The former Career Youth Development building, and its adjacent park in Milwaukee’s Harambee/Bronzeville area, would be redeveloped into apartments and a cultural hub under a new plan.
Victory Lofts would be a 48-unit workforce apartment complex featuring a commercial kitchen, performance space, and public plaza.
The proposed three-story development is led by graduates of LISC Milwaukee’s Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) program. It’s to honor Career Youth Development founder Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson’s legacy.
The project is being developed by Donna Page, of Chic Lifestyles; Jarius Shaw, of the Shaw Companies, and Babonnie Tatum, of Rise ‘N Grind Cafe, all 2025 ACRE graduates. Anthony Kazee, of KD Development Group and a 2019 ACRE graduate, is co-developer.
Together they form Victory Lofts LLC. The group’s $15.6 million development was part of their ACRE capstone project.
The ACRE program trains individuals, especially people of color, in commercial real estate development.
“We’ve been working on this since the fall of 2024, and it’s been a labor of love,” said Shaw. “We really want to do the best we can by the community … in order to keep this space alive.”
All the developers have a connection to the Bronzeville, Page said.
“To work on something academically and see it actually be something that can impact our city is very special for each of us,” she said.
The city’s Bronzeville Advisory Committee is recommending Victory Lofts to the Common Council and Mayor Cavalier Johnson for their approval.
The committee at its June 1 meeting selected it among competing development plans for the former CYD building, 2601-2609 N. King Drive, and Victory Over Violence Park, 2615 N. King Drive – both owned by the city.
The committee selected the proposal based on criteria including community engagement, partnerships, design reflecting Bronzeville’s cultural and arts identity, and minority- and women-owned small business participation.
Committee Chair LaShawndra Vernon said the redevelopment would help expand the Bronzeville Cultural and Entertainment District.
Here’s what to know:
Victory Lofts is a mixed-use development
Victory Lofts would include apartments designed for working professionals, small families, and intergenerational living. Its cultural space would host community events, live performances, and a commercial kitchen for culinary entrepreneurs.
Green space features a plaza
The development would have a plaza that includes a bio-retention garden designed for community gathering and environmental sustainability.
Project aims to be a construction training pipeline
The development would serve as a construction training pipeline for Milwaukee residents. It would offer pre-construction training, hands-on construction experience, and union apprenticeships.
Funding to be a mix of public, private sources
Funding for the $15.6 million project would be a mix of public, private, and philanthropic sources. The developers will apply this fall for federal affordable housing tax credits – a competitive annual process.
Development design to honor Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson
Career Youth Development was started in 1970 by Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson and her mother Claretta Simpson as an after-school program that eventually expanded into a social service agency. Simpson-Robinson became an advocate for violence prevention after the 1984 murder of her daughter, Cheryl, 25, and namesake granddaughter, Jeannetta, 9.
To honor Simpson-Robinson’s work and her vision for Victory Over Violence Park, the iconic “V” within the park space is incorporated into the new green space design. Shaw said Simpson-Robinson came up with the idea for the park after concrete slabs were found on the property – remnants of buildings destroyed during a 1967 riot.
The runner-up proposals included…
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cultural hub, apartments planned for Bronzeville site on King Drive
Reporting by La Risa R. Lynch, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
