SENSE Charter School celebrated its recent expansion to accommodate 125 additional K-8 students on July 19 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Renovations began in February 2017 with guidance from IFF Real Estate Services and Adaptive Reuse Consulting. The build-out included six more classrooms, a new welcome area, and improvements to the building’s exterior.
“We’re excited to see the impact of this expansion in providing more Fountain Square residents the opportunity to attend a high-quality school in their neighborhood,” said Nate Lichti, IFF’s Director of Real Estate Services in Indianapolis.
This project is part of IFF’s Indianapolis Quality Schools Initiative, which brings together IFF’s lending, real estate services, and research teams to work collaboratively with education stakeholders to create high-quality facilities for children to learn and grow. The SENSE school is located in an area in high need of quality schools, according to IFF research.
“SENSE was founded for the neighborhood, and aims to foster civic excellence in their students,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said at the event. “We celebrate the expansion of SENSE Charter School and their continued investment in the near-southeast side of Indianapolis.”
IFF began working with SENSE in 2014 to assess its long-term growth potential. An initial IFF feasibility study on taking over the 30,000-square-foot former industrial space eventually lead the school to first lease and then purchase the building, making renovations incrementally as the student population grew.