Superior Looking to Convert Old School into Affordable Housing

Lake Superior Elementary School could soon become affordable housing following its permanent closure at the end of the last school year.

The school was closed in June amid budget constraints as the district struggles with decreased enrollment and increased inflation. A few months later, Lake Superior Apartments purchased the property from the school district and announced their intention to work with the city to convert the site into an affordable housing complex.

According to a Fox 21 report, the affordable apartment complex would feature 50 units. The Redevelopment Authority has committed $300,000 in grant funding for the project and the city’s affordable housing fund has committed another $500,000 in development loans.

Officials say the site is ideal for affordable housing because much of the infrastructure required is already built. As construction costs continue to rise, building affordable housing from the ground up has become increasingly difficult without grant funding.

The Superior housing projects mirrors another project across the state line in Duluth. In June, the Duluth City Council approved tax-increment financing for a project to convert the old Central High School location into new housing. The scale of that project is significantly larger, with officials expecting as many as 1,300 multi-family market rate condo and apartment units. The price tag of $500 million is also significantly larger than the Lake Superior Elementary School project.

As home prices continue to rise across the state and districts continue to close schools due to budget deficits, converting those properties into affordable housing complexes could become a more frequent occurrence.