Housing Plans Discussed For Old School Buildings

Rock Ridge & Morgan Park Schools Development Plans

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The developer who bought the old Rock Ridge and Morgan Park schools has plans to fill the two properties with housing options.

The Rock Ridge School will become 30 loft–style units, and townhouses will be built on the rest of the property.

Groundbreaking is set to begin in July, with the projected cost at about $19 million.

Developers hope these additions will help fill the housing shortage in the city.

“Duluth’s a vibrant community and it’s a growing community, but part of Duluth’s future growth is having stable workforce housing,” said Aaron Schweiger with Schweiger Development. “Duluth can’t continue its growth trends, and can’t continue to attract talent and people to stay in Duluth, if there isn’t housing.”

For the Duluth School District, the sale of these two properties means The Red Plan has officially come to an end.

District officials say they have been trying to determine the best future for these two buildings since 2006, and are thankful to hand over the land to the developers.

“There’s costs to hold them, continue to heat, provide security, take care of them, maintain them,” said Property and Risk Manager of Duluth Public Schools, Kerry Leider. “The opportunity to find a developer that can put them to a good use is great for the school district.”

The Morgan Park development is a 3–year plan, estimated to cost $60 million, and will result in 400 units and retail shops.