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February 8, 2006

D.C. plan: Private investment in school construction ... for a price

Here is one interesting idea in Washington, D.C. Want upgraded public schools and libraries? Make deals with developers hungry for condominium space that go like this: The developers would build new libraries, schools and maybe even police stations, and get the privilege of putting condominiums or shops on top of or alongside them. Proponents say developers could pay now for amenities the city wouldn't fund for years, if ever, and developers would get scarce city space for housing -- mostly high-end, but some affordable, the Washington Post reports.

Supporting ideas such as this would seem to be easy. After all, the private sector is where the money is. Especially in D.C., much of which has been spectacularly refurbished in the past decade. But opposition to such partnerships can be strong too. "You don't sell your public spaces to finance school construction; that's not how it's done," a neighborhood association leader told the Post. "Because what happens the next time a renovation needs to be done? In a hundred years, there will be nothing left to sell." The Post points out that Portland, Ore. has made such a plan happen. D.C. schools are enduring tough times. It will be an interesting debate to watch.

Posted February 8, 2006 2:56 PM

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