Box 18, Folder 24, Document 17

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Vol. 5 No, 7 Atlanta, Georgia July 1967

DEARTH OF LAND ZONED FOR APARTMENTS BIGGEST By comparison with what
HOUSING HEADACHE, ALEXANDER TELLS COMMITTEE is required for Atlanta's
five year housing endeavor,
only a minuscule quantity of land zoned for apartments is available, Cecil Alexander,
housing resources committee chairman, reported to our executive committee July 19,
Said Mr, Alexander: ''Vacant land now zoned for apartments totals 482 acres, but of
this total 125 acres is committed for low income housing and 122 acres has been turned
down as unsuitable, Another 3l acres have been planned for other purposes, That
leaves 204 acres, but usually only one-third of the acreage turns out to be suitable,
so that means only 68 acres are available for the housing program, It is estimated
that a total of 1,555 acres are actually needed, so with only 68 acres available, it
makes a bleak picture,'"' Mr, Alexander also pointed out that while most Atlantans
regard Five Points as the center of the city, that is not geographically accurate, He
added that only 18 of the available 68 acres are located east of Five Points, He
stressed the point that housing needs reach out beyond the city limits to present a
truly metro area problem, Saidhe: ''The acreage of open land is much larger in the
west and northwest sections of the city. Vhen you try to go east you run up against
DeKalb County, which has no workable program. Housing is new a metropolitan
problem. To be realistic, we are going to need something like 4, 500 acres zoned for
apartments. Ve must come up with an over all plan to distribute this as widely as
possible, "'

HOUSING PICTURE NOT ALL GLOOMY, TOTAL By contrast with the
OF FIRM AND PROBABLE COMMITMENTS SHOWS bleakness of the

available land picture,
Mr. Alexander reported encouraging figures in firm and probable commitments for
housing units. He listed 5,244 as firm, 2,965 as probable, The combined total of
8, 209 comes to almost half the five year goal of 15,800, In addition, 8,000 units are
being considered, with 2,830 more regarded as doubtful, The grand total of more
than 19,000 represents about 95 per cent of what is in sight at present, Mr, Alexander
estimated, Summed up the speaker: "Ve must have a realistic determination to
build housing in quantity to develop a market for it, We need a new zoning ordinance
quickly or uevelopers and non-profit groups will become discouraged and go to other
cities.'' Mr. Alexander also called the committee's attention to a new departure in
housing being carried out by National Homes in the Thomasville project area where
some modification of code regulations is being tried. He cited this experiment, after
pointing out that code enforcement can cause hardships to home owners outside urban
renewal projects. Such owners cannot obtain the low interest loans for rehabilitation
which are available inside urban renewal areas,

Following Mr. Alexander's talk, Executive Committeeman Edgar Schukraft
pointed to the example of Minneapolis as having built housing throuzhout the city.
Said he; ‘Negroes and poor people should not be shoved off in one cirection, We must
look ten years ahead, Atlanta is supposed to be a new city, but it will be a city withe
out understanding unless all of us realize that Negroes and poor people are the entire
city's responsibility. '' Executive Committeeman John V ilson made the point that an
overall plan is essential, Alderman John Flanigen, chairman of the aldermanic
zoning committee, expressed hearty support of Mr, Alexander's call for an updated
zoninz ordinance. Saidhe, "In connection with what Mr, Alexander has said, the
first thing I said to Mayor Allen was that we need a new zoning ordinance. I won't
want to hire an outside group of consultants. I'd like to see a committee of local men
study the zoning ordinance and revise it.'' Then speaking of the scarcity of land in the
eastern section of the city, Mr. Flanizen said the situation there was almost as critical
as it has been in Buttermilk Bottoms, with regard to relocation of people in new housing,
Said he: ‘There just isn't any vacant land where housing can be put to take care of
people who must be relocated. '' Commenting on Mr, Flanigen's remarks, said Chair-
man Sommerville: ‘From what /lderman Flanigen has said, it is indicated that this
committee or its successor will have to be in business for a long time,"










ame

PORTABLE HOUSING ON TEMPORARY BASIS The Atlanta Housing
IS SEEN AS NEW RELOCATION EXPERIMENT Authority is asking
federal approval of a
plan to provide portable housing for temporary relocation use, Lester H. Persells,
AHA redevelopment director, explained to our executive committee. Said he: ‘We
have some reason to believe that the federal government will so along with our plan to
put portable housing on vacant land on a temporary basis, For example, 100 to 150
families could be relocated in this kind of housing for a year or a year and a half while
permanent housing is being constructed. This is an experimental approach and could
be used in the Bedford-Pine area, '' Commenting on Mr. Persells' remarks, Chairman
Sommerville said our comn.ittee was keenly interested in such use of portable housing
and would like to be kept fully inforrned of any further developments.

FOUR GEORGIANS BEGIN YEAR'S TRAINING Special suests at the
AS U.R. INTERNS FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY July 19 meeting were

four young men who are
beginning a year's training in urban renewal as interns with the Atlanta Housing
Authority. At the end of their course of paid training, they may become staff members
or go to positions elsewhere, All four are Georgians. Following are brief biographies:
JAMES P, BING, bornin Waycross, graduated from Center Hizh School here, then

majored in Social Science at Morris Brown College, from which he was graduated last

May 31; DARRYL R. CHANEY, Atlanta born, after being graduated from Hapeville
High School, attended West Georgia College, then transferred to Georgia State College,
from which he will receive his BBA August 17; CURTIS PARRISH, born in Waycross,

a graduate of Center High School, then attended Morris Brown College, after com-
pleting his undergraduate work there, worked a year as social teacher and football
coach at Drexel Catholic High School, Atlanta; SHELLEY B. STANLEY, bornin
Dublin, after graduation from Mathar Academy, Camden, S.C., attended Daniel Payne
College in Birmingham, Ala. two years and then finished his college education at Paul
Quinn College in V.aco, Texas, from which he received a B.S. in Social Science,





NEW LAND PLAN INCLUDES DATA TO MEET Updated from the original
NEEDS UNTIL 1983, PLANNER GLADIN EXPLAINS 1958 version, the city's
land use plan now pro-
vides information for projections up to 1983, Collier Gladin, city planning engineer,
explained to the executive committee July 19. He pointed out that the land use plan is
part of the city's comprehensive plan, which also embraces thoroughfares, community
facilities and public improvements. Said he: ''Under the 1962 federal highway act,
the governments of the metro area and the City of Atlanta must come up with a
thoroughfare plan for the five county area. This plan has to be approved by the
Federal Bureau of Public Roads before highway funds can be released.'' He showed
that with data furnished by the land use and thoroughfare plans projections can be made
on population, growth, housing needs and many other points up until the year 1983,
when the Atlanta Metro area is scheduled to have 2,000, 000 population. Mr. Gladin
illustrated his explanatory talk with slides of maps showing residential, business and
industrial uses and also showing improvement treatment. He pointed out that the CIP
had provided uata on vacant land and other land that is not fully inuse. Mr. Gladin
further explained that the land use plan has been reviewed by the Board of Aldermen
and the aldermanic planning and development committee. As the plan progresses, it
will continue to be reviewed. In answer to a question from Executive Committee
Member Grace Hamilton, Mr. Gladin said that final approval was up to the aldermanic
board. Ina discussion following Mr. Gladin's remarks, Executive Committee Member
Rich inquired what would be done with the plan. Chairman Sommerville replied that
the plan's future depended upon a political decision, Executive Committee Member
T. M. Alexander, Sr., emphasized that coordination among city departments will be
a major factor in putting the plan to use.

HALF YEAR SHOWS BOOM IN RENEWAL TOURS Figures compiled by the
COLLEGE TEACHERS HAIL EDUCATIONAL VALUE Atlanta Housing Authority,.

disclose that 764 persons
participated in our urban renewal tours so far in 1967 as compared with 850 for all of
1967, Chairman Sommerville informed the executive committee. Said he: ''The tours
have exposed a lot of people to both the good and the bad and have proved very worth-
while. They also cause a financial problem for the committee, "










a 3

Mr. Sommerville explained that our committee's policy is to finance tours only for
groups of organizations that do not have resources for such purposes. Executive
Director Howland expressed our committee's thanks to Mrs. Margret Ross and her
associates at the Atlanta Housing Authority for helping to conduct the tours. I[llus-
trating the value of such first hand exposure to urban renewal, Mr. Sommerville read
a letter from Dr. Beate Bandy of the Georgia State College faculty which thanked us
for arranging a tour July 13 for two of her classes. Wrote Dr. Bandy:

"Since you took us on the tour of the Atlanta Urban Renewal Areas we have had
two very lively class sessions. Most of my students know social problems of this
magnitude only from books; a realistic demonstration like this can make the points
better than any combination of classroom instruction and reading. I want you to know
how much my students and I appreciate the time and effort you spent on us, and also,
that this time and effort is put to very good use. "!

Warm appreciation of a tour conducted June 22 for teachers of disadvantaged
youth attending a NDEA institute at Emory University also was expressed by Dr. Dora
Helen Skypek, institute director. Wrote Dr. Skypek,

‘The tour was the highlight of the first week of our program. It was enlighten-
ing and enjorable not only for the 18 teachers from New York, Detroit, Denver, Seattle,
Spokane, Milwaukee and urban areas in California, Illinois and the Southeast, but also
for the 19 teachers and staff members who live in Atlanta. Some preconceptions were
shattered and limited information had to be revised. Emphasis on the rehabilitation
aspect of urban renewal was a worthy prelude to our required reading of H. Gans'

'The Urban Villagers' and related sociological readings. "'

EX-SENATOR DOUGLAS AND HIS COMMISSION At the request of the
ARE SHOWN HIGHLIGHTS OF ATLANTA RENEWAL National Commission on
Urban Problems, a
special tour of Atlanta urban renewal projects and the model city target area was
arranged by our committee July 20. Headed by Chairman Paul Douglas, former U.S.
Senator from Illinois, the commission members who were in Atlanta for hearings July
21, viewed Buttermilk Bottoms, Bedford-Pine, Butler Street, model city, part of
West End and University Center areas. High point of the tour was a stop at the Antoine
Graves housing for the elderly. Commission members visited a number of apartments
and expressed themselves as much impressed by what they saw. Tour conductors
were Director Howland and Mrs. Margret Ross, Atlanta Housing Authority information
officer. At the hearing next day, Director Howland made a brief appearance as a
witness to tell how our committee had helped obtain active citizen participation and
thereby obtained a cooperative attitude in Bedford-Pine planning. Mr. Howland also
expressed our committee's endorsement of the Housing Authority's plan to try
temporary housing as an experiment to relocate people while new permanent housing
is under construction.

CHAIRMAN ACCLAIMS SELECTION OF CELOTEX On behalf of our
AS "SPLENDID PRIVATE AND PUBLIC BLENDING" committee, Chairman
Sommerville July 6
expressed congratulations to the Celotex Corporation upon being selected as developer
of 208 units of housing in the University Center project. Chairman Sommerville.spoke
at the contract signing July 6. Also representing our committee were T.M. Alexander,
Sr., chairman of our special subcommittee to review redevelopment proposals, and
Director Howland. Said Mr. Sommerville: ‘'This is a splendid indication of the
blending of private enterprise and public service. The quality of this proposal
assures us that we will not be building a future slum. I heartily congratulate the
Celotex Corporation and welcome it to this first venture in the field of low and
moderate income housing. What has impressed me about all the development pro-
posals is their excellence, Representing Mayor Allen was Dan E. Sweat, Jr.,
director of governmental liaison for the city. Saying he personally was ''excited and
pleased with the selection", Mr. Sweat read a statement from Mayor Allen. "I
warmly congratulate the Celotex Corporation", stated Mayor Allen. ‘This marks an
important new step toward meeting Atlanta's housing needs in that one of the largest
building materials manufacturers is entering this field for the first time. In so doing,
Celotex is demonstrating a very high sense of public responsibility. I would also like
to express my appreciation of the excellence of all seven proposals submitted, "'

THE NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BE IN SEPTEMBER-NONE IN AUGUST