Young Development Group LLC, a start-up Milwaukee firm, has been selected by the Milwaukee Public Library Board of Trustees to lead a new mixed-use development project to replace the current Martin Luther King Library branch.
The project includes 44 market-rate apartments, 1,400 square feet of retail space and a 17,000-square-foot library at the current site of the library located at 310 W. Locust St. in Milwaukee. Parking for 51 visitors and 45 residents is included in the proposal.
Young Development was chosen Tuesday night after responding to a request for proposal issued by the library in October.
“In 2018, we will open the doors to a brand new, modern Martin Luther King branch library,” library director Paula Kiely said in a statement. “As with Villard Square and our East Branch libraries which have already opened, and our Mitchell Street branch opening in 2017, MLK users can expect to have a 21st century environment, rich with technology and flexible spaces for interaction and community connection.”
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett included the redevelopment of four library branches in his 2014 budget. The Forest Home Library will be replaced by a new Mitchell Street branch in 2017.
“Milwaukee’s libraries are a vital part of our community,” Barrett said in a statement. “I believe that an investment in libraries is an investment in economic stability in our neighborhoods – improving access, economic opportunity, education and quality of life in our neighborhoods.”
