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PUBLIC HOUSING PANEL
HOUSING RESOURCES COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 28, 1967
PROPOSAL FOR SPEEDING UP PUBLIC HOUSING UNDER THE TURNKEY PROGRAM
BACKGROUND
The Public Housing Panel of the Housing Resources Committee has held
several meetings in an effort to obtain additional Public Housing to meet.
the requirements of the Mayor's accellerated low-income housing program
and has been thwarted in most of its efforts to date through neighborhood
objections, Zoning, difficulty in identifying sites that would satisfy the
Housing and Urban Development Administrations’ regulations relating to
building Public Housing in racially identifiable areas, inadequate sewage
systems, uncoordinated planning that results in undue taxation of existing
schools, recreation and other vital community facilities, high cost of most
available land, which makes loweincome housing thereon not economically
feasible and other reasons.
The current policy of the Housing Authority is to depend exclusively
on private developers to propose sites for development under the Turnkey
program. Many sites have been proposed but have been turned down or rejected
because of one or more of the above indicated obstacles.
As a result, of the 4200 units of new Public Housing allocated to the
City of Atlanta, only two small Turnkey projects thus far appear firm; one
in the northwest of 250 units and one in the southeast of 220 units. Neither
of these have yet broken ground and the program is almost a year old. Withe
out a rapid upsurge in Public Housing, it will be virtually impossible to
meet the goals set last November 15, by Mayor Allen for 9800 additional low
and moderate income housing units during 1967-68, for replacement purposes.
. -2-
The City of Atlanta is thus faced with a serious crisis that deserves
the combined effort of the Mayor, the Housing Resources Committee, the
Housing Authority and all Departments of the City involved in housing sites
and necessary community facilities which must already exist or be made avail-
able simultaneously with construction of the housing. A solution to this
proposal also requires the support of the leaders of the business community,
civic, social and religious groups, and the citizentry at large. |
To date, individual projects have been proposed independently without
relation to other proposals and have been knocked down separately, thus
preventing many people, who need low-income housing the most, from getting
it. It appears that this will continue to be the case, unless a determined,
massive effort is made promptly to strive to get approval of locations for
the entire remaining current City allocation of approximately 3730 Public
Housing units under the Turnkey program.
PANEL POSITION
The Public Housing Sub-Committee feels that the production of low-income
housing should come first as a top priority in meeting the needs of its
citizentry and all resources of the city of Atlanta, public and private,
should be marshalled to meet the demands of the Housing crisis.
EFFORTS BY PANEL
In a special effort to overcome these problems, the Public How ing Panel
of the Housing Resources Committee has held meetings with the leadership of
several organizations and obtained their agreement to cooperate in a detere
mined city-wide effort to locate the required Public Housing units under the
Turnkey program on available land distributed throughout on a basis that will
fairly equalize Public Housing units in every section of the city. The
_23e
Panel and its members have had discussions with representatives from the
following organizations: Atlanta Summit Leadership Conference, Avian
Branch, National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),
and the Atlanta Comndives for Cooperative Action (ACCA). A major con-
sideration for agreement to this proposal expressed by some of the
organizational representatives was the request that the committee pursue
a course of action that would assure a policy of equal employment opportue
nity by the Atlanta Housing Authority.
Subsequently, the Public Housing Panel proposes the following, subject
to conditions explained herein:
PROPOSAL
A. The Housing Authority to call on Promoters and Developers for
submission of Turnkey proposals as quickly as possible, to include small
developments on scattered sites, so long as a total of 200 or more units
are proposed within a reasonable geographical area (for example, a 5 block
Square area, or equivalent).
B. Determined effort be made by the Housing Authority and the
Housing Resources Committee to get proposed sites distributed throughout
all sectors of the city on an equable basis. By this, it is meant that new
housing should be built first in those sections of the city where little or
no Public Housing exist and continue on this basis until housing is equable
disbursed.
Cc. Where adequate distribution is not proposed by private developers,
the Housing Authority be requested to purchase land in appropriate locations
and resell it to Developers at no profit.
he
D. Appropriate Departments of the City, under specific direction
from the Mayor, to work around the clock in a diligent effort to check out
proposed sites and to arrange for necessary and appropriate community
facilities to support the proposed developments.
E. Rezoning petitioas on all selected proposed sites which require
rezoning to be submitted at one time and a Public Heating on all of them:
be held at the same time, about November 15, (anniversary date of the Mayor's
Housing Conference).
F. Concerted effort to be made by the City, Housing Authority,
Housing Resources Committee and other responsible agencies to create public
support for the proposal among Civic Clubs, League of Women Voters, Chamber
of Commerce, Womens Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Boards, Home Builders
Association, Builders Supply Associations, Trade and Labor organizations,
etc., who would be urged to have representation in force at the Public
Hearing with spokemen selected in advance to voice support for the proposals,
at the Public Hearing.
RECOMMENDATION
The above has been discussed with a representative group of members
of the Executive Group of the Housing Resources Committee, who were unanimous
in their support of this idea,
We therefore recommend the approval and active support by the Mayor
and his launching of this program and that directions be given to appropriate
committees for implementation.
Respectfully submitted,
Public Housing Panel
Housing Resources Committee
PUBLIC HOUSING PANEL
HOUSING RESOURCES COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 28, 1967
PROPOSAL FOR SPEEDING UP PUBLIC HOUSING UNDER THE TURNKEY PROGRAM
BACKGROUND
The Public Housing Panel of the Housing Resources Committee has held
several meetings in an effort to obtain additional Public Housing to meet.
the requirements of the Mayor's accellerated low-income housing program
and has been thwarted in most of its efforts to date through neighborhood
objections, Zoning, difficulty in identifying sites that would satisfy the
Housing and Urban Development Administrations’ regulations relating to
building Public Housing in racially identifiable areas, inadequate sewage
systems, uncoordinated planning that results in undue taxation of existing
schools, recreation and other vital community facilities, high cost of most
available land, which makes loweincome housing thereon not economically
feasible and other reasons.
The current policy of the Housing Authority is to depend exclusively
on private developers to propose sites for development under the Turnkey
program. Many sites have been proposed but have been turned down or rejected
because of one or more of the above indicated obstacles.
As a result, of the 4200 units of new Public Housing allocated to the
City of Atlanta, only two small Turnkey projects thus far appear firm; one
in the northwest of 250 units and one in the southeast of 220 units. Neither
of these have yet broken ground and the program is almost a year old. Withe
out a rapid upsurge in Public Housing, it will be virtually impossible to
meet the goals set last November 15, by Mayor Allen for 9800 additional low
and moderate income housing units during 1967-68, for replacement purposes.
. -2-
The City of Atlanta is thus faced with a serious crisis that deserves
the combined effort of the Mayor, the Housing Resources Committee, the
Housing Authority and all Departments of the City involved in housing sites
and necessary community facilities which must already exist or be made avail-
able simultaneously with construction of the housing. A solution to this
proposal also requires the support of the leaders of the business community,
civic, social and religious groups, and the citizentry at large. |
To date, individual projects have been proposed independently without
relation to other proposals and have been knocked down separately, thus
preventing many people, who need low-income housing the most, from getting
it. It appears that this will continue to be the case, unless a determined,
massive effort is made promptly to strive to get approval of locations for
the entire remaining current City allocation of approximately 3730 Public
Housing units under the Turnkey program.
PANEL POSITION
The Public Housing Sub-Committee feels that the production of low-income
housing should come first as a top priority in meeting the needs of its
citizentry and all resources of the city of Atlanta, public and private,
should be marshalled to meet the demands of the Housing crisis.
EFFORTS BY PANEL
In a special effort to overcome these problems, the Public How ing Panel
of the Housing Resources Committee has held meetings with the leadership of
several organizations and obtained their agreement to cooperate in a detere
mined city-wide effort to locate the required Public Housing units under the
Turnkey program on available land distributed throughout on a basis that will
fairly equalize Public Housing units in every section of the city. The
_23e
Panel and its members have had discussions with representatives from the
following organizations: Atlanta Summit Leadership Conference, Avian
Branch, National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),
and the Atlanta Comndives for Cooperative Action (ACCA). A major con-
sideration for agreement to this proposal expressed by some of the
organizational representatives was the request that the committee pursue
a course of action that would assure a policy of equal employment opportue
nity by the Atlanta Housing Authority.
Subsequently, the Public Housing Panel proposes the following, subject
to conditions explained herein:
PROPOSAL
A. The Housing Authority to call on Promoters and Developers for
submission of Turnkey proposals as quickly as possible, to include small
developments on scattered sites, so long as a total of 200 or more units
are proposed within a reasonable geographical area (for example, a 5 block
Square area, or equivalent).
B. Determined effort be made by the Housing Authority and the
Housing Resources Committee to get proposed sites distributed throughout
all sectors of the city on an equable basis. By this, it is meant that new
housing should be built first in those sections of the city where little or
no Public Housing exist and continue on this basis until housing is equable
disbursed.
Cc. Where adequate distribution is not proposed by private developers,
the Housing Authority be requested to purchase land in appropriate locations
and resell it to Developers at no profit.
he
D. Appropriate Departments of the City, under specific direction
from the Mayor, to work around the clock in a diligent effort to check out
proposed sites and to arrange for necessary and appropriate community
facilities to support the proposed developments.
E. Rezoning petitioas on all selected proposed sites which require
rezoning to be submitted at one time and a Public Heating on all of them:
be held at the same time, about November 15, (anniversary date of the Mayor's
Housing Conference).
F. Concerted effort to be made by the City, Housing Authority,
Housing Resources Committee and other responsible agencies to create public
support for the proposal among Civic Clubs, League of Women Voters, Chamber
of Commerce, Womens Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Boards, Home Builders
Association, Builders Supply Associations, Trade and Labor organizations,
etc., who would be urged to have representation in force at the Public
Hearing with spokemen selected in advance to voice support for the proposals,
at the Public Hearing.
RECOMMENDATION
The above has been discussed with a representative group of members
of the Executive Group of the Housing Resources Committee, who were unanimous
in their support of this idea,
We therefore recommend the approval and active support by the Mayor
and his launching of this program and that directions be given to appropriate
committees for implementation.
Respectfully submitted,
Public Housing Panel
Housing Resources Committee