Downtown Project seeks space for school

Add private preschool to the list of amenities Tony Hsieh and his acolytes want to bring to downtown Las Vegas.

A company controlled by Hsieh is seeking to purchase the former First Baptist Church at Ninth Street and Bridger Avenue from the city for $1.5 million with a plan to convert it into an innovative school for young children.

It's all part of Hsieh's Downtown Project, a privately funded $350 million venture aimed at reviving downtown Las Vegas through investment in startup businesses, technology, the arts, culture and education.

The education component, in which the Downtown Project plans to invest $50 million, is led by former derivatives trader Connie Yeh. It's expected to take a big step forward Wednesday if the city approves the sale of the former church, which has been appraised at $1.5 million to $1.8 million.

"One of the things we want to do is create schools, and we thought what better place to start than early childhood," Yeh said. "We have the opportunity to kind of create something new, being able to experiment with different ideas."

Yeh, 30, said she joined the Downtown Project after staying in The Ogden, the downtown condominium tower where Hsieh and many others from Zappos and the Downtown Project live and host out-of-town visitors.

"I've always been passionate about education and came and stayed in The Ogden and was really inspired," Yeh said.

The school plan is still in its early stages, and there is no target date for its opening, but Yeh said the idea is to accommodate about 50 students from as young as 6 weeks to kindergarten age.

She said there are plans to blend ideas from many educational styles, mentioning Montessori and Reggio Emilia, which both emphasize free thought and individuality.

She also is influenced by Sal Khan, the former hedge-fund manager who founded Khan Academy, which uses online videos and interactive challenges to teach everything from chemistry and biology to finance and history.

"We want to think about building our own curriculum," Yeh said.

In November, the Downtown Project announced a plan to invest $50 million in education but didn't have concrete proposals beyond meeting with teachers, school officials and others on the issue and creating a K-12 charter or private school downtown.

Before a proposed preschool can move ahead, the City Council must approve the sale of the property, which is down the block from the Las Vegas Academy and across the street from the Junior League of Las Vegas.

The sale is listed on the council's Wednesday consent agenda, which is typically reserved for routine matters and issues that aren't expected to generate much discussion, let alone controversy.

City staff are recommending approval because the city has "determined that the redevelopment of the existing buildings are of benefit to the redevelopment area and the immediate neighborhood."

A staff report said the money from the sale would be used to reimburse Community Redevelopment Block Grant funds that were used to rehabilitate the former church, which property records show the city acquired in 2000 for $2 million.

It's now the Downtown Senior Services Center and is home to the Nevada Public Computer Center Lab, the Senior Citizens Law Project and the Jude 22 Senior Nutrition Center.

Family Promise, which operates programs for homeless families, uses an adjacent building on the site.

Family Promise did not return a call for comment.

A woman who answered the phone at Jude 22 but did not want to be identified by name said the group has arranged to remain in the location.

Yeh said the site should be able to accommodate the school and the current tenants.

Tenants who decide to move can get aid with moving costs and rent from the building buyers, said downtown developer Andrew Donner, who helped put together the purchase agreement.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.