Most Valuable Project-Master-Planned/Mixed-Use Finalist

Milwaukee’s own Villard Square Grandfamily Housing was featured in The Affordable Housing Finance Magazine.

The Villard Square Grandfamily building was selected as 1 of 35 finalists in nine categories for the nation’s best developments of 2010 and 2011. This year’s finalists represent 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, and they house families; seniors; farmworkers; the formerly homeless; grandparents raising their grandchildren; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths.

Many of the finalists overcame obstacles related to the nation’s financial meltdown and drop in low-income housing tax credit equity pricing in 2008 and early 2009.

The developments were chosen on our assessment of several key characteristics, including adding to the affordable housing stock, offering outstanding social services, and using cost-effective and innovative design.

VILLARD SQUARE GRANDFAMILY MILWAUKEE

Developers: Gorman & Co., Inc., and the Northwest Side CDC
Architect: Gorman & Co.
Major Funders: Boston Capital Corp.; Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority; Wisconsin Department of Commerce; Illinois Facilities Fund; City of Milwaukee; Harris Bank

The children who will be living at Villard Square Grandfamily Milwaukee should never be short of something to read. They will live over a public library.

Villard Square will have 47 affordable apartments on its top three floors, with a 14,500-square-foot branch of the Milwaukee Public Library on the ground floor.

Villard is a “grandfamily” property, which means the apartments are marketed mainly to grandparents raising their grandchildren.

The goal, when possible, is to eventually reunite each grandfamily with its absent parent.

Villard Square has a variety of apartment sizes, so that a reunited family could move into a larger apartment or split into two smaller ones.

Thirty grandfamilies and 30 other lowincome families have already applied to live at Villard Square.

A social services coordinator will help the families connect to a wide range of counseling and educational services.

The library will also provide a long list of programs to the community, from story times to language classes.

For More Information about Villard Square GrandFamily Contact:
Gracelyn @ 414-444-8204