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ttlHI (E IREIN{EW[EIR NEWSLETTER OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR URBAN RENEWAL Vol. -5 No. 3 Atlanta, Georgia March 1967 FOUR ROCKDALE REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS ARE VERY GOOD, PERSELLS TELLS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE All four proposals for the redevelopment of the Rockdale urban renewal project received when bids were opened March 15 offer excellent potentials, Lester H. Persells, Atlanta Housing Authority redevelopment director, informed our executive committee March 22. Said he: "Of the 14 requests for documents upon which to make bids, we received only four proposals. We cannot go wrong on any of them. All are very good proposals from responsible develop~rs. All bidders are from out of town, but all have local associates. We feel very much encouraged by what is happending in Rockdale. You might say that an area that nobody seemed to want, first was sold for nearly a million dollars (A fixed price of $896, 000 was established for the area. ) Now we have four bidders trying to break · down our doors to get in and carry on redevelopment of approximately $20, 000, 000. All four proposals offer good site plans, and good architectural plans." Mr. Persells explained that all proposals center on providing 1500 units of 221D3 housing for low and moderate income families. Two proposals call for cooperative sales housing to be included. He listed the bidders as David Rosen, New York; Marvin Warner, Cincinnati, Ohio; Douglas Arlen Organization, New York; and Robert Chuckrow, New York. He pointed out that all four bidders have records of outstanding past performance. OUR COMMITTEE WILL BE ASKED TO HELP IN ROCKDALE REDEVEOPMENT SELECTION Along with a number of other civic and professional organizations, our committee will be asked to help in making the final selection from the four proposals to redevelop Rockdale, Mr. Persells said. He explained that when the bids were opened, each bidder was given ten minutes to explain his proposal, but no questions were permitted. The plan to determine the ultimate choice is to allow each bidder one hour to explain all details of h is bid, at meetings to be held within the next two or three weeks . Our committee will be invited to participate in these meetings at which the bidders will be questioned on the proposals and their explanations of the proposals. Mr . Persells emphasized that the Atlanta Housing Authority is determined to expedite action on redevelopment of Rockdale. The schedule calls for final selection of the developer within 60 days. Then the developer is to get construction under way within 12 months and completed within 48 months. He cautioned that such a speedy schedule could be slowed up by time required for federal processing of 221D3 applications. This usually consumes 270 days but he expressed hope that this could be accelerated. Mr. Persells also pointed out that FHA probably would not permit over 500 units to be constructed at one time. Mr. Persells further explained that the area in Rockdale offered for sale and redevelopment totaled 157 acres, with nine acres reserved for a regional type shopping center. Two church sites also are specified. AHA already has reserved one church site. The existing school is to be enlarged, as is the existing County Health Center. Answering a question from Executive Committeeman Richard H. Rich about adjacent housing, Mr. Per sells pointed out that land sold or being offered for sale under the same conditions as Rockdale included 13 acres in Univers ity Center (bids to open April 12) and 7.6 acres in Rawson-V/ashington (bids to apen May 1). Also in the Q & A session, he explained that the nature of the Rockdale terrain, along with market angles and community acceptability had contributed to the long delay in Rockdale. REDEVELOPMENT AREA EMBRACES 157 ACRES; SHOPPING CENTER, CHURCH SITES INCLUDED �-2BANKER JACK GLENN ASSUMES POST AS HOUSING AUTHORITY COMWtlSSIONER To fill the position left vacant by the death of John O. Chiles, on M arch 20 Mayor Ivan A llen, Jr. administered the oath of office to Jack F . Glenn to the Board of Commissioners of the Atlanta Housing Authority. Mr . Glenn since 1951 has been assistant president of the Citizens and Southern National Bank. Mr. Glenn is a native Atlantan and following his graduation from Georgia Tech in 1932, Mr. Glenn held a number of positions with the Coca-Cola Company before becoming associated with Courts and Company, investment bankers. He was a general partner in this firm for several years before assuming hi s present high exe cutive position with the C & S National Bank. For many years, M . .·• Glenn has been a ctive in civic and charitable affairs. During ·v.r w 2 he served as a lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve. He is married and the father of four children. A ppointment of Mr. Glenn brings the Housing Authority Board to full strength. Other commissioners are Edwin L. Sterne, chairman, George S. C r aft, J. B. Blayton (a member of our executive committee) and Frank G. Etheridge. HOUSING RESOURCES GROUP RECEIVES 59 PROPOSALS TOTALING 11, 4 90 UNITS The Housing Resources Committee has received 59 proposals, Col. lV.a.lcolm D. Jones, city supervisor of inspection services on loan to the committee as staff associate, reported to our executive committee. The 59 proposals include 11, 490 housing units, which he separated as follows: reasonably firm proposals, 3372 units; probable, 4237 units; under consideration, 2489 units; doubtful, 1392 units. Col. Jones added that the reasonably firm category included 1140 units of public housing presently under construction or in planning. He listed them a s 650 in the McDaniel Street area of the Raws on- v. ashington project; 140 adjacent to Perry Homes. Under the new leasing program 144 units will be leased as they become vacant. He also reported that since last October 654 units have been rehabilitated. Sa id Col. Jones: "VI e will not be able to make the goal set by Mayor f llen for 1967 but by combining the 1967 and 1968 figures , we hope to be able to r e ach the quota set for the two years. t1 He explained that a total of 1322 units will be available in 1967 which will be short of the ye ar ' s quota, but the 5133 units in s ight for 1968, would be 233 m o re than the 1968 goal. The combined total still would be 3345 short of the two year goal but the c ommittee hopes to close this gap. Col. Jones said. Commenting on the figures report, Chairman Sommerville pointed out that the McDaniel and Thomasville units had b een in the making a long time. To meet the changing challenges of our expandin3 urban re newal program, the A tlanta Housing Authority is putting into effect a revised line and s taff system of operations, Lester H . Persells, AHA re deve lopment dir ector, toid our executive committee , Mar ch 22. Explained Mr . P e rsells: t1 The purpose of this re organization is to decentralize operations and put more responsibility on the field (project)offices. The plan is for the director of a proj ect to be responsible for a ll that is g oing on in that project. This has been tried out in We st End and has proved v ery s uccessful. The central office w ill exerci se overall s uper vi sion a nd will provide technical advice and a.ssistance . The centr al office a lso Y. ill h andle special relocation s ituations , but relocation in general w ill be under the s upervision of the project director. As we see it, this new plan of operation w ill be very helpful in the Model Cities Program. 11 FIELD OFFICES HA VE lvi:ORE R ESPONSIBILITY IN REORGANIZED HOUSING I UTHO RI TY SETUP As Atlanta's t1CI P 11 ent ers the hom e s tr e tch l eading to its June completion, our subcommittee will resume work conferences to e va luate the 11 CI P ' surveys and as sist in making final recommendations. The s ubcommittee , headed by A . B . Padgett, now fully recovered from recent minor s ur gery at Emory Hospital, will hold its first work confer e nc e in Committee Room 4 , City Hall, at noon A pril 5. C h airma n Sommerville, :Cirector Howland and Sec y. Dodds will attend also . The c onferences are being resun1ed at the request of George I .ldri?g e , "CIP 11 director. OUR SUBCOMi'v:iITTEE TO RES UME CO NFERENCES AS 11 CIP 11 PROGRAM SPEEDS TO COMP LETION �