Bates Area Civic Association

See this note on behalf of LAYC/Youth Build regarding the community meeting they held last week:

Thanks to everyone who came out to last week’s community meeting about the redevelopment of the Cook School.  It was a great opportunity for YouthBuild and LAYC to engage with neighbors and other stakeholders about the proposed project.  The meeting also gave us an opportunity to clarify YBPCS and LAYC’s vision for the site.  A few things are worth noting here about some of the topics covered this past Wednesday for the benefit of stakeholders who were not present:

Program and Community Service.  Through YouthBuild, young people work toward their GED, learn job skills and serve their communities by building affordable housing.  Over the past five years the students have contributed to the development of 25 units of affordable housing. In addition, each year every student must complete an additional 25 hours of community service. Beginning this school year, 70 students will complete 450 hours of community service as part of the AmeriCorp program.   Through these activities, students transform their own lives and their roles in society.

LAYC’s anchor activities will remain based out of the Columbia Heights location.  The Cook School will focus on housing opportunities for 47 young, working adults.

Demographics.  The LAYC currently works with approximately 4,200 youth and family members in DC and MD.   Approximately 60% of the kids and families are Latino.  In addition, we work with many Afro-Latino and African American youth.  LAYC is known for building bridges between Latino and African American Youth and has a reputation as one of the most diverse youth development organizations in the city.  YouthBuild usually has about a 60% African American and 40% Latino student body from year to year.  Notably, YouthBuild already pulls a significant number of students from Ward 5, and anticipates that approximately 40% of the Cook School’s students will be from Ward 5.

Staffing.  YouthBuild will double its programming as a result of the Cook School redevelopment, and will double its staff to serve the new campus.  LAYC currently has over 200 employees, so will not need to double its staff to serve the 47 residents who will live at Cook.  LAYC will add enough employees, however, to staff the building 24 hours a day.  LAYC is also bringing on an experienced property manager with staff who will serve above and beyond the LAYC program staff.

Safety.  LAYC values safety in our programs, and has an excellent relationship with the MPD.  All LAYC buildings have security; additionally, all LAYC programs that operate 24 hours a day have security protocols for staff to follow.  The area around the current LAYC site used to have heavy drug dealing traffic years ago, but as we renovated our facilities and worked with the police it decreased considerably.  In some ways, LAYC began the revitalization of certain blocks as we reclaimed nuisance properties and made them into welcoming and beautiful spaces.  Police often attend LAYC events and activities as welcomed guests.  We will certainly be an active voice and partner with the police in the Cook School neighborhood.  We have practiced community policing with officers in Ward 1 for many years and have established relationships with the MPD leadership.  We have been in touch with the MPD leadership in Ward 5 and feel confident that they will become a part of the LAYC/YB community building in the future.

Cost.  The total project budget is roughly $12.5M.  The project is funded by: (1) private sector investment (approx. $5.5M), which the investors provide in exchange for Low Income Housing Tax Credits awarded from the Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD); (2) grants from the DHCD and the Office of the State Superintendant for Education (OSSE) (approx. $2M); (3) Private and public (OSSE) debt (approx. $3.8M); and (4) $1.2M in private fundraising.

Annual costs to operate the school will be provided by the Public Charter School per pupil funding and federal funding through the Department of Labor for YouthBuild programs.  Annual costs to operate the housing will largely be covered by rent paid by residents (30% of their income), subsidized by Section 8 subsidy from the DC Housing Authority.

Process. The District awarded the property to YouthBuild Public Charter School (YBPCS) in May 2009.  In March 2010, the City Council introduced a resolution to dispose of the property to YBPCS consistent with the development plan proposed.  A final hearing and vote on that resolution and disposition is pending with the City Council. While waiting for a District Council final vote, the Cook School team is also working to secure building permits and finalizing project underwriting and financing, all of which are currently in process.

Community Input.  As Lori Kaplan, Executive Director of LAYC, stated during the meeting, the lease for the Cook School has not yet been approved by the District Council.  YBPCS does have a letter of intent from the District Government.  While the District Council, technically, does not require approval from any neighborhood entity to approve the lease, it is not the desire of YBPCS, LAYC and (we’re sure, the District government) to proceed without community feedback.

YouthBuild and LAYC have been strong stakeholders in our existing neighborhoods, and plan to bring that to the Cook School neighborhood as well.  We can support and be another voice in raising community concerns about safety, development, etc. to public agencies based on our long history of working relationships with the District government and leadership.  The LAYC is well respected as a youth development organization locally, regionally and we have even received national recognition for our work.  Our redevelopment of the Cook School is based on Common Ground, a unique program that started in New York, but has become a national model.  We are excited to bring this model to the District.

We look forward to continuing to engage the community and our stakeholders about the Cook School.  We appreciate all of the people who have reached out with both support and to reiterate concerns over the past few weeks.  Please, let’s continue the dialogue.  We do not consider the community meeting to be the end of the conversation.  Remember that you can email project@jfcookschool.org with questions, concerns and comments as well.  We will continue to share widely the answers to any questions that we think would benefit the entire community.

Angie Rodgers, Consultant
Sheridan Ventures LLC
202-213-5727
arodgers@sheridanventuresllc.com