As part of LJA's ongoing community involvement, the firm is involved in an exciting new development project called The Oaks at Rio Bend. The Oaks at Rio Bend is a non-profit, planned community designed to provide a safe, supervised living environment for children in the foster care system.
The project, the latest of The DeLay Foundation for kids, will be located on 50 acres of land situated along the Brazos River in Richmond, Texas (donated by the George Foundation of Texas).
The Oaks at Rio Bend will shelter at-risk children from the time they are legally removed from their biological parents until they can either return to their parents or be adopted. The master plan consists of an assessment center, individual cottages, a chapel, support services, recreational facilities, a barn, office space, and even a small-scale extension school. The community will also house children who remain in the foster care system until the age of 18, during college breaks, holidays, or just for a visit to the place they call home.
"Our goal is to establish The Oaks at Rio Bend as a model that can be replicated in other communities throughout the United States. Our vision is that every child entering the system will be nurtured and cared for over time in the same home by the same people," says Christine DeLay, chairperson of The Oaks at Rio Bend board of directors.
LJA will provide, at reduced rates, on-site and off-site paving, drainage and utility design, as well as the engineering services for the planned lakes and detention facility. "This project provides LJA the opportunity to respond to our community in a positive and effective way," says John Perry, vice president.
