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., I' For Release: 3:00 P. M., Wednesday December 11, 1968 URBAN RENEWAL PROGRESS - 1968 REMARKS BY HOWARD OPENSHAW DIRECTOR OF REDEVELOPMENT FOR THE ATLANTA HOUSING AUTHORITY BEFORE THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR URBAN RENEWAL DECEMBER 11, 1968 �In reporting to this Committee one year ago this month, I predicted that in 1968 construction totaling $26.2 mill~on would be started on urban renewal land, including the start of construction of 1,468 dwelling units, a substantial increase over the previous year. I am happy to report that construction was actually ~~arted on improvements totaling $39.9 million, including the start of 1,033 dwelling units of which 884 dwelling units have been completed. This housing construction represents over four times the number of dwelling unit~ started and 21 times the number of units completed the previous year. This is the first time in Atlanta's Urban Renewal Program history where housing construction exceeded the number of dwelling units demolished. I site this as a specific example of a con- scious effort on the part of the Housing Author ity not only to demonstrate a feasible relocation plan by siting the availability of housing for families being relocated by governmental action at rents people can afford - but actually to provide sufficient housing for those families being displaced. This has not been the pattern of urba n renewal in the past in this City or any other, a fault well taken by critics of t he Urban Renewal Program. It seems to me that we are clearly moving in the right direction. From the period December 1, 1967 to December 1, 1968, the Atla nta Housing Authori ty has acquired 285 par cel s of l and at a cost of $6. 3 millio n . The Authority reloc at ed 180 f amilies, 77 individuals, and 55 busine s s co ncerns f r om urban renewa l ar e as, and provi ded hous ing assi st anc e ·t o an additional 328 f amilie s and 98 individua ls reloc ate d as a re sult of other governmental action (i. e. Code Enforcement, St ate Hi ghway, Board of Educ ation, and ai rport ex pans i on ) . During the past 12 months the Authority demolished 284 structures compristng 484 dwelling units, and compl eted rehabil itation of 154 dwel ling units. - 1 - �The Authority sold 31 parcels of l and for $3.S million and put und er contract for sale an additional 21 parcels ha ving a value of $2.6 million. I Construc t ion was begun on improvements totaling $39.9 million. These tmprovements i nclude the start of 1,033 dwelli ng units, the Ira Hardin office building, an addition to :t he Marriott Motor Ho tel, and improvements at Georgia State College and the Geo rgia Institute of Technology. Improvements t otaling $11.2 million were completed in the pa st 1 2 months, including 884 dwelling unit s. Several other activities during this period should be noted. The Housing Author ity rec ei ved Federa l authorization to pro vide 60 r eloc atable hous ing units in the Bedford-Pine Area. This was the first authoriz ed use of relocatable housing uni t s on ur ban r e newal land in the country , and wa s in direct respons e to a committment made by the City to r e sidents of the Bedford-Pine Community that only those are as ready for redevelo pment would be cleared, and tha t ever y effort would be made to permit the maxi mum number of f amilie s to r emai n i n the area - even while permanent housing was be i ng constr ucted. Site improvements for the se unit s is now underway, and we hope t hat t he fir st rel ocat able hou s i ng units will be in pl ace and r ea dy fo r oc cupancy bef or e the enci of t he year . A second item of note wa s the develo pment competition by the Housing Authority of the 96 acre s of Federa l surpl us l and , former l y U. S. Penetenti ary pro perty, made ava i l abl e to t he City by Pre sident Jo hnson i n Dec ember, 1967, to help meet cr i t ical urban needs. The national competition co nsisted of t he design of an entir e community , i ncludi ng hous i ng fo r fa mi lies of low and mod era t e income, school s, parks and shopping f aci liti es - a communi ty designed t o encourage a - 2 - �harmonious social and economic mix. Five redeveloper's proposals were received and submitted for review and evaluation by a jury of five nationally recognized professionals experienced in housing development (the first time a professional jury was employed to- judge improvements on urban renewal land in Atlanta). On Monday of this week, the Mayor announced that the Atlanta Housing Authority had selected the National Homes .Corporation of Lafayette, Indiana to develop the Federal surplus land. The National Homes proposal contains 600 units of housing for families of low and moderate income, shopping facilities , a town center, t wo elementary school sites, a middle school site, and a six acre park. The redeveloper's improvements are estimated to cost $8.7 million. A third significant activity during this period was the preparation of a Neighborhood Development Program application outlining the City's urban renewal activities to be undertaken in 1969. The Neighborhood Development Program authorized by the Housing Act of 1968 , is a program of urban renewal action now. The program was developed: (1) to permit planning and executio n activities to be undertaken conc~rrently, i.e. to permit rehabilitation, clearance and redevelopment to be ~ndertaken in specific areas , even while planning is still underway; (2) to more qui ckly respond t o the critical urban needs of the Cities by accelerating provisions of public facilities and services; and (3) to facilit ate a more effective programming and budgeting of urban renewal activities on an annual ca sh- needs basis , i. e . t he Federal government and the Ci t y providing funds annually for ur ban r enewal activities to be c arried out i n specific areas of the City. The City's Neighbor hood Devel opment Program appl ic ation, fil ed with the Federal government on December 6, for the peri od J anuary 1 t hr ough December 31, 1969 i ncl udes execution acti vitie s i n three areas : Bedfor d-Pi ne , Georgia Tech II , and Model Citi es , and pl anning activities in Ea s t At l anta and Vine City. - 3 - The appl ication �requests a Federal grant in the amount of $24.J million. The City's share is made up of completed non-cash grants-in-aid in the amount of $10.8 million. Looking ahead to 1969, the Atlanta Housing Authority will continue its · urban renewal a~tivities in 8 existing projects and begin planning and execution activities in the five areas included in the City's Neighborhood Development Program. These urban renewal activities encompass 5,700 acres of the City - a sizable task indeed. In addition, the Authority estimates that construction will be started on improvements totaling $59.7 million on urban renewal land in 1969. These improve- ments include 1,037 dwelling units, the Butler Street elementary school (which will permit the Authority to close out Atlanta's first urban renewal project), the stadium motel, elementary schools in Roc kdale and Thomasville, improvements at Georgia State College and Georgia Tech, and the enclosed mall shopping center in West End. As we stand on the thre shold of a new day, a new year, Atlanta shares the same fate as eve r y major City in America. poverty? What fate bef alls our Cities? How can the poor be lifted from In our affluent society, it is unthinkable that mill1ons of Americans r emain ill-housed; that affluent whites continue fle eing to the suburb s, l eavi ng our urban cor e to the poor ~nd t he black; that spr eadi ng slums and blight are l ead ing us not to dec ay but destruction, while in ma ny cities; officials r emain i nsens itive t o the plight of the peqple . The bell continues to t oll. Time is runni ng out . We will survive onl y as we succeed i n r espondi ng t o t he desper ate needs of our peopl e, i n t erms of providing opportunities for hous i ng, education, and empl oyment; i n terms of i mproving the quality of urban lif e; in terms of l ifting the hopes and aspi rations of the poor - 4- �and the depressed; in terms of involving people in their destiny. As we face a new year, this is our choice, our opportunity, our challenge. - 5- �