Sherri Terrell-Webb (left) prepares to break ground on the loft envisioned years ago. (Photo by Sue Vliet)

With the completion date set for June 2012, ground was broken for the Mitchell Street Market Lofts on Oct. 6. The complex, to be built on the corner of W. Mitchell St. and S. Muskego Ave., will feature two-bedroom apartments available to people earning up to 60 percent of the area’s median income, according to the press release.

Another key component of the 24-unit apartment building will be a year-round farmers market to be housed on the ground level of the building. The market, which will be run by Growing Power, will replace the Mitchell Street Farmer’s Market, which had been located at the current site for numerous years. Growing Power is a non-profit organization whose goal is to develop community food systems in Milwaukee.

The project began as a classroom assignment for developers Sherry Terrell-Webb and Tina Anderson in 2009, while both were students at Marquette University and participating in the Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) Program.

Marquette’s ACRE Program, formed in 2004, trains minorities for professional careers in commercial real estate

They presented their idea to the class, and now it’s on the way to becoming a reality.

“In two years, I went from real estate novice to the developer of a $6 million project,” Anderson said.

The woman collaborated with their ACRE instructor Robert “Bob” Lemke of Wisconsin Redevelopment and Todd Hutchinson from Impact Seven, to secure funding for the multi-million dollar project.

The building, designed by Barrientos Architects of Milwaukee, also will include a green living roof.

“The project will feature cutting-edge green technology and will shelter a fresh food oasis in the central city,” Anderson said.

Sherri Terrell-Webb, Tina Anderson and Robert “Bob” Lemke chat on the site where the new building will rise. (Photo by Sue Vliet)