Rivian cleared a key zoning hurdle July 23 when the City Plan Commission of Appleton, WI, unanimously backed a special use permit for a 33,000-square-foot EV service and demonstration center at 3275 E. Winslow Ave. Construction is slated to start in early September, with doors opening by summer 2026, pending Common Council approval Aug. 6.
Developer Briohn Land Development, working as Northland Partners LLC, will buy the 11-acre parcel and lease half of a new 77,000-sq-ft building to Rivian; disaster-recovery firm Paul Davis Restoration will occupy the remainder. Rivian intends to store, prep and repair pre-ordered vehicles, run weekday demo drives from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturdays) and keep technicians on site until 2 a.m. The operation will employ 35 people.
Briohn partner Joe Jursenas told The Post-Crescent the shell build should finish by spring 2026, allowing Rivian to install proprietary lifts rated for the 7,148-lb R1S and high-voltage battery handling gear. While Jursenas withheld project cost estimates, comparable Rivian centers average $12 million in build-out based on recent permits in Canton, MA, and Hayward, CA.
City planners said the special use permit hinges on Rivian securing a Wisconsin DMV dealer license, a standard requirement for sites storing multiple titled vehicles. Staff found the proposal aligns with Appleton’s comprehensive plan to redevelop the Northland corridor into commercial use. Assuming the council’s Aug. 6 vote mirrors the commission’s 7-0 endorsement, grading could begin within 30 days.
Why Appleton Matters for Midwest EV Owners—and Body Shops
The only other Rivian facility in Wisconsin sits 100 miles south in Menomonee Falls, meaning Fox Valley owners currently rely on mobile service vans or a two-hour drive for warranty work. Appleton’s location at State 441 and Northland Avenue puts the center within a 90-minute haul of Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee, tightening service radii and potentially boosting parts throughput for collision-repair shops that partner with Rivian-certified centers.
Rivian’s Expanding Service Footprint
The Appleton project is part of a push to scale Rivian’s direct-to-consumer network. The EV maker operated 59 service centers across North America at the end of Q1 2024 and more than 530 mobile vans, according to its latest shareholder letter. Independent tracker RivianTrackr lists at least 12 additional U.S. service sites slated to open in 2025, stretching from Bothell, WA, to Roswell, GA.
Collision Repair Impact
For collision shops, Rivian’s bricks-and-mortar expansion has two immediate implications:
• Battery-integrated architecture. Rivian’s “skateboard” packs are structural, requiring OEM-approved isolation and re-energizing steps before body work—procedures that can add up to 3 labor hours per repair.
• Material restrictions. Rivian forbids any straightening of aluminum extrusions or ultra-high-strength-steel structural members; damaged sections must be replaced outright.
Shops lacking factory training will likely refer complex EV hits to Rivian’s in-house team, but proximity to an OEM center also offers opportunities: sublet calibration, parts supply and warranty reimbursement partnerships that can smooth insurer negotiations.
