AltSchool Considering Cole Valley Campus On Garage Site [Updated]

We have confirmed that 930 Cole St., the property now being vacated by Cole Garage, is being considered for a new campus for AltSchool, a venture-funded educational company. Although AltSchool has yet to commit to the move, the property's owners have given Dirk Spencer, the proprietor of Cole Garage, notice to quit. As of yesterday when we stopped by, Spencer was packing a semi-trailer with items that will be stored until he finds a new location.

"We're just in initial lease discussions, and had our first preliminary conversation with the city last Monday," said Deborah Kelson, AltSchool's Director of Marketing Communications. "If we move forward, our intention is to preserve the look and feel of the building. Our goal is to come in and be a good neighbor and part of the community, not just coming in and destroying what's there," she said.

[Update, 6/24/15: AltSchool is no longer considering a move into the former Cole Garage space.]

Before AltSchool can build on the site, the project must clear several hurdles, including an environmental impact review. Because 930 Cole has operated as an auto garage for 95 years, Spencer said the cost of removing potentially toxic materials would be high, but Kelson said AltSchool "will do everything that was required and above and beyond to make sure this was a safe place for children to be."

AltSchool already has campuses in the Marina, Alamo Square, SOMA and Dogpatch neighborhoods; according to their Web site, two more locations are planned for Potrero Hill and Yerba Buena, and schools in Palo Alto and Brooklyn Heights (NYC) will open this fall. Operated as a public benefit corporation and a for-profit B Corporation, AltSchool announced last month that it has received $100 million in new funding from several venture-capital funds.

"Our approach is having these small neighborhood schools, rather than opening these enormous campuses," said Kelson. "We feel like the community is part of the classroom," she added, explaining that AltSchool was attracted to Cole Valley because "we saw a lot of families from that part of the city who were interested in attending AltSchool." If the approval process goes smoothly, the Cole Valley location could open as early as Fall 2017.

Kelson said AltSchool is working to make its schools accessible to the widest possible audience. "We're not just deriving value from scarcity, like twenty-five Kindergarten spots that hundreds of families are vying for," she said. Tuition runs approximately $21,000 per year, but "about 40% of students get tuition assistance," Kelson said.

AltSchool's Fort Mason campus. Courtesy AltSchool.

Although AltSchool notified the Planning Commission that it's evaluating 930 Cole, no design concepts have been submitted, nor has it settled on an architect or contractor. "We're in the very early, early stage of the process," said Kelson. "As soon as we're a little bit further along in the process, we would reach out to the community. It's one of the first things we do when we consider opening new schools." Whether the new building is reserved solely for AltSchool's use or will include mixed-use residential and retail "is something that has still not been determined at this point," she said.

Online and on the sidewalk, Cole Valley residents have expressed sadness and disappointment that Cole Garage is being displaced. A few doors down at Alpha Market, neighbors have been adding their names and farewells to a large poster in the grocery's window. As Spencer loaded a truck trailer on Monday, multiple passers-by engaged him in conversation and wished him well.

Kelson said AltSchool's intention is to preserve the building's facade, which is covered with a mural by artist Angela Tirrell depicting beloved dogs ands cats from Cole Valley. "We know the neighborhood is very passionate about it," Kelson said. "Our goal is to come in and be a good neighbor and part of the community, not just coming in and destroying what's there."

Farewell poster for Cole Garage at Alpha Market.

Tirrell was glad to hear that AltSchool is interested in preserving the mural and hopes to work with them, or whomever moves in after 930 Cole is fully renovated. Spencer, who usually keeps cold water and a bowl of treats by the front counter, commissioned Tirrell in 2008 to paint a large mural depicting a dog behind the wheel of a 1948 Crosley.

After the mural appeared, Tirrell said many Cole Valley residents contacted Spencer to ask that their pet be included. "Neighbors have responded generously by commissioning portraits of their animals," she said. "As their neighbors and friends walk by, they can see a pet that's passed away, or they can see a pet walking alongside the animal depicted in the mural."

Karen Crommie, a board member of Cole Valley Improvement Association, said her group planned to discuss AltSchool's planned move in a Monday night meeting. "It sounds like a wonderful school, but the pickups and drop-offs are a problem on Cole Street, which is tremendously congested as it is with three bus lines and lots of merchants receiving deliveries," she said. "That would be the primary problem with the school."

Tonight at 6 pm, friends of Cole Garage will gather at 930 Cole to toast Spencer and say their farewells. "I love the people here, and that's the thing that kills me the most," said Spencer, who has yet to find a new location. "I don't want to leave. These are my friends and family."