New River Campus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Class sizes at River are generally up to 14 kids. No more than 3 children with hearing impairments are in any class. That would be a max of less than 25%, and there are many classes that have fewer than that.

The school has historically essentially been mostly a local Palisades preschool, but enrollment has been going up significantly in recent years with families from more locations, with more retention into the K-3 years. I expect a move and expansion through higher grades will make it less of a neighborhood school and therefore the Palisades proximity will matter less.

Given that many River parents seem to want their kids to go on to GDS, Maret, and Sidwell (roughly in that order), being in the vicinity of those schools makes sense.

A large population also come from outside DC like Bethesda and Arlington. It really isn't just a Palisades preschool. I believe it's 10-15% that are hearing impaired per their website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The mansion is called Underoak - the Buchanan estate of Dow chemical - and it sold for $10M.

The house is still under contract, isn't it? The River School is trying to get their proposal approved before they close. Seems like a lot of project for that piece of land according to the zoning link from a previous poster. Can someone say traffic cluster with those two private schools.

[Anonymous]

It already is a traffic cluster. The addition of River School wouldn't make it worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A neighbor who backs up to the property that River is looking into wants to stop it and has blanketed the neighborhood with the signs.

I am all for River getting a different location if it enables them to better serve their mission.

Said by someone next directly affected. I have no dog in the fight and love the school mission but also understand that schools keep popping up right in the middle of residential housing and it is not ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It already is a traffic cluster. The addition of River School wouldn't make it worse.

Of course it will make it worse.

There are plenty of better sites in the city for this sort of project and school. But River wants to be where the money is. That is their new mission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A neighbor who backs up to the property that River is looking into wants to stop it and has blanketed the neighborhood with the signs.

I am all for River getting a different location if it enables them to better serve their mission.

Said by someone next directly affected. I have no dog in the fight and love the school mission but also understand that schools keep popping up right in the middle of residential housing and it is not ideal.

This is on the edge of residential housing and more associated with the AU Law School and the Wisconsin Ave Corridor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It already is a traffic cluster. The addition of River School wouldn't make it worse.

Of course it will make it worse.

There are plenty of better sites in the city for this sort of project and school. But River wants to be where the money is. That is their new mission.

NIMBY says "better sites somewhere else"

Ok, but the better sites somewhere else aren't available.

This site is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It already is a traffic cluster. The addition of River School wouldn't make it worse.

Of course it will make it worse.

There are plenty of better sites in the city for this sort of project and school. But River wants to be where the money is. That is their new mission.

Those other sites are in other people's neighborhoods. Why are they better than in your neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Actually, I don’t live in that neighborhood. The neighborhood with the expensive houses where all the schools want to be so their customers don’t have to drive too far or into a less expensive neighborhood. With, you know, poorer folks. The FA kids can take public transportation to NWDC.

And of course there have been other comparable properties available in DC. Kingsbury, for example. Too far east, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I don’t live in that neighborhood. The neighborhood with the expensive houses where all the schools want to be so their customers don’t have to drive too far or into a less expensive neighborhood. With, you know, poorer folks. The FA kids can take public transportation to NWDC.

And of course there have been other comparable properties available in DC. Kingsbury, for example. Too far east, I guess.

I thought Kingsbury sold to LAMB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I don’t live in that neighborhood. The neighborhood with the expensive houses where all the schools want to be so their customers don’t have to drive too far or into a less expensive neighborhood. With, you know, poorer folks. The FA kids can take public transportation to NWDC.

And of course there have been other comparable properties available in DC. Kingsbury, for example. Too far east, I guess.

I thought Kingsbury sold to LAMB?

On the market around same time as the GDS campus which River tried to get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It already is a traffic cluster. The addition of River School wouldn't make it worse.

Of course it will make it worse.

There are plenty of better sites in the city for this sort of project and school. But River wants to be where the money is. That is their new mission.

NIMBY says "better sites somewhere else"

Ok, but the better sites somewhere else aren't available.

This site is.

NIMBY. Pluh-ese. This is a very wealthy private school. Get a clue. This is a residential part of the neighborhood and they are trying to change that - don't forget that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It already is a traffic cluster. The addition of River School wouldn't make it worse.

Of course it will make it worse.

There are plenty of better sites in the city for this sort of project and school. But River wants to be where the money is. That is their new mission.

NIMBY says "better sites somewhere else"

Ok, but the better sites somewhere else aren't available.

This site is.

NIMBY. Pluh-ese. This is a very wealthy private school. Get a clue. This is a residential part of the neighborhood and they are trying to change that - don't forget that.

It is Mass Ave - the "residents" are the green spaces across Mass - and across Van Ness and NPS. The next closest neighbor is AU Law School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A neighbor who backs up to the property that River is looking into wants to stop it and has blanketed the neighborhood with the signs.

I am all for River getting a different location if it enables them to better serve their mission.

Said by someone next directly affected. I have no dog in the fight and love the school mission but also understand that schools keep popping up right in the middle of residential housing and it is not ideal.

This is on the edge of residential housing and more associated with the AU Law School and the Wisconsin Ave Corridor.

Paraphrase the zoning as much as you would like with your edge of residential housing and more associated with the AU Law School and the Wisconsin Ave Corridor. It is a residential lot that the River School is trying to get special exemption for and change into commercial use. There are houses ALL around the site because it is a RESIDENTIAL AREA. Wisconsin Avenue Corridor.....that is laughable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I don’t live in that neighborhood. The neighborhood with the expensive houses where all the schools want to be so their customers don’t have to drive too far or into a less expensive neighborhood. With, you know, poorer folks. The FA kids can take public transportation to NWDC.

And of course there have been other comparable properties available in DC. Kingsbury, for example. Too far east, I guess.

Gasp! You mean go on the other side of the river. The horror! If The River School truly wants to reach out and help the community like it says, why doesn't it go into Ward 7 or Ward 8 and renovate one of the MANY abandoned middle or high schools? There are multiple preexisting schools already standing!