JF Cook School news: YouthBuild seeks new partner now that LAYC got booted

Bates area resident Caryn posted an entry at the Bates Area Civic Association (BACA) blog regarding the development of the JF Cook School on the unit block of P Street NW.

You can read her BACA post here: http://batesareacivicassociation.org/2011/08/14/jf-cook-school-building-update/

Caryn: ``If I`m reading this right, it looks like Youth Build is starting over in its plan to develop the Cook School WITHOUT LAYC and the housing component of the project.``

That`s correct. Youth Build is going forward with its plans to use the 1st floor of the JF Cook School for its public charter school. However, the plans to use the 2nd & 3rd floors of the school for Section 8 housing for the Latin American Youth Council (LAYC) ~ which many in the surrounding community opposed, while others supported ~- are now dead.

So no LAYC Section 8 housing at the JF Cook School.

Youth Build Public Charter School has issued a Request for Information for a development partner and tenant. YouthBuild's Request for Information, sent around by ANC 5C01 Commissioner Bradley Thomas, has been posted at the BACA blog: http://dcbaca.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/cook-school-partner-request-for-information-8-12-11.pdf.

You can click on the link above to read the RFI document if you like.

Washington City Paper Housing Complex columnist Lydia DePillis has a post already this morning on this news:

With Latin American Youth Center Booted from J.F. Cook School, Youthbuild Seeks New Partner
Posted by Lydia DePillis on Aug. 15, 2011 at 8:01 am
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/08/15/with-latin-american-youth-center-booted-from-j-f-cook-school-youthbuild-seeks-new-partner/

Let's see where this goes from here.

a neighbor responds: "I am saddened by our community's rejection of the LAYC/YB proposal"

See this message from a resident of S Street NW:

Dear Neighbors,

I am deeply saddened by our community`s rejection of the LAYC/YouthBuild proposal for Cook School and can no longer remain quiet.

I moved to this neighborhood 5 years ago because of the diversity and the location. I stayed and love living here because of our warm and welcoming neighbors. I feel at home here in a way I never experienced before. I am part of this community and honored to be so.

I fear that the very core of what I love about this neighborhood is in jeopardy. I love that this is a neighborhood where people can feel welcomed and at home regardless of race or class. That people are able to be themselves here and enjoy living beside people that are different from them. That we all are neighbors and that we treat each other with respect.

For me this welcome extends to our neighbors that are only here during the day. The people who come here to eat meals at S.O.M.E. and have no other place to call home are also my neighbors. These folks need a welcoming place to call home even more than I did. I feel that the homeless are often targets of attack especially when talking about crime reduction and ``cleaning-up`` the neighborhood. These conversations are important, but I hope they can happen in a context of respect. We cannot improve this neighborhood on the backs of the most vulnerable. It`s not just their dignity that is at stake, it`s our identity as a welcoming, diverse community.

Similarly, I feel that our response to LAYC/YouthBuild proposal for Cook School was narrow minded and exclusive. We had the opportunity to welcome families and youth who need a home and we turned our backs on them. I love this neighborhood because of how welcoming we are, but these recent events make me wonder who we welcome. Do I only think we`re a welcoming neighborhood because I am privileged?

I hope to work with you all in fostering the diversity and generosity that makes our neighborhood so great.

? LAYC/YB proposal for the JF Cook School now kaputt ... ?

I attended tonight's Eckington Civic Association meeting at the Harry Thomas Recreation Center.

ANC 5C02 Commissioner Sylvia Pinkney reported that the legislation to allow the Latin American Youth Council/Youth Build Public Charter School for the vacant J.F. Cook School on the unit block of P Street NW expired today.

She said that the proposal is now dead.

Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr., who also attended the Eckington Civic Association meeting, indicated that the major obstacle from the community to the proposal was the Section 8 housing component -- and that the LAYC/YB was not able to negotiate away the housing component of the project, since that's where the bulk of the project funding was coming from.

It would be helpful to obtain confirmation and clarification, since I probably just botched the fact set here.

I would imagine that someone from the LAYC/YB team will provide a statement of some sort.

Tuesday morning update: No update posted at the Bates Area Civic Association blog.

chirp, chirp ?

question as a Bloomingdale resident in support of the wishes of the residents of Shaw/Bates/Truxton Circle neighborhood (and community as a whole)

See this comment from a Bloomingdale resident:

Would the answer to the problem in a community of too many liquor stores be to take an abandoned building in the area, build a shiny new liquor store, provide on-site security and dedicate a ``space`` for an arts use somewhere in the liquor store?

It`s a rhetorical question and ridiculous on its face as a solution. But that`s precisely what I believe in spirit LAYC is proposing, including the so-called compromises they have offered. They don`t seem to get the point. The community is opposed to the social service component of the project – read: Section 8 housing for troubled youth or whomever – not the charter school.

In fact, the neighborhood went on record in support of another charter school proposal (KIPP, I believe) which included arts uses as a significant part of its design and redevelopment not some corner room use and, most importantly, did not have a social service component to its proposal. Just making use of an abandoned building – which continues to be the recurring theme in LAYC`s argument – in and of itself, is not something the community ought to accept as a good thing.

If you still don`t get it, just ask the resident homeowners who now live (or used to live) on O Street NW what a great use S.O.M.E. has made of those once-abandoned/vacant buildings, and then ask any resident within a 10 block radius what they see every day as an outcome .

"CM Thomas, please allow the DC Council resolution that authorizes the city to lease the JF Cook School to YouthBuild/LAYC to expire"

See this letter to Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. from ANC 5C01 Commissioner Bradley Thomas and ANC 5C02 Commissioner Sylvia Pinkney:



Councilmember, Harry Thomas, Jr.
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 107
Washington, DC 20013

Dear Councilman Thomas,

In accordance with the December 10, 2010, roundtable hearing outcome, Commissioner Bradley Thomas and I, on December 22, 2011, assembled the Truxton Circle witnesses to discuss the community`s stance regarding the use of the John F. Cook Elementary School. We exchanged possible alternatives to the ``no residential component`` stipulated by the community, developed and voted on three proposals.

First,the community would retain the J.F. Cook Elementary School. The community would work with identified developers to refurbish the school as a collaborative arts center partnering the visual and performing arts, community arts programming, artist studio space,and a design workshop under one roof. This would create a synergetic hub for the arts that meets the needs of area artists, designers, performers, and residents by creating a multi-purpose flexible venue which is used to provide a unique, exciting and culturally rich haven for the area residents and their families. An arts center would serve as a catalyst pivotal to the economic development and growth on North Capital Street, between New York Avenue and Florida Avenue, NW.

Second, the Youth Build Public Charter School (YBPCS) would be given a lease to occupy the first floor and the community would determine use of the second and third floors of the Cook School building.

Third, YBPCS would operate its school on the first floor, while the residential component, operated by the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) would be limited to twenty-five percent of the current proposal, or 5 residential units on the second floor, while the community would work with LAYC to determine the types of programs to be housed in the remainder of the space.

January, 13, 2011, Commissioner Bradley Thomas and I convened an informal follow-up meeting with LAYC representatives to explore feasible shared common ground regarding the John F. Cook Elementary School development project. The LAYC proposed affordable housing for 35 instead of 47 young adults. The young adults would be housed in eighteen units and LAYC staff in the remaining two. They also offered to reduce the number of adult residents by increasing the number of young families and to enter into a mutual agreement with the community stipulating the number of persons housed in the facility but made it very clear that any significant reduction of the number of housing units below the 18 designated for their constituent population would be fatal to their planned funding structure. They did offer various amenities for the community in exchange for our support of the project as is.

The LAYC/YBPCS representatives requested that we discuss their offer with our community group and provide feed-back. Wednesday, January 19, 2011, a meeting was called and a decision made to not accept the offer. The unanimous decision was based on the fact that because of its financial constraints and the inflexibility of the link between the size of the housing component of the Cook School project and its funding structure, the LAYC offer has effectively not changed.

Consequently, the community and LAYC have reached an impasse. Whereas the community has consistently been receptive to the Youth Build Public Charter School, we remain unified in our opposition to the residential portion of the project.

Respectfully, the Truxton Circle civic leaders and community requests that you stand with the majority of the residents in the Cook School neighborhood, the Hanover Area Civic Association, the Bates Area Civic Association and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C and vote and advocate in favor of allowing the council resolution that authorizes the city to lease the John F. Cook Elementary School to the YBPCS and the LAYC to expire.

Sincerely,
_____________________

Sylvia M. Pinkney
Commissioner ANC 5C02
____________________

Bradley Thomas
Commissioner ANC 5C01

YouthBuild/LAYC: Call for a voluntary agreement for the Cook School redevelopment

See this second 01/28/2011 message from Bloomingdale resident Angie Rodgers:

Call for A Voluntary Agreement for the Cook School Redevelopment

Since the December 10th DC Council public roundtable about the proposed redevelopment of the Cook School, YouthBuild and LAYC have been meeting with civic leaders to determine how we find common ground that would allow the program to move forward. We have put a number of ideas on the table, and we continue to brainstorm.

We understand and respect that some of these ideas may appear to be just chatter to those who want to see the development happen without the housing, and are unmoved by any proposal that doesn`t completely remove the housing. There are several realities, though:

(1) redeveloping and operating a building of that size takes money, and the school portion of the project (YouthBuild) can`t do it on their own;

(2) even if YouthBuild could redevelop and operate the building on their own, the unique combination of education, job training and housing under one roof is a proven model that these two organizations want to replicate in the District. Where this model has been implemented, 77 percent of the participants break the cycle of welfare dependence for the first time in their family`s histories. So these two organizations haven`t partnered because of money; they`ve partnered for the opportunity to make an impact;

(3) YouthBuild and LAYC walking away and losing the roughly $1 million spent to develop the plans for Cook over the past year and a half is not like BP Oil losing a million in corporate profits. These are two nonprofits who have struggled through the recession just like other nonprofits, and have competed fiercely for public and foundation dollars and fundraised privately to make the Cook School happen. We have heard of references about moving the building to another community – Eckington, for example - and we are thankful to that welcome. Unfortunately, it would take another million to move to that site in Eckington. Once again, there are no corporate profits for the two groups to dig into to make this happen; it would take more public and foundation dollars, taking needed resources away from other worthy causes.

Given these realities, we think it would be a real loss if, as a whole, we couldn`t reach some agreement. We have put a number of compromises on the table, and we continue to brainstorm. We would like to turn those ideas and others into a voluntary agreement between us and the neighborhood. During a meeting earlier this month with ANC 5C Commissioners Pinkney and Bradley, we offered the following:

• Reducing the number of youth in the housing by increasing the number of families

• Advisory Board with community participation

• LAYC AmeriCorps members & YBPCS students engagement in volunteer community improvement projects

• Participation in affordable housing renovation in collaboration with housing developers (In Columbia Heights, LAYC bought houses along 15th Street and helped clean up that block)

• Community Meeting Space

• Community Arts activities & programming open to the community

• Community Policing & Safety activities – ideas may include coordinating community safety walks, conducting a needs assessment via LAYC`s existing Street Outreach & Violence Prevention teams, deploying our anti-gang programs, etc.

• LAYC Digital Connector program to support technology needs in the surrounding community

After that meeting, we continued to brainstorm and came up with the idea of YouthBuild and LAYC working to bring in resources for a public safety fund which could be used to re-do the pocket park at North Capitol and Florida, invest in existing neighborhood parks, and/or invest in new or ongoing safety programs. Could we be helpful in any way in advancing the fight for speed bumps on P Street (which would help us as well if we move into Cook)? Can we help with streetscape recommendations for the businesses along North Capitol Street? These are things that we are asking, but we want to know whether others are looking at the possibilities of this partnership as well. What can we get done in the neighborhood surrounding the Cook School? We`ve said that we want to be partners, but we need your ideas as well.

As mentioned, we think that the result of these ideas should be a voluntary agreement. If we can get a good exchange of ideas going on, perhaps we can move this discussion into an upcoming civic meeting (ANC or one of the associations) or plan a separate meeting. Our sense at this point is that we need something concrete, like a voluntary agreement to hammer out, to move us forward; otherwise we will only continue to talk around each other.

Please post your ideas to the blogs/listservs; email us at project@jfcookschool.org; or stop us if you see us out canvassing the neighborhood. We will come back to this space in a few days with a listing of all the ideas, and plans to move the conversation to some forum where we can discuss.

-- Angie Rodgers

YouthBuild/LAYC canvassing the JF Cook School neighborhood this weekend

See this 01/28/2011 message from Bloomingdale resident Angie Rodgers:

YouthBuild/LAYC Canvassing the Cook Neighborhood This Weekend

YouthBuild and LAYC stakeholders will be out in the neighborhood surrounding the Cook School this weekend to continue the dialogue with neighbors about the proposed redevelopment. We continue to hear concerns about how the proposed project may jeopardize public safety in an area that already has challenging safety concerns, how the project may not add needed momentum to economic development efforts, and how the scale of 47 additional young residents may overwhelm that block.

Of course, we think the project has some merit as is to counter these concerns in that it reclaims a vacant building that takes up half of a city block and turns it into an attractive development that will bring foot traffic/eyes on the street and 24-hour security. We`ve continued to meet with civic leaders, however, to put ideas on the table to address the breadth of concerns.

For example, what if LAYC offered some of the apartment units to families instead of youth? What if a community advisory board was set up to monitor the development? What if YouthBuild/LAYC worked to set up a public safety fund that could be used for things like re-doing the pocket park at Florida and North Capitol?

We want to know what you think about these ideas and others, and we want to hear your ideas as well. We will be out this Saturday morning to afternoon going door to door, and we hope to see you in the neighborhood!

-- Angie Rodgers

BACA votes to oppose LAYC at Cook School

I attended last night's Bates Area Civic Association (BACA) meeting held at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.

I took some notes.

Here are some of my notes, which should be classified as non-comprehensive and non- exhaustive.

The focus of the BACA meeting was the use of the JF Cook School on the unit block of P Street NW by the Latin American Youth Council (LAYC).

The local Truxton Circle / Bates area community in attendance overwhelmingly expressed opposition to the LAYC moving into the Cook School. The primary item of opposition appears to be the residential component of the school, which was not disclosed when LAYC came before the community on five occasions.

President Jim Berry said that the LAYC school will push back neighborhood retail development 30 years.

He invited the Mayor, who was in attendance, to look at the bigger picture – the methadone clinics, SOME, etc. “Your team didn’t look at the big picture. LAYC will have an adverse, disruptive presence.”

ANC 5C Chair Anita Bonds asked how we can support LAYC. “We are home to the Rayful Edmonds gang. We don’t want another gang in the neighborhood.” “If this is a done deal, you will have to help us determine how best this will work. We were hoping for retail.”

Bloomingdale resident Pat Mitchell commented that there is continued suppressing of retail opportunities. “There is not enough support to mitigate the offset of the social services.”

A number of students from LAYC (and parents? faculty? staff?) attended as well.

Residents challenged the RFP process used, which the Mayor defended.

Resident MaryAnn Wilmer asked why LAC couldn’t co-locate with the Phelps Vocational School. She stated that she strongly opposes LAYC coming in.

ANC 5C Commissioner Sylvia Pickney remarked that the school offers no benefit to the community.

Some guy in the rear of the room asked the Mayor what he would do to encourage economic development in the community.

The Mayor replied that the presence of social services does not hamper economic development.

The Mayor said that he would have his staff walk through the community in the next 30 days to address the issues raised at the meeting, such as the homeless, the intoxicated and the drug dealers hanging out the parks at 1st & Florida NW and 1st & New York Avenue NW.

The Mayor briefly described the Youth Build programs in Petworth and on Park Road NW. Both sites are near successful housing & retail developments. “I see this as a jar half full, not half empty. This doesn’t have to be either or.”

A female resident unknown to me commented that it was news that the school would have housing on the site – that was announced after-the-fact. Housing increases the scope of the project. She then described how buses drop off people from all over the city early in the morning in the neighborhood for breakfast at SOME and then hang out all day, etc., etc.

A 23-year-old student at LAYC spoke passionately about the school and how it has helped turned her life around for the better.

BACA President Jim Berry remarked that he would prefer to have the school available for economic development.

After the general discussion wrapped up – when the Mayor needed to depart – a number of meeting attendees, including most of the people associated with the charter school, also departed.

A woman who identified herself as someone with the school (principal? vice principal?) began describing the schools programs and benefits, but left the room upset and crying. She was clearly not happy that the school was not being welcomed into the community.

Then there was a reading of a resolution by BACA to oppose LAYC at the Cook School. The resolution was quite long, but I jotted down “saturation of social services.” The resolution asked the District to rescind the decision. The resolution passed. Similar resolutions were passed from the Hanover Civic Association and the Dunbar-Shaw Homeowner’s Association (which I have never heard of before). Only one resident at the meeting explicitly expressed support for the project.

It was noted that there was an interest in having an ANC 5C vote to support/oppose LAYC. Ostensibly, the vote was put on hold for a future meeting. So ANC 5C has not taken an official position (yet).

And I still don't understand the relationship of LAYC and Youth Build.