Janney Elementary School

Tenley-Friendship Library/Janney Elementary School Development

Overview:

The site, seen above, is at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Albemarle Street, and includes the 15,000-square-foot Tenley library (tan building), now demolished, and the Janney school (red building), which is currently 43,000 square feet, but is scheduled for expansion. The white building is St. Anne's.

According to the 2008 DC Schools Master Facilities Plan (draft), Janney is now at 133% capacity with close to 500 students. 90 square feet of space is available per student rather than the recommended 140 square feet per student (in an elementary school). Three trailers have been added to the Janney site to accommodate the overflow of students.

Janney Elementary school is due for and in need of modernization and expansion. While the majority of the community agrees that Janney needs to be modernized, how we obtain that goal has been a matter of debate for the community. This past summer, the Mayor announced that the City wanted to move forward with a public-private partnership (PPP) project for the Tenley-Friendship Library/Janney Elementary site and chose the developer LCOR to work on the project. Janney could also receive its modernization by waiting for its scheduled expansion through DCPS's Master Facilities Plan process.

Newest Information:

2009

The status of the proposed public-private partnership and Janney's date for expansion and renovation has taken several twists and turns recently. On Monday, March 16th at 3:45 pm, Mayor Fenty held a press conference in the Janney multipurpose room to announce his decision to move forward with the building of the Tenley library and the Janney addition/renovation process without delay. Read the press announcement here. He was joined by Allen Lew from the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (OPEFM) and a host of city officials from DC Public Libraries, Economic Development, and DCPS. Around 100 students, teachers, staff, parents, community members, and media attended the last-minute event. The mayor indicated that the reasoning behind the decision included reluctance to delay construction of the library any further, Chancellor Rhee's insistence that the school's needs be addressed quickly, as well as economics.

Prior to Mayor Fenty's announcement, Councilmember Cheh and Councilmember Brown sent a letter to Mayor Fenty on Friday, March 13, reaffirming their opposition to the LCOR proposal and their desire for construction on the library to start immediately. Their announcement came after the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development and LCOR declined to participate in public roundtable which was intended to gather information about the details of the most recent proposal in order to inform the public and the Council.

Mayor Fenty presented updates to the District Master Facilities Plan (MFP) - a multi-year capital plan for facilities additions and enhancements being drafted by the Mayor's Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization - to the City Council on March 3. In this latest version, addendum 4.1.1 Project Schedule lists Janney's addition beginning in 2009, with an asterisk stating, "Janney schedule [for modernization in 2011 and addition planning beginning in 2009] is predicated upon a successful partnership between a private development company and the District of Columbia with respect to the redevelopment of the former Tenley/Friendship library site"(page 27). The entire MFP can be found here or downloaded here. The Council will hold a public hearing on March 26 to consider the MFP and hear public comment. The SIT does not yet know how the MFP will be amended to reflect Mayor Fenty's announcement on Monday.

Deputy Mayor of Education Victor Reinoso met with members of the SIT on Tuesday, March 10 to discuss Janney's position in the queue the Master Facilities Plan that was presented to the Council. A summary of the meeting can be found here.

On January 30, the SIT met with Chancellor Rhee, members of her staff, Eric Scott (DMPED) and Matt Troy (DMPED) to discuss Janney's position in the draft Master Facilities Plan and the proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP). Chancellor Rhee stated that Janney is slated to begin expansion in 2014 if a PPP is not approved. She also confirmed that expansion would begin earlier if a PPP is approved. Her office could not provide a firm date for expansion if a PPP is approved, but confirmed that expansion under a PPP could begin as early as 2010, as the SIT has reported in prior updates. The Chancellor summarized what she sees as compelling reasons to favor a PPP but said she would make a decision only after she receives community feedback on the latest LCOR proposal. Read minutes from this meeting here.

The SIT has continued to advocate for a Janney facility that will meet the current and future needs of our community. Questions have been raised about Janney's place in line (to get modernized and have an addition built) in the draft Master Facilities Plan and if its place in line could and should be tied to a PPP. The SIT passed a resolution that highlights concerns about this process and recommends that Janney Elementary School be placed on the schedule for a new addition in 2010 and that a full modernization of the existing building occur in 2012/13 regardless of the sucess or failure of a PPP agreement. Click here to read the full resolution. To read more about the SIT's on-going discussion regarding the PPP, please refer to the SIT Meeting Mintues.

The SIT solicited responses to a poll asking Janney families to support the SIT's new position to advocate for Janney modernization and expansion under an MFP plan without a PPP (possibly as late as 2014) rather than to support a PPP plan (which could bring improvements in 2010). Approximately 30% of Janney families submitted answers to the poll. Of these 109 supported the SIT position, 19 opposed and 3 abstained.

The Deputy Mayor's Office for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) has pressed forward with negotiations regarding a mixed use project on the Janney school/Tenley library site. The latest plan for the site was released in late January. The SIT encouraged the Janney community to send SIT members questions and comments regarding the plan in anticipation of a community-wide meeting (meeting date to be determined). The SIT received many comments and questions and submitted a list of these questions to DCPS and DMPED. The list is available here.

In a letter dated January 12, 2009 to Councilmembers Cheh and Brown, Deputy Mayor Neil Albert responded to the concerns raised by the Councilmembers (see October 2008 below) regarding the proposed development plans for the Tenley library/Janney school site and updated them on the process to date. To read the letter, click here. The letter describes an updated LCOR plan that includes a 165 unit building (down from 174) and no-net-loss of green space (a 300sf gain) for the school.

The most recent information on this issue that is publicly available on the DMPED site includes a map of the site dated January 21, 2009, seen below, showing a Janney addition to the West of the current building. The DMPED website lists the following as key changes made to the plan:

1. Building has decreased from 174 units to the 165 units.
2. Setback between Janney Elementary School and residential building has increased from 80 to 90 feet.
3. The residential building has been modified so that the courtyard now faces Janney Elementary, significantly breaking up the massing that faces the school.
4. Net gain of green space of approximately 300 square feet.  

Input and involvement of the Janney community will remain essential in making sure that Janney gets its much needed modernization and expansion in a timely manner.

Please plan to attend the meetings mentioned above and take the time now to read the information provided here and on various other sites and be prepared to write, email and call in your comments. Comments should go to Mayor Fenty (Adrian.Fenty@dc.gov , or 202-727-6300), Councilmember Cheh (mcheh@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8062), and Councilmember Brown (kbrown@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8174). If you have comments or would like more information, please contact any SIT member. You can also leave a message in the SIT box in Janney’s main entryway.

History:

JULY 2007: The Janney School Improvement Team, or SIT (also known as a Local School Restructuring Team, or LSRT) indicated its support of moving forward with a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to rebuild the Tenleytown Library, modernize and increase the size of Janney School, and provide residential housing, providing the PPP provides the following for Janney Elementary School: (click here for full letter of support)

• An addition to the school that meets the latest specifications from DCPS. This would mean adding approximately 39,000 square feet to the existing structure to accommodate an expected student body of 550, as currently foreseen in the DCPS Capital Improvement Plan.

• Modernization of the existing Janney school building, bringing it up to current building codes and improving its electrical system, heating and cooling systems, bringing into compliance with the ADA, and increasing the number of student bathrooms.

• An earlier time schedule for these repairs and modernizations, with construction plans in place by 2009 and construction scheduled to be completed in 2013.

• Moving Janney’s current surface parking lot underground, allowing the school to replace the play area that it would lose to an expanded library or residential building.

OCTOBER 2007: The District Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development issued a revised Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Tenley Library/Janney Elementary School site.

FEBRUARY 2008: The SIT expressed concern about the revised RFP. Specifically, the SIT took issue with a new requirement that development plans could NOT incorporate unused space above the library. The implication being, that more land from Janney would need to be used in any mixed-used project. The SIT questioned whether the new requirements in the revised RFP could result in a mixed-use project that would provide benefits to the community, including the school, that couldn't be realized through separate renovations of the library and the school. (Click here for full letter.)

Three proposals were submitted in response to the RFP from developers: LCOR-Falcon Hill, Roadside-Smoot and the See Forever Foundation. ANC critiques of the proposals are available here.

MARCH 2008: The SIT sent comments to the Mayor's office regarding the three proposals listed above. The SIT found all three proposals "unacceptable," finding that they all "claim such large areas of the school’s scarce land that they would permanently damage the ability of school to carry out its mission."

The SIT expressed the hope that the City would reverse course and include the library in a mixed-use development. Read the full letter here.

The SIT rejects LCOR’s claim that thir plans call for no net loss of green space.  This claim is based on a factual error regarding the size of Janney’s current parking lot. The SIT has determined that the current plan will result in net loss of green space.  The SIT is investigating other aspects of the current plan.

Individuals were invited to comment on these proposals. All comments should be directed to the attention of Eric Scott, Program Manager for the Neighborhood Investment Fund of the DC Deputy Mayor's Office of Planning and Economic Development, at eric.scott@dc.gov. The City also set up a blog to host discussion of the issues.

JULY 2008: On July 10, Mayor Fenty held a press conference at which he announced that the City wanted to move forward with a public-private partnership (PPP) project for the Tenley-Friendship/Janney Elementary site. According to Mayor Fenty and the Deputy Mayor's Office of Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), the City plans to:

• move forward with a public-private partnership

• have the proposed development include the library and the air space over the library in a mixed-use development

• have Allen Lew, Director of the School Facilities Modernization Office, spearhead the design development, programming, contracting, and construction for Janney's modernization

• have the District and LCOR work closely with community stakeholders such as the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the St. Ann’s community to produce a project that creates a benefit for all involved.

• contract with LCOR to be the District's development partner for the 3.6 acre site.

• At the press conference the Mayor promised to:

  • preserve the current net amount of Janney's green space

  • ensure speedier renovation of the school

  • minimize delay to the Library's construction start date

  • ensure that a portion of the proceeds of the deal go towards supporting Janney’s modernization

  • build an architecturally pleasing, LEED certified building, and

  • provide workforce housing in the Tenley area.

  To read the Mayor's full press release, click here.

The 2008-2009 Janney SIT met and discussed the Mayor's announcement and received an update from Anthony DeGuzman, liaison to DCPS facilities from Chancellor Rhee's office. Minutes from this meeting are available here. The SIT sent a letter to the Mayor reiterating its conditional support for a PPP under the following terms:

1. An addition to the school that meets the latest specifications from DCPS.  This would mean adding approximately 39,000 square feet to the existing structure to accommodate an expected student body of 550, as currently foreseen in the DCPS Capital Improvement Plan;

2. Modernization of the existing Janney school building, bringing it up to current building codes and improving its electrical system, heating and cooling systems, bringing it into compliance with the ADA, and increasing the number of student restrooms;

3. An earlier time schedule for these repairs and modernizations, with construction plans in place by 2009 and construction scheduled to be completed in 2012;

4. Moving Janney’s current surface parking lot underground, thereby allowing the school to replace the play area that it would lose to an expanded library or residential building with an equal amount of green space (no net loss of green space);

5. Ensuring that the students remain on the Janney campus during the construction phase of the expansion and modernization (swing in space); and

6. Meaningful opportunities for Janney community involvement and input on plans and processes relating to and affecting the Janney School.

7. Our support for the project is conditioned on the above principles being formalized in writing as either a Directive from the Office of the Mayor to the responsible agencies or a Memorandum of Understanding between DCPS and the Office of Economic Development.   

Read the full Janney SIT's letter to the Mayor regarding his July 2008 announcement.

SEPTEMBER 2008: The Fall started off with a number of neighborhood meetings about the proposed development of the site viewed above. The Janney SIT Chair sent a summary of the issues to the Janney Community at the start of the school year.

Read a message to the Janney Community from the SIT from September 2, 2008.

The week of September 9, 2008, the District released a draft of its new DC Schools Master Facilities Plan that lists Janney as scheduled for modernization in 2013 (without a PPP). An updated MFP is expected in late January 2009.

September 17, 2008, The Janney SIT withdraws its conditional support of the PPP project, opting to rely on the Master Facilities Plan process Janney modernization and expansion.

"The SIT has expressed conditional support for a PPP in previous statements. These conditions have not been met, and LCOR and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development have been repeatedly unresponsive to suggestions and input from the Janney community. Given this situation, along with the knowledge that Janney is slated for modernization in 2013 and an addition in 2014, the SIT believes it is in the school's best interest to modernize and expand through the DCPS MFP process, advocate for timely construction in recognition of Janney's dire facilities issues, and keep all of its land for future school use."

To read the SIT's full statement, click here. For an up-to-date FAQ on the latest issues regarding Janney and the PPP and the future of Janney modernization, click here.

Input and involvement of the Janney community will remain essential in making sure that Janney gets its much needed modernization and expansion in a timely manner.

October 2008: Since the SIT's September update to the Janney community announcing its withdrawal of support for the concept of a public-private partnership on Janney land, the City and its chosen developer, LCOR, have continued to revise plans for the site. The SIT has met with the City and other community stakeholders over the past month and continues to stand by its position stated in a letter to Mayor Fenty on September 8: "…to withdraw the SIT's previously stated conditional support for exploring a PPP and to communicate that the Janney community is no longer willing to cede part of its campus to advance such an initiative."

On October 29, Councilmembers Mary Cheh and Kwame Brown issued a joint letter to Mayor Fenty asking the Mayor to "permit the Tenley Library to be built now and separate it from any possible mixed use, or public/private, development on that site."  The letter also stated, "As for the current LCOR proposal, we believe that it is fatally flawed; we cannot and will not support it."  To read the letter, click here.  Reports from the Washington Business Journal online state that, “D.C. Deputy Mayor Neil Albert and developer LCOR Inc. plan to proceed with a mixed-use development in Tenleytown despite opposition from Councilmembers Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, and Kwame Brown, D-at large and chair of the economic development committee.” To view this article, click here.

The Councilmembers’ letter calls for a decision from Mayor Fenty by November 7. To voice your opinion, contact Mayor Fenty (Adrian.Fenty@dc.gov , or 202-727-6300), Councilmember Cheh (mcheh@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8062), and Councilmember Brown (kbrown@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8174).  

While monitoring the outcome of the public/private partnership, the SIT continued to advocate for prompt attention by DCPS to Janney’s critical facilities needs. On October 24, the SIT and PTA submitted testimony to the City Council regarding the condition of Janney's facilities and its position in the Master Facilities Plan. In addition, on October 28, the SIT Facilities Committee met with Council Member Cheh.  During the meeting, Councilmember Cheh expressed concern regarding the condition of many of Janney’s facilities. She indicated a willingness to pursue solutions with DCPS, outside the public/private partnership framework, for the timely resolution of our school’s needs, starting with making plans for a walk-through of Janney with Alan Lew of the DCPS Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization to assess Janney’s facility. At Councilmember Cheh’s request, the SIT will also submit a list of urgent needs to her officer within the next two weeks.

On October 31, Councilmember Cheh wrote to the SIT, “I will do everything I can for Janney’s immediate needs.  Indeed I have spoken with Allen Lew who will make a site visit with me soon, and I will continue to press for as early a modernization as possible.” 

The SIT is committed to ensuring that Janney’s physical plant is updated as quickly as possible and will keep the Janney community apprised as progress is made.