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The Child Care Partnership Project Brandeis Redevelopment Project |
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The Brandeis Redevelopment Project "sprang out of the strengths of a neighborhood, yet was also aimed at addressing its needs." Lisa Thompson, Assistant Director, New Directions Housing Corporation Description Like many urban communities, the Parkland neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky, had experienced decline in recent decades. The closing of the neighborhood elementary school in 1991, was both a symbol of the decline and a rallying point for the community to do something about it. City officials, community organizations, local employers, and foundations came together to create a public-private partnership, and the vacant school facility and campus were redeveloped into a 50-unit apartment complex that include a state-of-the-art child care facility. It took over $5 million to complete the project, but that cost does not begin to reflect its value to the neighborhood. The partnership transformed a potential neighborhood loss into an empowering and unifying community asset. Partners Brandeis Redevelopment Project partners include:
History and Development The Brandeis School, a local landmark built in 1913, faced an uncertain future in 1991. Since it was closed because of unmanageable repair and maintenance expenses, community members feared that this historic centerpiece of the neighborhood would be burned or destroyed. The Brandeis Partnership grew out of the concern of community members, and the vision of New Directions, a nonprofit housing provider. The partners recognized that reversing neighborhood decline required affordable housing, accessible jobs, and child care. The vacant Brandeis School offered the opportunity to address all of these community needs simultaneously. In collaboration with local residents and the City of Louisville, New Directions began to recruit investors to purchase the Brandeis school and campus to redevelop the school into an apartment complex and child care facility. Developers met their first challenge when they discovered that the school building did not have the appropriate space or structure to accommodate a child care facility. Recognizing that child care was essential to the success of neighborhood redevelopment, they overcame the challenge by designating land on the school campus for the construction of a new child care facility. St. Benedict Center for Early Childhood Education, a well-respected local child care provider, was invited to build a new child care facility on the Brandeis campus. St. Benedict Center launched a capital campaign that raised nearly $800,000, and engaged Watrous Associates Architects to design a state-of-the-art facility. It took almost 5 years for the neighborhood to realize its 1991 vision of a redeveloped Brandeis School. Construction of the apartments began in August 1995 and was completed in August 1996. Construction of the child care facility immediately followed, and it was completed in 1997. Current Activities In 1999, both the apartment complex and the child care facility were fully operational. Having a child care facility on the grounds of the apartment complex makes it easier for families to coordinate child care with work schedules. The 50 units rent for below-market rates, and 80% of residents have Section 8 housing subsidies. The new St. Benedict child care facility has the capacity to serve 160 children from ages 6 weeks through 12 years. This represents an increase in capacity by approximately 30 children from the previous St Benedict facility, and a doubling of capacity for infant and toddler care. The facility provides infant and toddler care, as well as after-school programs and a camp for school-age children in the summer months. It serves families of all income levels, with approximately 80% of families served receiving scholarships or subsidies. Previously, St. Benedict Center was housed in an old parochial school with many structural problems, such as a leaking roof and unreliable furnace. The new facility is state of the art, energy efficient, and designed to teach the children about the environment. It includes solar heating and lighting, and indoor and outdoor gardens. Resources Funders for the Brandeis Redevelopment Project include the City of Louisville, private organizations, and foundations. Although the budgets and fundraising for the housing redevelopment and child care facility were handled separately, many organizations that provided loans for the housing redevelopment donated funds to the child care facility. The housing redevelopment cost of $4 million was raised primarily through an equity investment of $3 million from National City Bank (45.56% of the total), PNC Bank (45.56%), The Housing Partnership (7.87%), and New Directions (1%). National City Bank was the lead bank and provided construction and bridge financing, as well as the mortgage. Part of National City Bank’s contribution included a $647,000 loan from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati through the Affordable Housing Program. This kept the interest rate on the mortgage to only 8%. In addition, a $220,000 deferred second mortgage from the City of Louisville was used to purchase the property. The Enterprise Foundation of Maryland and the Gheens Foundation also provided loans to offset predevelopment costs. The land for the child care facility was donated to St. Benedict Center by the Brandeis Partnership. St. Benedict Center then raised $800,000 to fund the construction of the child care facility, with the Sisters of Lorreto contributing $100,000. Other funders included the City of Louisville, The James Graham Brown Foundation, The Cralle Foundation, and the WHAS Crusade for Children. Large local employers such as National City Bank, General Electric, and Brown Forman also contributed funds. In addition, donated labor and materials totaled more than $200,000. Results The Brandeis partnership succeeded in achieving four goals:
Sustaining and Replicating Although many of the partners involved in the redevelopment phase of the Brandeis Partnership have fulfilled their roles, New Directions and St. Benedict Child Care Center remain neighbors and partners in meeting the needs of the community. New Directions is the property manager for the Brandeis apartments, and the St. Benedict Center for Early Childhood Education operates as a private nonprofit organization on the Brandeis campus. The success of the Brandeis Partnership is being duplicated in new redevelopment projects. New Directions has similar projects in Louisville’s Portland and Smoketown neighborhoods. Like the Brandeis Redevelopment Project, one of these sites involves redevelopment of a school, and both include the coordinated development of housing and children’s programs. Lessons Learned Think outside of the box. Different entities that strengthen communities, such as housing corporations and child care centers, often focus on their own issues and do not think about collaboration. Effective community development requires collaboration among all stakeholders who benefit from healthy communities. The resulting resource-sharing enriches all involved, as well as the community as a whole. Persevere. When project leaders discovered that the old Brandeis School could not accommodate a child care facility, they did not give up on the idea. Instead, they looked at the property creatively, and took on the formidable task of raising nearly $1 million additional dollars to fund construction of a new facility. Dream big. Big results for children will only occur if communities have an ambitious vision of what is possible, and then invest the time and resources necessary to realize that vision. Contact Information Lisa Thompson |
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