SO CLOSE YOU CAN TASTE IT (but don't actually lick it, OK?). Downtown Eau Claire's dual transfer transit center/apartment complex should begin seeing transit operations by the end of September. The residential portion, called the Alto Station, will have just shy of 90 units. 

The construction cranes and machinery that have marked South Farwell Street for years won’t be around much longer, according to the City of Eau Claire. The Transfer Center project, which broke ground in February 2021, is headed toward the finish line – for real, this time. 

On Friday, Sept. 13, as part of her weekly email updates, City Manager Stephanie Hirsch shared the lower levels of the six-story development are nearly complete.

“Fencing on Gray Street has been removed, and the pavement has been power washed. Over the next few weeks Transit Operators will be training in the Transfer Center prior to its opening,” the update stated, though an official opening date has not been released. (In an announcement shared by the City of Eau Claire on Sept. 24, after this article was published, the transfer center will see its first bus roll out at 5:45am on Monday, Sept. 29.)

Downtown Eau Claire's former transit building, an underwhelming cinderblock build which stood as a "temporary" bus station for over 30 years.

The dual transit center/apartment complex development has been an uphill project from the get-go, especially when considering the fact Eau Claire has never had a proper transit transfer center.

Longtime locals are likely to recall what formerly acted as a temporary transfer center at the 400 block of South Farwell Street. The small cinderblock build, though never intended to serve as Eau Claire’s permanent transfer center, stood for over 30 years since its creation around 1984.

When the City received a $5 million federal transportation grant in 2018 to help pay for the public-private project – the first three levels dedicated to the transfer center belong to the City while the upper residential levels are owned by Merge Urban Development – significant movement toward a true transfer center was finally underway.

While a number of roadblocks hindered the project even after the groundbreaking in 2021, including construction inflation and difficulty securing a developer for the project’s residential levels, significant progress has been made in the past year.

The City's share toward the project is around $9.5 million while Merge Urban Development, the apartment complex's developer (which also built the Andante apartments), previously estimated it would invest about $19 million to create the complex. 

This summer, roofing and exterior paneling progress has been on full display, with neighboring businesses and area residents anxiously awaiting its completion. As of the Sept. 1 city manager email update, the 80-plus-unit apartment complex should see its lower floors ready for occupancy sooner than the top floor.

The apartment complex, dubbed the Alto Station, already has various floor plans available for viewing online. According to its website, some units will be available as early as Jan. 1, 2026, with others to become available May 1, 2026. Rent prices range from $1,250 to $2,300 depending on unit size.

The upper three levels of the six-floor building are part of the Alto Station apartment complex. Roughly 81 of the 135 parking stalls in the building will be reserved for Alto Station residents.

As required by one of the federal transportation grant provisions, Alto Station units must offer affordable housing options – affordability determined by a formula based on the county’s median income. (Specifically, those making between 80% and 120% of the county’s median income. However, the Eau Claire Economic Development Division notes the county’s median household income is roughly $60,305.)

“The Transfer Center is set to open by the end of September for bus operation,” Community Services Operations Manager Ty Fadness said. “As always, we appreciate the patience of neighbors over the course of this very long project.”

View or sign up for City Manager Stephanie Hirsch's weekly updates online. Learn more about Eau Claire Transit and view bus routes online.