jen Walker.