CONCORDIA 27
Envisioning a healthier, more equitable community
Development of a vacant property on 27th Street in Milwaukee’s Concordia neighborhood into a community center and affordable housing development has the power to catalyze momentous health, social and economic improvements for City of Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin residents. This project will offer resources and services to residents, create new full-time job opportunities, provide new creative spaces for community engagement, and support entrepreneurs and small businesses as they grow and generate additional jobs to strengthen the local, City, and statewide economy – expanding the impact of Concordia 27 even beyond the Near West Side.
Investing in Community-Driven Assets
This development will support the wellness of Near West Side residents and the broader City of Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin communities. Part apartment building, part hub for resources and career development, and part gathering space, Concordia 27 is the culmination of a vision that residents, stakeholders and businesses have been working toward since 2015.
In 2021, the Near West Side Appreciative Inquiry Summit supported by the Harley-Davidson Foundation ignited a renewed excitement for the vision and work of the community, and that energy has informed the Concordia 27 project, making the visions and priorities of the community a reality.
Addressing Inequity
In partnership with the State of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee, Near West Side Partners seeks to address six inequities:
Making Support and Services Available
Concordia 27 will bring service providers and resources together under one roof to provide access to nutritious food, mental health care services, job training, entrepreneurial space, housing and transportation.
Specifically, Concordia 27 will provide:
Celebrating State Support for Concordia 27
Whether it’s financial security, affordable childcare, healthcare, and housing, or access to reliable transportation, so many factors play a critical role in the success of our kids, our families, and our state, and that’s why a space like Concordia 27 is such an important asset. I am proud to announce we are partnering with Near West Side Partners and investing $5 million dollars to support this important project and see it over the finish line. By serving as a centralized hub of collaboration, innovation, and service, Concordia 27 is both uplifting the local business community and increasing the level of services available to individuals throughout the Near West Side and beyond. This is exactly what we mean when we talk about connecting the dots, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact Concordia 27 will have for the nearly 40,000 residents that call the Near West Side their home.
As a business owner and resident of the Near West Side, I have seen first hand the need for increased quality, safe and affordable housing in our neighborhood. I have also seen my clients and neighbors who need additional support with employment, and access to fresh food – and I welcome this new community center right in our area where they can get additional resources and assistance they need. This new development will bring more positive changes to 27th Street and the Near West Side neighborhood.
The Milwaukee Center for Independence is proud to be part of the Concordia 27 team, along with several other community-based organizations, to bring this catalytic development to fruition. The Concordia 27 project is essential for MCFI to advance our vision of increasing fresh food access to youth, job training, and wellness education that lead to healthy and hopeful communities.
SWIM is exceptionally grateful and excited to be part of a collective effort to bring needed resources and a space that will serve Milwaukee’s neighborhoods and the community organizations that serve them. This effort over time will help improve access to resources and information that will ultimately improve residents’ mental health and resilience and the quality of life for all in the Milwaukee region.
SDC understands the impact of poverty and trauma in our community and supporting Concordia 27 aligns with our goal of providing resources to Milwaukee County residents, empowering them to overcome the challenges they face while laying a strong and healthier foundation for future generations.
Wisconsin Community Services is excited to actively support and participate in this collaborative effort to bring vital resources and a valuable communal asset to the people and organizations, like us, who call the Near West Side home.
The Concordia 27 redevelopment as proposed will not only be a hub for community groups to improve the Near West Side, but a facilitator for the development we need to see supporting residents, businesses and community stakeholders throughout the district. I am thrilled to have this moving forward, ecstatic that our firm is leading the redesign, and happy for the neighbors and businesses that will be supported by this catalytic project.
Fruition MKE is excited to partner with the Concordia 27 project to provide co-working, event and retail space in the Near West Side neighborhood. Creatives, artists, professionals and more will be welcomed into our space which intends to foster creativity, connection, collaboration and community. Concordia 27 will truly provide a live, work, play experience with an added healing services benefit that will be transformative for the neighborhood and community at-large.
The buildings that will be the home of Concordia 27 were purchased nearly seven years ago with the vision to replace negative influences with positive development. In addition to providing necessary community services, Concordia 27 will restore historic buildings and initiate the reactivation of a significant commercial corridor in a neighborhood that is well-positioned for revitalization. I applaud the many stakeholders, including the State of Wisconsin, who have joined forces to create something extraordinary – a catalytic force to promote positive change in the Near West Side of Milwaukee.
As we experience an era marked by a public health crisis and subsequent instability, Concordia 27 comes at a pivotal point. By improving access to health and wellness resources – including fresh food and mental health support – as well as housing and other necessary, stabilizing services, Concordia 27 will have an impact on the community for years to come.
It is our goal to bring Inclusive Stakeholder Management to life in our Near West Side neighborhood – our home for more than a century. The Harley-Davidson Foundation has renewed its commitment to the Near West Side and brought together diverse stakeholders, including residents, through our Appreciative Inquiry Summit to ignite change and accelerate projects like Concordia 27 that will benefit our community. We have much to be proud of and know there is still much to do.
As a founding anchor of Near West Side Partners and co-founder of Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee, I am incredibly proud of our leaders, colleagues, and neighbors for their enthusiastic response to Concordia 27 and all that it represents for our community. By expanding access to trauma-informed services through SWIM, along with other essential services and accessible housing offered within the Near West Side, we are creating a more inclusive environment that fosters opportunity, collaboration, and prosperity.
At Molson Coors we believe in supporting our hometown communities, and our longstanding partnership with the Near West Side Partners here in Milwaukee is a great example of the impact we can have. Together, we’ve worked to transform our neighborhood, and Concordia 27 is a great example of an important step in our journey.
Potawatomi have called Milwaukee home for generations so it is with tremendous gratitude the Potawatomi thank the Governor for this investment today and his dedication to Milwaukee.
The Concordia 27 project is a significant milestone in the transformational development of the Near West Side Community. Just as development of our Wgema Campus set out to secure a thriving future for the neighborhood, this continued investment in the Concordia neighborhood, and in the broader Near West Side, will help create a stronger, brighter future for our city.
Partnering to Succeed
Partnership and equity are top priorities for NWSP and enable improvements in the Near West Side. We are grateful to the project implementation team overseeing all aspects of the Concordia 27 project, and to the State of Wisconsin for its generous support of the project.
