The future of Schlitz Park involves an awful lot of green.

New buildings and renovations to existing facilities will strive for LEED certification, and two new parks will be added to the 46-acre business park on the northern edge of Downtown, all part of a $30 million project scheduled to begin later this year.

Plans for the upgrades were announced Monday by developer Gary Grunau, who led the group which purchased the property after the Schlitz Brewery closed in 1982.

Under the new plan, the former Schlitz brew house will be demolished. It has been vacant for years and despite $4 million in improvements, according to Grunau, the building is not structurally suitable for redevelopment.

Once the building is torn down, a new park will take its place. One of two parks planned for the site, the brew house location will include relics of the old brewery, paying respect to the role Schlitz played in the community and the other reflecting the city's brewing heritage, complete with plantings of barley and hops – two of the main ingredients in beer.

Renovations to existing buildings will add new conference rooms, a fitness center, new decorations and a more environmentally-friendly design in the hopes of attracting new tenants and retaining those currently in place.

Recently, Grunau added electric car charging stations to the complex.

Currently, about 4,200 people are employed by Schlitz Park tenants. When the renovations are complete in 2013, the number is expected to rise to about 6,000.