J.F. Cook School

The J.F. Cook School located on the unit block of P St NW is currently in the planning stages of redevelopment. An initial award was made to a proposal by the YouthBuild Public Charter School(YBPCS) and Latin American Youth Center(LAYC) in 2009 to operate a charter school on the first floor and housing for at-risk youth on the second and third floors. After strong community opposition to the housing portion of proposal, the housing component was withdrawn and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development(DMPED) agreed to give YBPCS time look for another partner. Another partner could not be located and it’s unclear what the current state of the school currently is.

There is a hearing schedule for this upcoming January 12th with the Dept of General Services to discuss the status of both the Langston and J.F. Cook Schools. This is a chance we never received before for the city to listen to what we want in our backyards.

Upcoming Events

• January 12, 2012 – Public hearing to discuss surplus of J.F. Cook and neighboring Langston School. Notice

History

The Cook School is located at 30 – 44 P Street NW on the unit block of P St NW. Below is a summary of events that have occurred over the past 3 years regarding the J.F. Cook School. For a more complete history of the reuse process, please see the numerous posts categorized under J.F. Cook School

• January 12, 2012 – Public hearing to discuss surplus of J.F. Cook and neighboring Langston School.
  
  
• October, 2011 – RFI process fails.
• August 12, 2011 – RFI Issued by YBPCS
• July 21, 2011 – Community Tour of the J.F. Cook School by DMPED
• July 12, 2011 – RFI from YBPCS to identify new partners for the second and third floors. RFI blog post
• June 23, 2011 – Community meeting with DRES,DMPED, and YBPCS to discuss alternatives for the second and third floors.
• May 19, 2011 – DMPED announces they will work with YBPCS and the community to identify an alternate partner for the second and third floors. LAYC’s housing will not occupy the building.
• Jan 27, 2011 – Open letter from ANC5C01(Bradley Thomas) and ANC5C02 (Sylvia Pinkney) to Ward 5 Councilman Thomas stating YBPCS/LAYC has not offered any acceptable alternatives and the Councilman should allow the disposition to expire. Letter
  
  
• Dec 10, 2010 – City Council hearing on Cook school disposition with many neighbors testifying against the proposed plan. notes
• Oct 13, 2010 – LAYC/YBPCS presentation at J.F. Cook on their reuse plans
  
  
• Oct 20, 2009 – ANC5c Unanimously votes to oppose the proposed reuse of school. Vote Report Meeting Notice
• October 6, 2009 – BACA passes a resolution opposing the proposed reuse of the J.F. Cook School. Meeting Notes
• June 1, 2009 – BACA meeting where LAYC award is first discussed. Meeting Notes
• May 22, 2009 – First announcement of YBPCS/LAYC Award. link
  
  
• Sep 9, 2008 – Unselected proposal from Kipp presented to BACA link
• Sep 22, 2008 – Unselected proposal from FLUX announced to turn Cook School into a potential arts space link
• April-June, 2008 – BACA Develops a community visioning statement describing what we would like to see in the school.
• Feb 1, 2008 – School closing announced for J.F. Cook and neighboring M.M Washington Career High School link

Resources

• 2008 Community Visioning Profile
• October 2009 Resolution YBPCS/LAYC proposed use of the Cook School
• YBPCS Request for Information 8/11

More Blog Posts

• <a href=”" rel=”bookmark”>