More than $30 million in new investment has been committed toward revitalization efforts surrounding Martin Luther King College Prep High School in Frayser this year.

Several community organizations have collaborated for years trying to revitalize the area known as the “MLK Success Zone.” The efforts coincide with Frayser Community Schools’ mission to turn around MLK Prep, formerly known as Frayser High School before being taken over by the state’s Achievement School District in 2014.

“There was no MLK Zone before there was an MLK High School,” said Frayser Community Schools Executive Director Bobby White. “There was no MLK High School before us. We really embrace the idea that people saw us in a positive enough light to make the area in and around this school as a focal point for our city.”

Lifeline to Success, the Frayser Community Development Corp., Girls Inc. and Pursuit of God Church are among the organizations that have leveraged their work to see more investment in the MLK Success Zone. The area is defined as a two-mile radius surrounding the school located at 1530 Dellwood Ave.

The Works Inc., Porter-Leath and Girls Inc. have all recently announced they’re investing in new developments or expanding operations in Frayser. Those investments total about $32 million.

Ricky Floyd, pastor at Pursuit of God Church, has spent years praying for the neighborhood to turn around its fortunes.

Floyd is hopeful that Frayser will one day “be known as the new Germantown,” and credits recent development wins to the teamwork of neighborhood organizations.

“Stay faithful to what’s working,” Floyd said. “Resist the temptation to go solo and think it’s all about you.”

Millions in new investment

Renovated apartment units, a child care center and an expanded girls’ youth farm all have been proposed in the MLK Success Zone in recent months.

The largest investment is a $17 million renovation by The Works Inc., a South Memphis community development corporation, for the proposed Renaissance at Steele Apartments. The first new apartments units are set to open in March.

Located at 3085 Steele St., officials hope The Works’ investment will begin to address the issue of blighted apartments in the area. The plan is to phase-in the 152 units with rents ranging from $450 to $690 per month.

MLK Prep was the anchor behind the project, said Roshun Austin, executive director of The Works.

“It’s a great strategy. It makes sense for stabilizing neighborhoods,” Austin said. “Because you’re touching every aspect of the family.”

Porter-Leath is also constructing a $10.5 million child care center at 3060 Baskin St. The center on 25 acres would serve up to 248 children from ages six months to 5 years.

Across the street, Girls Inc. is expanding its youth farm by 8 acres in a $4.5 million project. The expansion includes an expanded youth farm, new learning center and community garden.

The expansion will increase opportunities for area youths to gain farming experience and provide more healthy food options in an area considered a food desert.

Girls Inc. CEO Lisa Moore said the expansion will take the nonprofit’s services in Frayser to a new level.

While the recent developments have encouraged those behind the area’s revitalization, there are still several major challenges, including affordable, quality housing and the long-term viability of MLK Prep.

Turning around MLK Prep

The success of these and future investments in the MLK Success Zone will largely depend on the long-term trajectory of MLK Prep.

Charter school operator Frayser Community Schools has added to its portfolio, acquiring Humes Middle School in 2017 and Westside Middle School in 2018 to create a network of neighborhood schools.

Five years after MLK Prep first opened its doors after rebranding, results have been mixed academically. The school received a Level 4 TVAAS designation in the 2015-16 school year, but has received Level 1 designations in every other school year before or after.

TVAAS levels of 1-5 indicate academic advancement from year to year, with 5 being the top level of performance.

Executive director White acknowledges the data is not where FCS wants it to be, but cites recent developments as a sign they’re making real progress in the neighborhood.

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“One consistent thing that we’ve had is a commitment to the community,” White said. “Respect of the capital that our families bring and resolve to continue the journey of ensuring that we’re providing a holistic education and world-class customer service to the families and students that we serve, and I’m hopeful that’s what comes out.”

As it ramps up efforts to one day be removed from the state’s priority list, FCS announced several staff changes last month including a new principal. MLK Prep assistant principal Delnita Mickey replaced former principal Marcus Shead.

The school received national attention this year when MLK Prep students Kristopher Graham, Michael Todd and Antwain Garrett appeared on the Ellen show for the way they responded to a bullying situation.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris also selected the school as the site for its pilot vocational tech program after calls from residents to have more after-school programming in the area.

Pastor Floyd, like virtually all in the MLK Success Zone, agrees MLK Prep has more value than just its test scores.

“When a school has died, that is the beginning of a death of the community,” he said. “MLK has proven to us that a school’s value is much more than just education.”

Housing in MLK Zone

Several years ago, the Frayser CDC launched a homeownership campaign, pushing to convert renters into homeowners from outside the neighborhood.

The campaign was centered around residents being able to own a home for a $480 monthly mortgage payment as opposed to paying $700 per month in rent in other parts of the city.

The CDC was hopeful homeowners would take advantage of a Frayser housing market that while improving, has not totally rebounded from leading the state in number of foreclosures for nearly a decade.

Frayser CDC Executive Director Steve Lockwood said that campaign has been successful overall, but not to the levels they hoped.

According to the latest U.S. Census tract data in the MLK Success Zone, the number of rental-occupied properties (1,681) nearly double the number of owner-occupied properties (882).

Lockwood said the Frayser CDC has renovated more than a dozen houses in the MLK Success Zone over the past few years. Improving academic achievement in schools could accelerate more activity in the housing market moving forward, he said.

Lockwood, who has been with the CDC since 2002, does not believe the MLK Success Zone will make or break Frayser, but if the model is successful, it can be used to help revitalize other parts of Frayser, he said.

The MLK Success Zone has a population of about 8,000 people, according to Census Tract data. The Frayser neighborhood of Memphis is estimated to have 45,000 people.

“I think it’s going to do well,” Lockwood said. “I really think the zone is going to blossom, because … it’s not just about money, but all that it represents in terms of energy, vibrance and hope.”

Roshun Austin, president and CEO of The Works Inc., serves on the board of Memphis Fourth Estate Inc., the nonprofit that owns and oversees The Daily Memphian.