Plan would include IB middle school and affordable housing
The Milwaukee Public Schools and 2760 Holdings, LLC will develop a robust public/private partnership that will bring new opportunities for educational excellence and residential housing options to the Harambee neighborhood of Milwaukee.
Under this partnership, the former Malcolm X building will be built out in two phases. The first phase will create affordable housing for area residents and a school. The school will be an International Baccalaureate middle school for 600 students, providing a high-quality middle school option for the area. IB, a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, is offered at five MPS schools and is one of the most popular programs in MPS.
The site will also serve as a community asset with access to the gymnasium and auditorium for community members and groups. A collaborative community planning session conducted last summer by the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Economic Development Corp., reaffirmed an earlier call by the MPS Board of School Directors for the site to have community usage.
With a purchase price and renovations totaling $4.2 million, 2760 Holdings, LLC plans to complete the educational component of Phase One by Fall 2014. MPS will lease the educational portion of the building from the developer for $4.2 million with the option to buy the educational portion of the building for $1. This allows MPS to have educational space that will be ready to be occupied by a high-quality educational program and the community will have access to recreational space and needed, affordable housing.
“This partnership gives the community a chance to reap the benefits of the experience of the major partners in 2760 Holdings, LLC, James Phelps of JCP Construction and Dennis Klein of KBS Construction,” said MPS Superintendent Gregory E. Thornton. “Together these two organizations have been major players in the construction of key Milwaukee projects including Kenilworth Square Apartments, Cambridge Commons and Riverview Terrace at UW Milwaukee, the Journey House addition to Longfellow Elementary, Marquette University’s Law School and School of Engineering and renovations of Mitchell Hall at UW Milwaukee, the MPS Juneau Complex and the Medical College.”
