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.HOUSING RESOURCES COMMITTEE Minutes December 12, 1S68 The Second Annual Meeting of the Housing Resources Committee was held on Thursday, December 12, 1963, in Committee Room 2, Second Floor, City Hall to review and discuss the work of the Committee in the low-income housing program during the past two years. November 15 marked the completion of the second year since the Mayor established the Housing Resources Committee on November 15, 1966, in his Conference on Housing. Copies of invitation~l notice, list of those invited, with attendance indicated, and other related documents are attached to the file copy of these minutes only. Chairman Alexander opened the meeting at 10:30 a.m. and called on Alderman .Cotsakis for a statement which he had asked to make. Mr. Cotsakis commented on revision of the Building Codes for the City of Atlanta, particulnrly to allow experimental housing to be built in the Model Cities area. He said that if any one had any chnges of the Building Codes which they desired be made, that they should bring proposals for specific changes to the attention of the Building Committee. Mr. Alexander then called on M~lcolm Jones to eemment ~n the accomplishments of the Housing Resources Committee. Mr . Jones said that November 15, 1968, marked the completion ef the first two years' activity of tbe Housing Resources Committee in its effort to promote and accelerate the Low•income Housing Progrem in Atlanta, for which the goal was 16 1 800 low and medium in~ome housing units during a five year period (1967-71), announced by the Mayor in his Housing Conference establishing the HRC on November 15, 1966 . He then stated that tho fiYe. yoar goal is now in the pipeline and that the current status of the low and medium income housing pPogram shows: Completed Under Construction In Pl~nning Xn Sight 3 1 217 units 6 ,278 units 7.337 units lt',832 units Total This slightly exceeds (by 32 units) the 5 year goal of 16,800 units and is only 305 units sho~ in the first two categories, of the aoticipated need fer g,800 units during the first two years of the program~ �PQge 2 He also stated that the Housing Resources Committee has accomplished: 1. Promotion of low and medium income housing and coordination of efforts in this field. 2. Establishment of the Greater Atlanta Housing Development Corporation to assist local nonprofit housing corporations. 3. Acceptance by the Federa l Government of use of prefabricated relocate~ble units as temporary reloca tion housing. 4. Ex pansion of the ba s e f or Fed e ral Grants and direct Loans, now a uthorized in the 19168 Iiousing Act. 5. Ur ged early adop tion by the City o f miniature Urban Re newal projects, to clear s l ums, under the new l y adopted Ne i ghborhood Development Program a uthor i zed by the 196 8 Housing Act. 6. Urged revision of previous conventional planning concepts i n an effort t o ge t certain areas rezoned to permit improvement of such areas for resid0ntia l us e. 7. Ur ged the d is pe r sa l o f f u t ure Public Hous i ng i n sma ll developments on sca t ter ed sites. 8. Cr e ation o f interest i n the l ow- i ncome housing program b y nonpro fi t orga niza t i ons a nd f ormat i on o f several such orga nizations . 9. Served as~ c atal yst i n neighborhood i nt e res t f or improv ement o f Vine City t hr o ugh Urban Re ne wal . 10 . Proposed and obtai ned concurrence o f the Board o f Educ at ion t o dr aft legisl a tion t o au t horize dev e l opers to build schoo ls s imu lta neous with deve l opment o f hous i ng projects , except i n Ur ban Renewal a r eas. 11. Participate d in Atla nt a Conference on Eq ual Opportun ity i n Hous ing . 12. Worked with Model Cities ' o t aff i n establ i sh i ng its reh2bilitatio n program and in si t e selection for experime ntal housing . 13. ~ointed out to Ci ty of f i c i als the necessity for the principle th~t site selection for low-income housing should include a planning function and responsibility. f �Page 3 Mr. Jones then stated the six requests which were made to the Pla nning and Deve l opment Committee and the Zoning Committee in Specia l Mee ti ng on August 2 , 1968: 1. Asked the Mayor to designate either an existing committee or a ppoint a new commi tt ee of the Board o f Ald ermen to assume a responsibility in the field o f low-income housing. 2. Revis i on o f the Bu"lding Codes for the City of Atlanta, p articularly t o allow experimental housing to be bu ilt i n the Model Cities area. 3. Revision of the Ordinance governing non-conforming_ use o f land t o all ow structural changes in improving dwel l ine units t o meet requirements of the Houshg Code. 4. Acce l erate the urban renewa l pr ogram p articularly in the Na sh-Ba ns, Vine City , and o t her ar eas outs i de the Mode l Cities area . 5. Authorize the Atlanta Housing Authority to request 2 , 00D additio nal units o f public housing. 6. Ad o pti o n o f a revised district zoning map based on the new Land Us e map t o inc lude adequate areas f or low- inc ome housing. Mr . J o nes then p o inted out results to date of the above indicated requests . Mr . Al exander then called on Mr. w. w. Gates , CoMultant to the Comm i ttee , to d i scuss the Imp lications o f the 1 9 68 Housing Act . . Mr . Gat es opened by st a ting tha t t he Nationa l Housing Ac t was passed b y Cong ress o n Augus t 1 , 1958 , that the l egislat i on provides t he toolsjiincentives and success in meeting the nation~! ob j ec t ive wi ll l arge de p e nd on: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Sponsor inte rest Av a i la b i l i t y of land at a reasonabl e price The mortgage mone y marte t Mun icipal c ooperati o n Fundine b y t he Congress in 1969 Bu i ldi n g c o d e a nd zoning rest rictions Mr . Gates then d iscus sed four sections o f the Act: Section 238 , Section 237 , Secti o n 23 6 and Section 235 . Fund / t Section 230 : Establishe s a new Spe cial Risk Insurance which permits the Federal Housing Administration to assume �Page 4 higher mortgage insurance risks in connection with both location and credit charachteristics that were unacceptable under the mutual mortgage insurance fund. Section 237: Provides, on an experimental basis, FHA mortgage insurance to finance home ownership for low income families who wou ld not qualify under normal credit standards. Section 23 6 : The tenant under t his program will pay 25% of his famil:; s income and HUD will pay the difference between the amount collected and the amount of the rent. Limited to families whose incomes are not in excess of 135% of initial admission levels of public housing. Section 2 35: This sec tion places heavy emphasis on home ownership and provides that if the purchaser of a new home or a living unit in a condomimium will pay at least 20% of the family's income and HUD will pay the balance of the monthly mortgage payments. Mr. Gates closed his discussion by stating that "The impact of this bill on housing should be tremendous. The tools are avai lable as never before." Mr. Alexander then discussed Future Direction of the Committee . He said that the Committee requests that the Mayor and Board of Aldermen give consideration t o these proposals and advise us a ccord ingly in a revised statement of mission f or the Committee; 1. All b od ies concerned with housing review the present and continuing need for low income housing. 2. Eliminate existing slums and provide housing as needed in the area for t hose who wish to remain there • .3 . Place housing near jobs and public facilities in the City of Atla nta and throughout the metropolitan a r ea . 4. Continue efforts to pr omote innovative l ow- inc ome housing c o nstruction in Atlant a . 5. Continue to aid efforts to eliminate s ocial problems connected with hous i ng . 6. Further involve the business community in the housing program . 7. Assist nonprofit groups and developers in their efforts to obtain land and construct housing. �Page 5 u. Cl Pr omo te and explain the new general housing act and the fair housing act . 9. Cons ider national and local legislati on use full to the h o using program . 10 . Assist in the st~bilization o f existing neighb or h ood s and encourage the c o nstruct i on of middle and u pper . inc ome residential devel o pments in the City of Atl anta. 11. Attempt t o inv o lve pers ons in the s lums in the business s ide o f demolition, r ehabilitati on or erecting new units . 12. Co ntinue eff o rts to se ll the need f or l ow-income housing t o the p e o ple of metr opolitan Atlant2 . Mr . Alexand er then discussed Unfinished 3 usiness. S ome o f the phases of the initial pr o gram which are not finished are: / 1. Completion of p ro ject s n o w in pl anning. 2. Legislati o n ' pendin~ that will allow the ci ty to lease schoo ls to b e built by devel o p ers simultaneously with housing pr o j ec t s, except in u rban renewal areas . 3. I nvestigati o n of pr oblem~ relating to code restrictions o f innovative building . 4. Activati on of Board for the Greater Atlanta Housing Deve l o pment Cor p oration. 5. Obtaining of ad ditiona l sites in areas where low-income hou sing is needed . Mr. Alexander made a closing statemen t thanking the staff, members of the committee , Federa l Agencies, Atlan ta Ho using Autho rity, P lanning Department , Buildi ng Department , Public Works Department , memb0rs o f the Board o f Aldermen, Mayor Allen and the me mbers of the Press, Radi o and TV Organi z~tions for their cooperation and assistance . Mr . Al exander then called o n Mr. Charles F. Palme r, member of the Public :-lousing Panel of the Committee, to discus s a Resolu tio n the Panel had prepared. Mr. Palmer stated that the only l ogica l conclusion reached is that (1) subsidized housing must be fairly distriduted throughout the city and, ( 2 ) that the only polit ic ally feasible way to do this is by a "pac k age deal " simu l taneously presented to Council by the Mayor and Atlanta Housing Authority with �Page 6 overwhelming community support. He stated that the opion of the sub-committee is that it is not too late to resubmit those rejected zoning applications through the "package plan" on a simultaneous basis to meet the city's needs for subsidized housing and that the Mayor, the Board of Aldermen and the Atlanta Housing Authority should proceed to do so forthwith. · Mr. Palmer then stated that if the same energy, zeal and leadership of our "power structure 11 and city officials that was mobilized to build our dazzling stadium, luxury apartments and magnificent hotels and office buildings in our urban redevelopment areas had been applied to providing subsidized housing for those who were bulldozed out of slums to ma ke room for these m~jestic structures, the goal of public housing which our Mayor proclaimed so long ago would now be nearly reached. Then, as spokesman for the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Public Housing and on the sub-committee's behalf, moved that our full Committee does now reaffirm its position on "package rezon i ng", and calls upon its fellow organizations of the City and those responsible f~r its implementation to cooperate to put it into effect. The Resolution was duel seconded and the Chairman called f or discussion. Mr. Al exa nder then suggested that sinc e this was included in the requests made on hugusut 2, 1 968, to the Zoning Committee and the Planning and Development Committee of the Board of Aldermen and ha d been re f erred to the Planning Department, the Committee should first address the Planning Department as to current status of t he proposal. Mr. Palme r de cl i ne d the suggestion and as ked f or a f orma l vot e on the mot ion to a dopt the Resolution. I t was adopted una nimoualy. Mr . Alexander t hen showed the Commi ttee s lides tha t wer e t aken of the slums as they exist t od ay in certa in areas o f t he City , particularly Lightening , and as a contrast the new low-income replacement housing devel opment s such as : V!hea t St reet Gardens, College Plaza, Allen Te mple , Mc Daniel Street apar t ments for the Elderly , Hollywood Road Pro jGct , Bankhead Highwa y, Friedship Gardens , Thom~sville U.R . Projec t and the London Towne Houses. Mr. William Howland then comment0d on the f ive houses in Linwood Park which have been rehabilitPtod by CACUR under the 221 (h) program. The Chairmon then cnlled on Mr. Dan Sweat, Director of Governmental Li~ison, for comments. �Page 7 Mr. Sweat stated tha t the statis t ics released by Col. J ones and the Committee were impress i v e a nd that the influence of the Committee's success was not confined to Atlanta's hous i ng program alone but has also been felt at the na tiona l l evel and that housing experts from over the country have commented on the Atlanta approach and on the exce l lent program of the Housing Resources Committee. He stated that h i o f c olinc is that the story behind the statistics is where the real meaning of this Committee and the Housing Program is to be found. Be said that the work of the Committee has made 211 the city aware o f the desperate need for decent housing for the less fortunate, l ess affluent citizens of Atlanta; that it has helped bridge the gap of credit~bility bot¼cen the City - the institution - the power structure and a very large and importa nt segraent of our comr:mni t y, and most important , this· program started the City out on a new directi on so long needed. He stated that the Aldermen understood this need when they refused to p ass Urban Renewal Survey and Plannixg applications until the housing relocation needs were met. The Mayo r realized the need when he cal led the Hous i ng Conference and established this commit tee and it was obvious that the private business leadership recogn i zed i t when , the members of the Rousing Resources Committee, responded as has been done. V ., Mr . Sweat then po inted out that the resultant changes are re fle cted in a report given by Howard Openshaw, Director of Redevelopment of the Hous ing huthority, at the last CACUR meeting. Mr . Openshaw pointed out that o f the 10 1 033 units begun i n urban renewal pro jec ts i n 1968, 884 units have been completed which is 21 times t he nu~bcr of housing completed the previous year in urban renewal 2reas. During the sane period, o nly 484 units were demolished in urban renewal areas . So , for the first .time in the histo~y of Atlanta 's urban renewa l program , mo re bousing units were completed in urba n renewal areas than were .demolished. Mr . Sweat concluded by saying , "We have finally turned the corner in our urban redevelopment program and are headed in a new direction so long s ought. " Mr. Archer D. Smith , X](X , Chairman of th0 Legal Panel , made a warning statement that we·are deluding ourselves if we take the figur~s presented and quit working ; that we have got to be realistic and get behind the package zoning plan . Upon inquiry from the Chairman, Mr. Jones confirmed that sites for all of the 7,337 units shown as In Planning, have not yet been rezom~d. �Page 8 In reference t o the figures pert~ining to Public Housing, contained in the Summary of Status Report (Encl. 2, Second Annual Report), attention is called to the fact that although the 5,476 units shown as Completed, Under Construction and In Planning categories, fall short by 4,100 units of the 5 year · goal, it is ho~ever within 110 units of the 2 year goal of 5,586 Public Housing units announced in the Mayor's Housing Conference, November 15, 1966. The meeting adjourned 11:30 •~a. Respectfully submitted, J•r~~ /j /) ~ [\ , ~ Malcolmn: · n~ Housing Coordi6ator MC Encls: Resolution by ~ublic Housing Sub-Committee · Article, J t lant a Consti t ution, December 13 1 1968 Editorial, Atlanta Journal, December 14, 1968 Editorial, Atlanta Consti t ution, December 16, 1968 An Official Opinion of WSB-Radio/A t lanta, Dec. 22, 1968 Editorial, WSB-'l'V, January 1969. Editorial, WSB- TV, January 3, 196 9 2, �