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MEMORANDUM DATE: 10/3/68 TO: Dr. E. D. Harrison FROM: R. E. Winn SUBJECT: Luncheon Meeting of the Construction and Design Panel, Housing Resources Committee, September 24, 1968, on the Georgia Tech Campus. Those present were Vice Chai:nnan Moreland Smith, Mr. Cecil Alexander , Colonel Malcolm Jones , Mr. He:nnan Rus sell, Mr . Henry Alexander, Mr . Robert C. Watki ns , and Mr. D. P. Elliott. The following guests were also present: Mr. Malcolm Little, Director of City Planning, Georgia _Tech; Mr. Johnny Johnson, Dir ector of Model Cities Program, City of Atlanta; Mr . James Wright, Physical Planning Coordinator, · Mqdel Cities Program, City of Atlanta; and Mr. Wayne Moore , Metropolitan Planning Commission. Reverend John A. Middleton, Mr. James Moore and Dr. E. D. Harrison could not be present. Dr. Harris on was r epres ent ed by Mr . Bob Winn. Mr. Smith presided and called on Colonel Jones to review the status of the Housing Resources Committee and to state Chairman Alexander's recent charge to the Construction and Design Panel. Colonel Jones stated that as of now some 3,000 housing units have been completed and 5,000 are under construction which relate,. to t he Committge ' g ~hargg ! A lax-ge m1mber of uni ts are now i n planning and Col onel Jones f eels some 6,000 of these may r each t he const ructi on stage . Colonel J ones stated they were hoping to analyze the program and future charges to the Housing Resources Committee with Mayor Allen within a few days. Colonel Jones a l s o commented on a joint meeting of the Housing Resourc es Committ ee with t he Board of Alderm~n ' s Planni ng and Development and Building Committees . The bui ld i ng cod es of Atlanta were considered and Mr . Woffor d, Build i ng Officia l, was present . Mr . Wof fo r c felt that th e codes of t he City of Atlanta were sufficient to meet the needs that exist. v The Housing Res ources Committee has suggested that exceptions be made to the codes f or specific needs . Mr . Wofford request ed spec i f ic r ecommendations for changes or exceptions to t he code be made r ather t han charges unsubstantiated by documentation . Accordingly, the Con~truction and Des i gn Panel is now charged with examini ng t he code s i tuat ion , and with working with contractors , devel oper s and others to draft these r ecommendat i ons and remain in communicat i on with a l l c oncerned regar ding t his work. Mr. Cecil Alexander, Chairman of t he Housing Res ources Comm itt ee, stated that he felt the Model Cities Program i s the key s t one of our ef fort s and that he feels a major r eason we ha ve not as yet been chosen by HUD for experimental housing i s because our codes ar e not liber a l enough. He noted t hat a series of studies ha ve been made by the Metropolitan Planning C0;nmission and t hat Mr. Moore ( pres ,~i~t at t his meeting ) is willing to help on t his most t echnical s ubject. Mr . Alexander i el t that all we can do v is to .spot specif i c deficiencies and to make r ecommennRt ions ; t hat we cannot r ewrite t he codes . He suggested the fo::.-1owing: (1 ) a r ev i •·w• of code studies already performed ; ( 2) communications with prefabricated hous i ng manufacturers as t o th e ir experi ences concerning codes; ( 3) communications with HUD concerning t hei r requirements; ( 4) communications with the bu ilding inspectors, plumbing inspectors, electrical inspectors and so f orth. Mr. Johnny Johnson, Director of the_ Mod el Cities Program for t he City of Atl anta, stated that he felt a need to create and i nnovate in housing is E;:JSPl icit in t he Model Cities -Program requirements. He feels t hat a part of the problemmight well be in �-2- Vthe interpretation of the existing codes rather than in the cod~ itself in many cases. He feels that the Model Cities Program should be able to do some things which are different and that they need support for these. They will seek: to receive some freedom through the Mayor's Office, Board of Aldermen and the Building Inspector's Office to innovate with new techniques and new materials. i Mr. Johnson noted that demonstration cities have not yet been named by HUD and that if Atlanta is .1J9.med we must be ready to take advantage of 1this program. His office has engaged 'tric Hill & Company to make a study of the modifications necessary. in the codes of Atlanta to implement Model City Programs. A cqpy of their findings will be provided to the Panel. ' Mr. Jim Wright of the Model Cities Program stated that so far the study by Eric ijill & Company has suggested three criteria for codes: (1) they should be based on performance as much as possible; (2) there should be as few specific restrictions as ppssible, and; (3) an "or equal" clause should be inserted whenever specifics are made a part of the code. He noted that these standards will be necessary to prop·e rly administer the Model Cities Program. Mr. Wright believes that New York City has such a code and possibly the City of Chicago also. Mr. Johnson stated that some 7,000 housing units in the Model Cities area are --,. substandard. Thus, six or seven thousand new units will be needed in the next several years in an area which comprises only 4% of Atlanta's land area· just to relocate these residents. Mr. Moore, of the Metropoli~ an Planning Commission, felt that writing codes is unnecessary and impossible. He stated that there are four model codes and that regardless of claims, the Atlanta code is not the same as national codes. He stated that they vary considerably and that the plumbing code in particular is far from any national code and that most prov isions in it are arbitrary. These differences should be easy to detect and he feels the Plumbing Inspection Department should be required to justify the requirements which vary from National Standards. Mr. Moore suggested that to make a quick step a recommendation should be made to go to one of the model codes because there is no provision in the plumbing code, for example, for ammendment except by action of the Board of Aldermen on each specific point. - -:: ~ ~ 1' ~ tJ Mr. Moore suggested that the Panel try to get the Southern Standard Code accepte~ and noted that the administrative offices for this code provide for profess ional evaluation of new method s. Mr. Malcolm Little stated that the Southern Code is better --t than the National Codes because the latter are not revised often and the Southern Code is. ~ Mr. Alexander commented on the experience .of National Homes in th e Thomasville Urban Renewal Area in seeking wa ivers or exceptions to the code. Basically two houses were to be built as demons tration units. One deficiency was that there were not enough electrical outlets. Another is that plastic waste lines and preassembled copper supply lines and fiberglass tubs and backsplashes were not in accordance with the code ·• . The preassembled copper and plastic lines were fought because "plumbers should not be working in a factory, but outside where it is healthier." He noted, however, that the Building Inspection and Electrical Inspection units have both said that they would send inspectors to a factory at the expense of the manufacturer. The Plumbing Inspection Department so far has not agreed to send inspectors to a factory if the factory is located outside of the City of Atlanta. �-3- Mr. Alexander proposed we consider the slogan "Model Codes for Model Cities." Colonel Jones noted that HUD has started on some experimental construct ion projects on low-cost housing units. One is at Ashburn, Georgia, and one is in Pinellas County, Florida. One deals with low-cost single family units and the other with "golden age" units for the elderly. The following steps were decided to be neces sary by the Panel: 1. 2• 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Coordinate efforts of the Panel with the Model Cities Program. the Southern Building Code idea for implementation in Atlanta. Pursue the National Electr ical Code (Southern Code does not have Electrical Code) for implementation in Atlanta. Contact National Homes and other manufacturers concerning their experiences with codes here and elsewhere. Contact major manufacturer s who would be involved and get their views and enlist their support if possible. Contact Mr. Wof ford and ot her members of t he Building Inspection Department; Keep them inf or med. Try to enlist t hem. Follow up with Mr. Moore concerning the efforts of the Metropolitan Planning Commission in coordination with the Panel. .Pursue Mr. Johns on noted that the Model Cities Program· in Atlanta· is'hoping to build a multi-unit condominium which is des i gned to meet the Sout her n Code Standards as well as other projects in Atlanta by Mar h of 1969,as demonstration units. He noted that i t will be necessary to pr ovi de housing f or any r esidents displaced while construction is going on. ~ . . Mr. Little said that the School of City Planning will be doing a study of mobile t-ype housing which will cons id er the ·attitudes of people toward l i ving in that type of housing. Mr. Smit h a dj ourned the meeting and s t ated t hat he or Dr . Harris on would reconvene the. Panel in the near future . In t he meantime , he will be f oll ow i ng up with various members concer ning t he items discussed today. The meeting was adjour ned. Colonel Malcolm J ones provi ded t his i nformation f or the recor d : I t is h is under standing that a state code has been adopted which applies to manufactured housing of the mobile home type and stated that additional information could be obtained from Mr. John B. ~ \1)l ey, Jr., Executive Vice Pr es i dent, Sout heaster n Mobile Homes I nstitute , Inc., Suite A-1, 348 Ea st Paces Ferry Road,·N. E. , At lanta , Georgia , 30305. His tel ephone number is 261-6166. · Colonel Jones called me on Wednesday , September 25, and stated that a telephone conversation with representa;=ives of National Homes ha s indicated that no code revision .. was necessary , nor any formqfrf waiver, for installation of a number of installations in Chicago's low-income housing program. Mr. Schmidt of National Hornes Acceptance Corporation, in Atlanta, gave t his information . . It originated with Mr. Price, Chairman of the Board of National Homes : Colonel Jones further stated that Mr. Willard Wirth of National Hom.e s in Lafayette, Indiana, is making a study to see what changes would be necessary in the City of Atlanta's codes to make the same units used in Chicago acceptable in Atlanta . · cc: Mr. Moreland Smith Mr. Cecil Alexander Mr. Malcolm Jones v �