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·E NO-l: NEE R rNG G EORGIA. INSTITUTE of EXPERilYl'.ENT ST.ATION TEC]:-:[NOLOG-Y- . Indust rial D evelopment Division 1132 -VV. Peachtreo Stro e t .Atlo.n t a.., 0- eorgio. 30309 8 7 3 - 993 1 A r ea C oc1e 404 Sept ember 30, 1969 Mr. Cecil Alexander, Cha i rman Hous i ng Resources Committe e City Ha l l Atlanta , Georgia 30303 Dear Mr . Alexander : At it s l ast meeting on September 24 t he pane l adopted the following plan for ·its activities between October and J anuary. The plan is based on the as sumpt ion t hat the wi nner of th.e mayoralty election will want to continue Mayor Allen' s work to :improve housing in the city. Wherever poss ible the plan in cludes onl y short term goals which are close to realization because the possibility exi sts that the committee will not continue. It will be manifest ly unfair to r a i se the hopes of clients and then be unable to complete the work which was started. Codes and Code Restrictions t, - The study of specific points in existing cod"'S should continue. Mr . Thomas Gibson, an Urban Corps intern, complete d a brief survey of the contents of the codes during the summer. Hi s report has been transmitted to the chairman. In t he opinion of this panel, his findings are typical of the problems whi ch the codes present to small builders in Atlanta . The panel recommends that hi s report be accepted by the HRC and transmitted to :tvJ.r . Wofford for action. The pane l i s aware that Mr, Gibson was not a technical specialist in codes, but hi s findings are based on a literal reading of the codes, something which must be done if the codes are to be i nterpreted individually by each building inspector. The Atlanta Housine; Authority i s pl anning the purchase and in stal:Lntion of 240 mobi le homes which ,-1:Lll have been manufacture d in compliance with the city codes . The use of t hese units represents a major departure for the city and one that may signal a breakthrough in the acceptance of modular construction. The pane l plans to monitor the use of these mobile home s. The Plwubing Advi s ory Board has agreed to a tria l of pastic piping in drain, waste and vent applications in a singl e f amily home in the city. The panel i_s interested in observing the reaction of th e public to the progressive action of the Plumbing Advisory Board. It wishes to commend the board for being receptive to technical advances. It also reminds the u sers of this innovation that it is . incumbent upon them to establish the consumer acceptance of this product now t hat · t he board has t aken act ion to make its use acceptable. Encl. 2 �r -(, ,I -. Mr. Cecil Alexander Page 2 September 30, 1969 " New Methods and Materials for Construction The pane l wishes to recognize the efforts of Urban East particular l y those of Mr . Edward Benson and the volunteer staff from the var ious c ity, county and stat e agencies which made it possib l e for the city t o prepare a proposal under Operat;i,gn Brcakthrr;mr.;h . The pA.nel is alsG awani of twG priv&t@ rn-·qpooa.J.o ,-,hich · offer int eresting poss DJilities for the design and construc tion of hous i ng in the city if they are funded by HUD. The panel pl a ns to remain abreast of Oper ation Breakthrough and advise the c ity of 1-iays i n which it can benefit from that program. Hous ing in the Model Cities The pane l notes with approva.l the decis ion of Mr. John son to limit further studi es of area problems and emphasize the construction of hous i ng within the funding now available. After convers ation ,-,ith loca l home builders, the pane l has det ermined that relat ively l ittle residential building is unde rway in the city . Thi s means that the construction capab ilities of the se contractors a re ava ilab l e for us e in the Model Cities. Con ers ely, most of the construction i s i n apartment houses whi ch require other skills. Ther efore, the panel recommends that the Mode l Cities staff conc entrate on getting individual town house, patio house and low rise construction started in the near future while contracting companies are open f or compet itive bidding to ensure fair us e of the available f'unds. The panel remains interest ed in the early implementation of the armature study as a means of controlling the expendituTe of available f'unds. However, the erection of homes should not be deferred until compl etion of this study. It is regretab le that funding was not available at an earlier date but it is imperative that the study be completed as soon as possible, even though it is during the erection of some units recommende d by the Eric Hill study. If its services are neede d , the panel will assist the Mode l Cities in the selection of designs or construction methods suitable for the area. In summary, the panel recommends that the work of the Housing Resou.rces Committee be continued by the next administration. A proposed letter for Mayor · Allen to deliver to his successor on this point i s att ached. In the interim between election and the completion of Mayor Allen's term, the committee should reappraise its charges and recommend tho se to be considered for continuation under the new mayor. Chairman, For the Panel FJC:cp lnduotrial Development Dii,i1ion Engineerin8 Experiment Stalion • Georgia ln,t itu!e of Technology �