The developer of a planned
$80 million accessible athletic facility has purchased land on the border of Glendale and Milwaukee for the project.
The Opportunity Center LLC bought the 17-acre site at 4300 N. Green Bay Ave. in Glendale for just under $1.9 million, according to state records.
Franklin Cumberbatch, vice president for engagement of Milwaukee-based Bader Philanthropies, and Damian Buchman, founder of
The Ability Center in Wauwatosa, announced plans for the new 300,000-square-foot multi-sport facility in August.
Envisioned as the
“first urban sports center of its kind,” The Opportunity Center would be designed to make programming accessible to those with physical and developmental disabilities, organizers say.
The center was approved for a $2.5 million loan from the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., which will fund the purchase of the land and fuel the next phase of fundraising. Project organizers are aiming to raise $9 million by the end of the year and eventually the total $80 million to complete the project by 2024.
The Wauwatosa-based Opportunity Center LLC purchased the site from Mequon-based Glendale Partners, LLC, which is led by developer Brian Monroe.
Separately, Monroe is
moving forward with a long-planned development on a nearby site located north of Capitol Drive, between Green Bay Avenue and Port Washington Road. Plans for the project include a 40,000-square-foot warehouse and office building.
The Glendale plan commission is scheduled to review plans for the Opportunity Center on Oct. 5.
