A long-underutilized lot in Milwaukee's Harambee neighborhood could be the site of a new mixed-use development including housing units, a grocery store and butcher shop.
A development team comprised of the
Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp.,
One5Olive and
KG Development are proposing a four-story building at 3116 N. Martin Luther King Dr. The city has been seeking a development for the site for going on 20 years, officials said.
"I grew up less than a block away from this location, and this location still has the building of the daycare I used to attend," said Ald. Milele Coggs. "...For years, I've wondered what was possible to put there."
The plan calls for 67 housing units, mostly one bedroom units with a den and some two- and three-bedroom units. About 80% of the units would be affordable with rents below market rate, and 20% would have rents at market rate.
The developers intend to apply for apply for low-income housing tax credits that the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority will award in 2024. The tax credits would mean there would be income caps ranging from 30% to 60% of the area’s median income for residents renting the apartments.
On Tuesday, Milwaukee's Zoning, Neighborhoods, and Development Committee approved property rights for the development team to apply for those credits.
The building's first floor would include space for Sherman Park Grocery's second location, a butcher shop that will offer culinary training and 1,700 square feet of retail space. Sherman Park Grocery currently has a location on Fond du Lac Avenue that opened last year.
The city has had a few different proposals for this site over the years, officials said. This development team, all graduates of Associates in Commercial Real Estate (
ACRE) program, won the most recent bid and has received support from the Bronzeville Advisory Committee.
KG Development and the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp. are also partnering on a
housing project about three blocks north, at 3317-3349 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Dr., that is set to break ground yet this year.
[caption id="attachment_581031" align="alignnone" width="588"]
3116 N. Martin Luther King Dr. Rendering from Abacus Architects, Inc.[/caption]
