A plan to replace the Mill Road Library with a new branch inside a mixed-use building on Milwaukee’s northwest side took a step forward Tuesday after it was awarded federal affordable housing tax credits.
The project will receive $805,063 in low-income housing tax credits, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority announced.
The plan from Royal Capital Group and Maures Development Group calls for 65 mixed-income apartment units above a 17,500 square foot library at 7717 W. Good Hope Road. It’s expected to cost between $14 million and $15 million.
The new library will replace the Mill Road branch at 6431 N. 76th St. Construction is expected to begin in the fall with library move-in slated for late 2018.
It’s among 26 projects statewide that will receive a total of $13.6 million in low-income housing tax credits to fund affordable housing developments.
“We are thrilled and grateful for the award from WHEDA for the Good Hope project and look forward to breaking ground on another new state-of-the-art branch for our patrons,” said Paula Kiely, Milwaukee Public Library director. “We have been working to improve the library experience by removing barriers and changing the way people think about libraries and what they offer. Modernizing our spaces allows us to advance our mission to help patrons read, learn and connect.”
The plan continues a trend of library branches being replaced with mixed-use buildings, including the Villard Avenue library in 2011 and East Branch library in 2014.
Alderwoman Chantia Lewis, whose district includes the new library, said the project will add “vitality and value to the 76th and Good Hope Road area.”
The city has identified $18 million for library redevelopment projects by 2020. The Milwaukee Public Library expects to spend $4.5 million on each of the four libraries slated for redevelopment – Forest Home, Mill Road, Capitol and Martin Luther King.
“Our plan for a mixed-used development with a modern library as the centerpiece to replace the Mill Road branch demonstrates my commitment to a first-rate library system that offers educational resources, new job opportunities and innovative technology to Milwaukee residents,” Mayor Tom Barrett said.
