ULC Acquires Property in Original Aurora
ULC purchased a vacant bowling alley that sits on 1.7 acres in Original Aurora. Located at 2091 Dayton Street, the $675,000 acquisition is ULC’s first impact investment in Aurora. ULC will demolish the existing vacant building in order to begin construction on a brand new 22,000 square foot school that will be home to the New Legacy Charter High School (NLCHS). ULC will develop and retain permanent ownership of the site to ensure community benefit for generations and NLCHS will operate the school in this building under a long-term lease.
NLCHS will be a new public school option in Aurora, meeting the needs of pregnant and parenting teens and young adults between the ages of 14-21. The school provides rigorous and engaging academic instruction, parenting education, a focus on health and wellness, and onsite childcare. The on-site early learning center, cultivates the importance of education for both the parents and their children.
“ULC has been looking to invest in Aurora for many years, and our new partnership with NLCHS has allowed us to make this impactful first investment. We are excited to construct the new facility and observe how the unique programming will genuinely benefit the lives of families,” stated Debra Bustos, ULC’s Vice President of Real Estate.
The strategic collaboration between ULC and NLCHS not only brings new jobs and investment into Original Aurora, but positive opportunities for this unique population. Only 51% of teen parents graduate from high school nationally, and NLCHS with the help of ULC will enroll 100 students and approximately 70 children in their program for next year. The flexible curriculum and services offered in Aurora will prepare the young people for college and careers.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the ULC to construct a new facility that will allow us to effectively serve pregnant and parenting teens in northwest Aurora, a community where the teen birth rate is significantly higher than the state average,” said Jennifer Douglas, Principal of NLCHS. “We believe teen parents are resilient and motivated to create positive legacies for their children; we are grateful for the opportunity to empower these students with an educational program that will prepare them and their children for success in the future.”
Construction of the new school is scheduled to begin in early 2015, with the late-August opening planned for the 2015-2016 school year.