Tom Perez tours the apartments in the Harambee Neighborhood (Photo/Delivering For America)
By Karen Stokes
On Monday, August 5th, Forward Together Wisconsin, joined White House Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez and Mayor Cavalier Johnson, for a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Apartment Reconstruction Project. The project, funded by the Biden-Harris Administration, was highlighted during a press conference and site visit.
Located in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood, which hosts the nation’s longest-running and largest Juneteenth celebration, the MLK Library Apartments and an upgraded library are set to open in 2025.
The MLK apartments are a mixed-use development that will bring 93 affordable housing units and a state-of-the-art public library branch to MLK Drive! Affordable units will consist of 30%, 40%, 50% and 80% income limits.
New MLK, Jr Library Apartment Unit under construction (Photo/Delivering For America)
“Ninety-three units of affordable housing above the library itself,” said former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes. “This project is made possible by six million dollars in state and local American Rescue Plan Act dollars out of a total cost of $38.8 million.”
“The apartments will include 15-three bedroom units, 40-two bedroom units, and 38 single-bedroom units. This development will include bicycle parking, free internet, a community room, laundry room, exercise room, and a computer center,” said Johnson.
General Capital Group LLP & EMEM Group broke ground in the Spring of 2023 on the redevelopment of the current Milwaukee Public Library’s King Drive branch.
Tom Perez speaking at a press conference after a tour of the new MLK, Jr Library Apartments (Photo/Karen Stokes)
Bedrock Construction Company is the general contractor on the project and Joseph Lee and Associates is the lead architectural firm.
“For the Milwaukee Public Library at the completion of this project early next year, this neighborhood will have an 18,000 square foot branch which will serve over 100,000 visitors each year,” Johnson said.
“Libraries are such remarkable hubs of opportunity for people, their workforce hubs, as well,” said Perez. “I guarantee you, when you go and open this library, you’re going to have a lot of young people spending time there. You’re going to have a lot of folks looking for jobs there. You’re going to have a lot of folks interviewing for jobs there. You’re going to have a lot of folks getting jobs right out of this library.”
The affordable housing development has 40 two-bedroom apartments, 38 one-bedroom units, plus seven three-bedroom apartments (Photo/Karen Stokes)
The King branch library has been operating out of temporary quarters at 2767 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. since May 2023.