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Show rug && to sale salt lake free not for volume two WESTERN AMERICANA January 4, 1973 Future Of Mode! Cities n Question Residents Protest Action For Area Development The Central City made a Neighborhood Council public statement to the City Commissioners prior to Christmas concerning the Neighborhood Development Program which would go into effect in their neighborhood if a federal grant is received from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The statement reads as follows: "1. We realize that local government with its City Commissioners has full power in this program since the Commissioners will have the final decision rights. "We as citizens tried to maintain our full rights by turning down urban renewal in 1965 by a margin of six to one. However, in 1969, the first Utah Neighborhood Development Act was adopted by a special session of the legislature permitting the governing body of a locality to approve a Redevelopment Agency without a referendum. In 1971, the state legislature passed a new neighborhood act in order to development completely eliminate questions and problems which existed in the previous act. ''The first Housing Authority was created in October 1970. The Central Relocation Agency has been established. Besides reading these bills and studying the Community Improvement Program, we as a Council have analyzed our situation in Central City. "Commissioners have vast powers and our power lies in elections and the political game which is very difficult to play and extremely unsatisfactory." The statement continues, questioning the infallibility of local government, the Salt Lake Planning Commission and the City Engineer, stating there have been too many "glaring errors in the past." The Council maintains Central City is not a slum area, but blames misjudgment in zoning for its decline in value. The statement says that private developers have bought up the land and will let the buildings deteriorate until they can make a profit by selling the property. "Zoning has been extremely detrimental. Imagine zoning the block on which Sumner School stands commercial residential (R-6)!- (C-3- ) and the statement " continues. The Council states that such zoning was established to increase the tax base, the revenue base and increase the building unit density. The statement concluded by making the following recommendations: "1. That the Central City Neighborhood Council become an official Planning District and that the Project Area Commitee be directly under the Central City Neighborhood Council. "2. That the Council be given some operating expenses for this Committee to be formed, such as funds for notices to be distributed and a part-timsalary for one person to work as a staff for this committee that will be e made up of working people. As it the is, it is totally agency getting all the funding and the people living in the area nothing on which to piesent its cause. one-side- "3. That the Central City Council and the Project Area Committee have more than merely advisory powers and that their voice be heard and cat efully considered. For example, that no home be torn down when there is a Neighborhood majority of residents and against it. home-owner- s "4. That the Redevelopmt nt Agency will not merely want to housing . put in some . that they will consider planning low-incom- e and building a very desirable be living area . . that spot-zonin- removed . . g that any proposed this area be immediately frozen in order that developments That the Planning Commission good job they can do by a declaring this area a special zoning area. If extra powers are needed.that they draft legislation immediately for this legislature . . giving the city the right to zone fora living area. "6. That an architectural type be selected and all buildings be made compatible with this architecture. We recommend that this area blend in with the Trolley Square. "7. That the Housing and the Authority Redevelopment Agency not look upon commercial establishments as for condemnation. That pictures be taken of all off-limi- ts commercial buildings and analyzed immediately by our council and the said agency. A vast majority of them are ugly, and add nothing to the environment. You cannot remove homes and let the commercial interests have full rights while the home owners have none. "8. That funds be made available to bring homes up to code. We want a permanent new village, not a patch up temporary job." The Central City Neighborhood Council will meet Monday, January 8th, 7:30 p.m. at the Central City Community Center 615 South 300 East to disci.. s s Central City as a Neighborhood Development Area. Salt Lake City Commissioner Jennings Phillips and Danny Wall from the Redevelopment agency will be present to answer questions. The meeting is open to the public and persons interested in the future of Central City are urged to attend. The Model Cities Joint Board informed by HUD officials sometime ago that the program Commissioners met was not being administered Wednesday, January 3, in a brief but eventful session. Approval of a Jordan River Water Quality McClure responded stating that local government should be left alone to run the Study contract and an program rather than have of amendment to reduce the Emergency Home Repair project by $28,000 which will be used by the COOP housing program was obtained from the Board. The commissioners also approved the comprehensive plan for the third action year which will go to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for funding. After the routine business was completed. Commissioner Jennings Phillips, Jr. brought up the matter of city control of the Model Cities program. He quoted from a letter written by the Assistant Regional Director of HUD in Denver which stated that the continuation of the Model Cities program was dependent on a reorganization of the administration of the program. Phillips said he was deeply concerned about the program and felt it was worth maintaining. Chairman Ralph McClure said the Joint Board had previously approved the transfer but the Salt Lake County Commission was not agreeable to giving up its role in the program. "If there is a change, the County should assume responsibility, not the City," McClure said. "After all, we applied for the program initially." Phillips said he had been properly. constant federal intervention. The responsibility for the future of the Model Cities program was placed with the County Commission, and City Commissioner Conrad Harrison said, "As long as you understand that if the program folds, its your responsibility. After the meeting, residents in attendance from the Redwood area expressed great concern over the possibility of the controlling immediately work on total planning of the area bounding State Street, 9th South, 7th East and 4th South and that they be given the chance to show City Model Ciites. Redwood, located in Salt Lake County, was the original Model Cities target area and cooperation from City officials in developing Redwood projects has been a resident said. "non-existent- ," Residents of the model neighborhood living in the County feel their projects will be discontinued if the City administers the program. Commissioner Phillips said he feared for the program, stating that a recent article in the Wall Street Journal depicted the future of Model Cities programs as uncertain and "HUD may take this situation as an excuse to stop funding our local program." Apparently, it is now up to HUD whether or not they will continue to accept the Joint Board as administrators of the program. NEXT WEEK: in this area be protected and not exploited. ''5. what number eighteen Special Legislative Issue JANUARY 18: Special Housing Issue |
