Developer Aaron Schweiger said the two-bedroom townhomes should be ready for occupancy by mid- to late-September, with an anticipated rent of about $1,600 per month, including an attached heated garage.
He expects the final cost of the project will approach $18 million, and it has taken longer to complete than first anticipated. Schweiger noted that he and his partners acquired the property nearly six years ago.
After quite a bit of back and forth between Schweiger, the Duluth planning department and neighbors, he was able to settle upon a mutually acceptable design for the development. Demolition of the school began in November 2017.
Buildings under construction at the Morgan Park Middle School site stand at various stages of completion, some sided, others not. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)
The project was built entirely with private investment, with partners Zenith Asset Management LLC, of Duluth; Augusta Housing Management Co., of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Premier Pre/3 Management and Real Estate, of Brookfield, Wisconsin.
As no public dollars went into the project, there was no development agreement with the city of Duluth mandating any sort of timeline, said Adam Fulton, deputy director of the city’s planning and economic development division.
“They’ve continued to make obvious progress toward completion,” he said. “Every project moves at a different pace.”
Schweiger said he’s currently looking to hire a leasing agent and a manager.
While he initially hoped to complete work on Morgan Park Estates by 2019, Schweiger said that timeline got pushed back.
The development was built using a combination of union and non-union labor, and with so much construction going on in the Twin Ports right now, Schweiger said construction workers have been in high demand.
A track loader operator moves a load of dirt to a truck on the Morgan Park Middle School site on Aug. 4. Housing is being built on the site. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)
“We were lucky enough to get really good crews in to finish the project this last month or two. But it’s definitely been challenging at times,” Schweiger said. “It worked. It just took a little bit longer than we were expecting.
“And COVID has presented its own challenges. Thankfully, we haven’t had any major issues with anybody getting sick. But we’ve been working to keep everybody safe on-site and keep the project going,” he said.
To ensure continued safety as the building is leased up, Schweiger said Morgan Park Estates plans to offer 360-degree virtual tours of the units.
Schweiger suspects the townhomes will appeal to people seeking to maintain social distancing as well. He noted that the units were designed to be self-contained, without common areas such as hallways or elevators. Each townhouse will have its own dedicated entrance.