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PUBLIC HEARING ON THE EAST RIVERSIDE
URBAN RENEWAL PROJECT GIVEN BY THE
ASHEVILLE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION,
Tuesday, May 31, 1966, at 7:30 P.M.,
in Room 409 of the Buncombe County
Courthouse, Asheville, North Carolina.
Reported by:
Awa N.
Edney
Court Reporter
28 Edgemont Road
Asheville,
N. C. |
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PUBLIC HEARING ON THE EAST RIVERSIDE
URBAN RENEWAL PROJECT GIVEN BY THE
ASHEVILLE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION,
Tuesday, May 31, 1966, at 7:30 P.M.,
Room 409 of the Buncombe County
Courthouse, Asheville, North Carolina.
PRESENT:
Commissioners:
J. Alfred Miller, Chairman
Eugene C. Ochsenreiter, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer
Joseph Sternberg
Dr. David K. Hall
Anthony Redmond, Attorney
Jacques Laboureur, Planner
Redevelopment Commission staff members:
James W. Greer, Executive Director
Burnitt Bealle, Jr., Assistant Director
Kent Washburn, Administrative Assistant
Ned Henry, Relocation Advisor
Vito LePore, Rehabilitation Supervisor
William Roland, Rehabilitation Inspector
Mrs. Norma Grayson, Social Worker
Miss Leilani Littlejohn, Clerk-Typist
MR.
J. ALFRED MILLER, CHAIRMAN: Ladies and gentleman, I want to thank all of you for coming
up here this evening. This looks mighty good to see
this many people interested in this project. I am Alfred Miller, Chairman of the Asheville Redevelopment Commission. At this time I would like to introduce the other
Commission members: Mr. Ochsenreiter, Doctor Hall over here,
and Mr. Sternberg. The attorney for the Commission, Mr.
Redmond. And I would like to introduce the members of the staff: Mr. Greer, Executive Director, Mr. Bealle, |
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Assistant Director, Mr. LePore right here, and
Jacques Laboureur, who is from Atlanta, Georgia. He is with the Eric Hill Associates from Atlanta, Georgia, one of the planners on the project.
The purpose of this meeting is held in accordance with the North Carolina and Federal law so that each person who may have an opinion to express on the East Riverside Urban Renewal area may do so. This is a public hearing. It is held for this purpose. Any comment or recommendations you might have will be heard and considered prior to the Commission formally approving the redevelopment project. After Mr. Greer, the Director, reviews the project and plans for us, we will ask for any comment from any and all of you. The Chair, however, requests that each speaker hold his or her remarks to three minutes so that each person here will have an opportunity to express their wishes. I would like to ask for all of you who would like to speak please come to the front of the room where there is a microphone, and give your name and address. I would like to add that this meeting is being recorded on tape and by Court Reporter. The Chair asks that no questions be asked as to individual pieces of property. The Commission's staff will be available after this meeting to answer any such questions, or at any time during the |
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wwek [sic] from Monday through Friday, Room 604 in the
City Building.
Before Mr. Greer specks, I would like to
give you some background on this area. This area is one in which are
located approximately 1,500 buildings and which contains approximately 4,800 people. There
are many good houses and more bad houses. Parts of this area have been in declining structural stage for several years. The Citizens Advisory Committee first suggested this area for consideration as an urban renewal project. This was due to the fact that the area contains many good qualities they felt were desirable and the poorer area could be eliminated and rebuilt with the maximum potential for providing more living accommodations for the people of this area. Also a new high school was being built in the area and deserved a better setting. In Addition, this new school will provide some part of the City's financial share of
the urban renewal project. After study by the Advisory Committee, they recommended a course of action to City Council. The City Council referred to matter to the
Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission as required by State law. After an extensive study by the Planning Commission, the area was certified as eligible for
urban renewal activity. At this point the Redevelopment
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Commission applied for Federal funds to make a detailed
study of the area. This has been done. You are here
tonight to review these studies and recommendations
and to hear from you and your comments. At this time
I would like to call on Mr. Greer to review the plan
for you. Mr. Greer.
MR. JAMES W. GREER: Thank you, Mr. Miller. If you don't mind, I will step down in front where I can get at this microphone. Excuse me. The East Riverside Urban Renewal
area, as you can see by this map here, or the
several maps on the wall, is composed or is a rather
large area composed of approximately 410 acres. The
boundary, general boundary, of the East Riverside area is Milliard Avenue on the
north, the property fronting on Coxe Avenue, Southside Avenue, and
generally the property fronting on Biltmore Avenue on
the east, the property line of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines and the south property line of Walton Street Park on the south, and the track of the Southern Railway, Depot Street and Clingman
Avenue on the west. The Redevelopment Commission in trying to arrive at plans for this area has taken into
consideration every single one of approximately 1,300 structures in the area.
Each structure was inspected and graded according to its physical condition.
Interviews were held with almost
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every family living in the East Riverside area.
After the interviews and inspections were completed, this
information was turned over to a planning consultant who was
hired to advise this Commission as to what the best course would be
in trying to preserve the good property in the area and how best to
eliminate the bad property and what could best be replaced in the
area.
Now, the maps that are over here on the wall, the areas
on the one map that has the various colors, the green, the yellow,
the orange, the red, blue, and so on, every area that is colored one
color or another indicates an area that the Redevelopment Commission
anticipates buying, and in turn the Redevelopment Commission
anticipates reselling for some type use. The proposed uses in
the redevelopment area are all types of residential and some limited
commercial reuse. We anticipate the construction by the Asheville
Housing Authority of 500 units of low-rent public housing. This is
not the type of public housing that we have in Asheville at the
present time as shown by Lee Walker Heights, Pisgah View and
Hillcrest. The housing units that are planned for this area are
primarily one-story single family duplex or triplex units. A few
buildings will have more than three families but there will be very
few. The housing units are designed to be a |
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family type ordinary neighborhood type unit rather
than barracks type as we are used to in Asheville. In the provision
of the low-rent public housing playgrounds, recreational space will
be provided. Federal law requires that a certain amount of
playground space be provided. Also, the Housing Authority will have
what we know as "Tot Lots". These are small play areas for
younger children. It might have swings, teeter-totters, sliding
boards and sand boxes. They generally are fenced in so that the
children can't wander off. The larger recreational areas will be for
the older children, and adjacent to the housing units will be
designed several playgrounds of larger scope, one park, a
neighborhood park of twelve acres, two or three other neighborhood playgrounds from one acre to
three acres. In addition to this, adjoining the housing units in the
various spots throughout the East Riverside area are so called-green
open spaces. This will be an area in which the City will plant
grass, plant shrubbery, and will maintain and beautify it.
In addition to the 500 units of low-rent public
housing, we anticipate that anywhere between 150 and 200 units of
houses will be built by private means. This will be some apartments
and some single family houses. In addition to this, there will be |
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provided areas for commercial use, limited
commercial use for neighborhood stores and shops so that you don't
have to travel two miles or a mile and a half to pick up a load of
bread or a carton of milk. In addition to this, land will be made
available for the expansion of the two schools in the area. Land
will be made available for necessary parking for churches for
churches desiring additional land. A branch of the YMCA is planned
to go in this area. Just where yet we do not know. The YMCA has not
firmly decided where they anticipate putting the branch Y. A new
fire station and community building will be constructed adjacent to
one of the parks. This is something this area has lacked for a good
many years and under this program a community building and new fire
station will be provided by the City. Of course, the streets will be
upgraded. The streets needing paving will be paved. New sidewalks
will be constructed. Where necessary new streets will be built from
the bottom up. In the carrying out of the project and in arriving at
the point where we are going to have the new construction and we are
going to have the necessary public facilities, it is, of course,
necessary to eliminate a lot of bad houses. These are houses that
are in poor structural condition at the present time, and just
because a house |
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lacks wiring, doesn't have the necessary plumbing,
or needs a roof or needs painting, doesn't mean that the
Redevelopment Commission intends to buy the property. It is the
intention of this Commission and has been form the very beginning
that any property that could economically be rehabilitated; that is,
brought up to the standard of the Housing Code of the City of
Asheville, then the owners would be encouraged to do the necessary
improvement. In a very, very few instances, the Commission has found
it necessary to acquire some property that ordinarily we would not
have acquired because it is in the way of a street, a necessary
playground, or it is necessary to round out a parcel of land that
will be used for public housing or some other type of redevelopment.
I think it should be stressed that it is the
Commission's intention to preserve as much of the original
neighborhood in this neighborhood as is possible. What cannot be
saved, what the owner refuses to rehabilitate, it will be necessary
for this Commission to acquire.
Of course, in carrying out the project, the East
Riverside Urban Renewal Project, a great deal of emphasis is being
given to the side of the people. This is not a program designed in
this particular instance |
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where we are only concerned with land and buildings.
We have done a great many things to date and will be continuing to
do them in the future that are concerned one hundred per cent with
the people of the area, their thoughts, their considerations, their
recommendations, their problems and their needs. Now,
obviously we cannot come in and solve every problem of every person
that we must deal with. We hope to pinpoint the problems and through
working with the Opportunity Corporation, which is the local poverty
program group in Asheville and Buncombe County, by working with the
low-rent public housing, by working with the Welfare Department,
Public Health Department, and various social agencies, we hope to
solve some of the problems. Some of the problems I don't believe we
can solve. We hope these are in the minority. We expect them to be
in the minority.
Some of the reasons other than just bad structural
condition for which we are carrying out the redevelopment project is
the tremendous range of social problems in terms of disease and
crime, health problems and fire problems that we find in the area.
We found that although this area contains eight per cent of the
City's population, that in every case of venereal disease,
tuberculosis, fire, rape, arson, |
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murder, that more than eight per cent of the
occurrence of these happenings in the City of Asheville are found in
this area. Fifty per cent of rapes and assaults are found in this
area. Fourteen per cent of the City's fires are found in this area.
Twenty-six per cent of the venereal disease reported in the City of
Asheville is found in this area. We can go on and on. TB is fourteen
per cent. Fourteen per cent of the TB in Asheville is found in
this area. These are what we refer to as social indices of blight.
In other words, these are things that occur in blighted or slum
areas because the area is slum and blighted. We have Nasty Creek,
which you are all familiar with. It is very nasty. It is a disease
carrier and germ ridden. The Commission and the City together have
plans to clean this creek up to rid the community of a very bad
situation. We cannot cover the creek. We do not have plans to do
that. We will and must carry out detailed inspections of land areas
adjoining the East Riverside area to make sure that no sanitary
sewers and no industrial effluent is being dumped into this creek
which gives forth its stench and carries disease germs.
Now, in carrying out and trying to complete the East
Riverside area, we have a map here. I don't know whether you can see
it very well or not.
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Perhaps you might like to look at it after the
meeting is over a little bit closer. We have a map showing what we
think and what we are sure the area will look like after urban
renewal. Now, you will look at this map and you will say, " Well,
that's just a pretty picture. That will never come to be." I can
assure you that it has come to be in hundreds of communities across
our nation, in dozens of communities in North Carolina, and there is
no reason why it can't come to pass in Asheville.
We have here the brown structures. The structures shown in
brown are buildings of the low-rent public housing. The structures
shown in green is the private housing, both apartments and single
family swelling [sic]. The structures shown in red are some type of
commercial operation, primarily service and neighborhood commercial
serving residential areas. We have some blue structures. These,
again, are some type of service unit for the proposed East Riverside
area. Here's the fire station and community building, this little
purple building down here. All the large amount of gray area which
you see is that area contained within the boundary of the East
Riverside Project which the Redevelopment Commission does not
anticipate buying. This is property, this reflects properties that
can be |
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rehabilitated by the owner if they see fit.
Now, of course, in carrying out a project of this size
dealing with 410 acres, 4,800 people and 1,300 structures, it is
going to cost money. I am sure that if I gave you all of these
figures I have here it could confuse most of you. It is very
confusing to those of us who work in the business day in and day
out, because you all are aware that any time you are dealing with
any type of governmental operation, and this certainly is one, there
is a lot of red tape, there are a lot of indirect things you have to
consider that add to the cost. I will just give you a few cost
figures here to give you an idea of what this thing will entail. The
net cost, this is the cost of carrying out the redevelopment project
less the sale of land, less the sale of land, is $8,742,002.00.
$8,742,002.00. The City of Asheville's one-third share n the
program, -- of course, the City of Asheville will contribute
one-third of the net cost, -- is $2,914,000.00. The Federal
government will contribute in the carrying out of this project, part
of which money will be for relocation, part of which money will be
for rehabilitation, and I will explain these to you in a minute, the
total Federal contribution is $6,468,602.00. Now of the City's
$2,914,000.00 one-third share, as Mr. Miller |
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pointed out a while ago, the new high school that
has been constructed in the area will contribute part of the City's
one-third share. This means that the City does not have to get the
money on their part to pay out as part of their contribution but
this is a contribution that is furnished as part of the School
Board's work in planning schools for the City and County. The school
itself will contribute $826,244.00 as credits. The low-rent public
housing, the 500 units that will be built in this area, will
contribute as part of the City's one-third share. Here again, the
City does not have to dig down in its pocket to get this money. The
low-rent public housing will contribute $839,652.00. What we come to
is that the total cost to the City, the cash that has to come out of
the City's pocket for the new fire station, the parks, the
playgrounds, streets, new water mains, new sewer line, the cash that
they will give the Redevelopment Commission, and figuring for
contingencies, amounts to $1,400,000.00. This is the total City
contribution. In other words, we are getting a project of almost
$10,000,000.00 total cost for a total cost to the City of
$1,400,000.00. This, if we want to carry out the urban renewal
project, is very, very favorable financing. Most cities are not
fortunate enough to |
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have this type of contribution toward the carrying
out of the redevelopment project. Now, I mentioned that in the
City's or in the Federal government's contribution, money will be
allowed or will be given to the Commission for the purpose of
relocating families, individuals and businesses. Both the Federal
government and the State of North Carolina require that all the
families and individuals be offered a decent, safe and
sanitary place to live before they are required to move from where
they presently live. In other words, if we buy the house in which
you are now living, or if you are living in a house which we end up
buying in the East Riverside area, you do not have to move unless
and until you are offered a house or apartment that meets the
minimum housing code standard of the City of Asheville. We realize
this is going to be the hardest part of our job, is furnishing of
standard housing accommodations. Part of the standard housing
accommodations will be 500 units of low-rent public housing. Other
housing accommodations will be furnished by the private housing
which will be built in the area. Experience had proven over many
years that if there is a demand for housing somebody in the
community will build them. This is new housing we are talking |
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about, outside the East Riverside boundaries. We
have discussed this matter with a number of builders and real estate
people who assure us if someone wants a house they build it for
them. That is their business and that's how they make their money.
You may think because nobody has been building houses in the City of
Asheville for lo [?] these many years that you might want to live in
or can afford to live in or are being built in an area that you
might want to live in that they will not be built. This is not the
case. Housing will be built if there is a demand.
Now, those people who anticipate fixing up their
property and bringing it up to the standard of the City of
Asheville, the Federal government has several financing plans which
will be available. One of these is a twenty-year repayment maximum
of $10,000.00 at three per cent interest loan. This is for those
people who cannot afford to borrow money on the private market at
six, or six and a half or seven per cent interest, but who can
afford to borrow money and pay three per cent interest. As you all
know that anybody who borrowed money or buys things on time, the
interest charges amount to a large percentage of what you pay back.
Cutting the interest rate in half for this purpose will be, we
think, of a great deal of assistance |
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for anyone who utilizes this financing method.
Another method is for those families where the head of
the household is sixty-two years of age or older and who cannot
economically afford to borrow money even at a three per cent
interest rate, the Federal government under certain conditions will
give an outright grant up to $1,500.00 to fix up the property. This
is if the $1,500.00 or less will bring it up to standard. What we
are saying is that someone whom the statisticians and sociologists
say is elderly, or perhaps we have a man sixty-three years old and
his wife is fifty-eight and they still have a couple of kids staying
at home or a couple of grandchildren, and this is where we consider
that the head of the family is elderly and therefore is eligible for
this grant. This doesn't mean that everyone who wants a grant of
$1,500.00 is going to get it. This means if you do not have the
money to fix up your property, cannot borrow money on your
income to fix up your property, that the Federal government will
make available under certain conditions an amount up to $1,500.00 to
rehabilitate the property.
I don't think that I can add any more right now. I feel
like I have probably talked too long already. I am sure there are a
lot of questions that the people have, but prior to getting to the
questions, |
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I think Mr. Miller stated that he would like to hear
from anyone in the room, or those of you in the room who have some
comment to make concerning the redevelopment project. Bear in mind
that Mr. Miller, the Chairman, has requested that no questions be
asked on individual pieces of property, "Will my house be taken," or
"What's going to happen to this house or what's going to happen to
that house." We do not have the time to go through every single
house here tonight. We will be available. There are several staff
members here with us tonight. We will all be glad to go over individual
questions after the meeting, or if you would like to come to our
office, 604 City Building, or Mr. LePore's office at 86 Livingston
Street, certainly individual questions will be answered as to what
will become of each individual piece of property and what the plans
are for that particular area. Mr. Miller.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Thank you, Mr. Greer. At this time the
Chair will recognize any of those who would like to ask a question
or have any comments to make. Will you come up and give your name
and address, please?
FRANCES OWENS: My name is Frances Owens. My address is
163 Ashland Avenue. Before, when we talked about the redevelopment
in five states, you |
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mentioned a library connected with this. What about
it now? This time you mentioned a community building. What about the
library?
MR. GREER: The last time we talked with the City -- I
will turn the microphone around here so we can get this on the tape
properly -- the last time we discussed this matter with the City,
they indicated that they did not know without further studies
whether a library would be necessary in this area inasmuch as the
South French Broad School was in the area and the Livingston Street
Elementary School, and they said that they would before they
excluded a library, they would study the matter farther to see
whether it was advisable to have a library in connection with the
community center. This is as far as we have gone right now.
FRANCES OWENS: The schools are not open in the summer
time.
MR. GREER: Well, this reply that we got indicated that
the City administration was concerned with the problem and was going
to take some steps to have a library available. Whether this would
be the schools' or whether it would be a part of the community
center we do not have that answer yet.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Anyone else?
FANNIE B. McCOY: I would like to speak. |
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MR. GREER: If you will give
your name, please, and your address. Let me turn this around, please.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: If you will give your name, please.
FANNIE B. McCOY: Fannie B. McCoy, 95 Church Street.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Thank you.
FANNIE B. McCOY: This paper comes from
Washington, D.C. Realtors headliners warns of the destruction of the
rights of private owners of property under Title IV. Forcing an
unwilling owner to sell or rent his home to someone not of his
choice would destroy his traditional right of private property
ownership, his Committee in the House warned last week. Allen F.
Emory, in asking Congress to reject Title IV of the so-called Civil
Rights Bill of 1966 pointed out the basic right enjoyed by Americans
is that he need not become an unwilling contractor to any other
person. Mr. Emory explained that A desires to buy B's home, but A
does not have the right to buy B's home unless there is a valid
contract. I ask you to write in and object to the passing of the
bill. Here's another thing I would like to call your attention to.
The majority of the people prefer single family homes to live in. |
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The overwhelming majority of Americans prefer to
live in single family homes well out from the central metropolitan
area. A separate survey of the University of Michigan revealed that
as one proceeds up the income scale, he prefers to live in a single
family home. Ninety per cent of those with income over fifteen
thousand prefer individual family homes and that the reason for
moving was primarily a need for space in a single family home and
the three most often are the floor plan, number of bedrooms and size
of rooms. I thought you would like to know the latest on what the
people were talking about, and here's some more information I would
like to give out. One of the three reasons why I am against the
American government -- Communist government, the Communist
government, is that it is the same kind that they have in Russia,
and we don't need the Russian people to come over here and tell us
how to run our homes and tell us what to buy and what we ought to
pay. Much damage has been accomplished since the "Metro" wrecking
crew arrived in Asheville seven years ago. Their first project is
not completed. They have bought and torn down over a million dollars
worth of valuable property in the 77-acre tract. Now before they
start one building to replace the torn-down buildings, they are jumping
over into another field with |
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425 acres. This crew of busy as bees don't care
about slums. They simply want to control the land so they can
control the man. This is dictatorship, the same kind they have in
Russia. High taxes, poisoned water, and then you come to a time when
the City Council, the Mayor, and the Dictator will be replaced
by men given the jobs, not by voting, all the way for the Democrats,
or voting for the Republicans. It is a matter of taking away the
government by the people and for the people and making it a
socialized, communistic, collectivist organization. This may be the
last time you will be allowed to vote for sheriff. The code laws,
the City Council keeps voting on and taking in from the county. They
care not whether they give you city convenience. They only want to
control you. I contend the City Officials have no right, according
to our laws, to go into the real estate business. They have no
license to practice. Who has charge of the elections in our city?
Does the City Officials run the show or we the people? How can we
keep our freedom in Asheville and Buncombe County? Wake up before it
is too late to complain. Fannie B. McCoy. (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Any other questions or comments from
anyone? |
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FROM THE FLOOR: Mr.
Chairman?
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Just a minute. I recognize this
gentleman here.
OTIS B. MICHAEL: My name is Otis B. Michael. I live at
64 Phifer Street. First of all I will say that I am in complete
accord with the program which you have here. I think it is a good
program. However, there are many of us who would
like to have better homes, not low-rent homes; would like to have
the privilege of relocating as we are sort of boxed in and the value
of the real property begins to decrease because of this and I would
like to make a part of the record that a formal request to the real
estate agents that some of us have talked to that said that
they do no buy or sell colored property asked to reconsider and for
all of us to help ourselves as much as possible.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Thank you.
WESLEY GRANT: Mr. Chairman, I am Wesley Grant, Pastor
of the World Wide Baptist Tabernacle. I want to ask this question.
It has been stated there will be low house rent. I want to ask
this question. Will the redevelopment build houses and sell them to
individuals?
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Reverend Grant, let me |
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ask you give your address, please.
REV. GRANT: 97 Choctaw Street, Asheville.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Thank you.
MR. GREER: The Redevelopment Commission is not
empowered by either Federal or State law to construct any type of
building. The construction of the low-rent public housing will be by
the Asheville Housing Authority, and, of course, private
construction will be by private individuals and companies.
ELEANOR PICKARD: I am Eleanor Pickard, Executive
Director of the Buncombe County Planning Council. My home address is
46 Woodvale Avenue. The Buncombe County Planning Council is a social
welfare planning council. We are concerned with people, the welfare
of people, and we have been working very closely with the
Redevelopment Commission in this East Riverside contemplated project
because we are so pleased with their concern for people. We all know
people need good house, hot and cold running water, good streets,
lights, but people need a lot of other things. We are concerned with
the Public Welfare Department, the Health Department, education,
food, clothes, all things that people need in addition to good
houses, and it is for this reason that we favor so much so this
contemplated redevelopment project. |
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(Mr. Rubin Dailey
approaches microphone)
MR. GREER: Excuse me, Mr. Dailey, before you speak,
I
might just throw this out. When we talk about low-rent public
housing, we are not necessarily talking about poor houses. You know
a man and his wife that have five children, I don't care what their
income is, they are going to be pretty poor because it just takes a
lot of money. This housing that the Asheville Housing Authority will
construct is concerned not only with just the poor people who don't
have but very little income or no income, but those families who
might be, some of them, making a good income but have a large family
they must take care of. This housing is to be provided for a lot of
different people and not necessarily just poor people. We are not
trying to say that you are poor, therefore go live in the housing
project. This is not the case. The whole idea of this project and of
the work the Asheville Housing Authority is trying to carry out is
in the providing of housing, decent, safe, and sanitary housing for
people who cannot afford $80.00, $90.00, and $100.00 a month rent,
or the $80.00 $90.00 and $100.00 a month house payment. You know
there are thousands and thousands of people right here in this city and across the
nation that cannot. We are not talking about housing just for the
poor. We are
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talking about housing for the community, period.
RUBIN DAILEY: Mr. Chairman and members of the
Commission. I see a City Attorney and some member of the City
Council here. On of the things that you can't take away from me, I
did have the opportunity to vote for this project when I was on the
Commission. I was one of the first ones that voted for it. I was in
favor of it then and I am in favor of it now. But I want to give out
some philosophy as I am capable, some homespun philosophy to these,
my worthy citizens, who have assemble here this evening, particularly
the negro people. I want you to first remember that I said I am for
the project. I voted for it in its inception, because I think it is
going to really do something for this section which we have
designated. But I want you to do this. We have some trained people
on the staff to give information and I want to listen to those
people when they visit you or you visit them, and be governed by the
advice and instructions that they give you. Now, some of you are
ready to ask the question, "What is going to happen to my piece
of property, or what's going to happen to Aunt John's or -- Uncle
John's or Aunt Susan's piece of property?" If you are
going to rely upon you street lawyers, your insurance men, your |
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| 26 |
undertaker, and Lord knows I love them all, -- I
hope I don't have to use them all, -- you are really going to be
sold down the river. Now, let me give you some advice. The hawks are
setting for you right now. They know the people whose properties are
going to be bought. I use that term. And you will be approached by
the hawks in a friendly manner telling you, "You better get out of
this place now, you better start looking for you a place to live,
and I have got you a place to live. I have got a place to sell you."
And here you go with a panic, and that's what we call hardship
cases, and you create them yourselves in the panic. I noticed Mr.
Greer said he had field representatives and they do have field
representatives who will give you information. I have received from
one person who told me that they have seven different types of
advice as to what was going to happen to that one piece of property
they own, and none of it came from anybody connected with the
Redevelopment Commission. All of it came from somebody who knew less
about it than the person who talking. Now, if you want to mess
yourself up, you listen to that kind of advice. This is going to be
a good project. You are going to be benefited. I am going to be
benefited from it. Let me tell you something about this philosophy
of taking |
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| 27 |
something from Washington. Do you know who lives in
Washington? People who come from Asheville and other places. They
are human being just like everybody else. Do you know whose money it
is up in Washington? It's that little bit that we send up there, and
we are getting some of it back. We are entitled to get some of it
back. We are going to get eight million dollars for spending two.
That's pretty good odds. I think that we are going to have a good project. Now, there's a lot of
talk -- some of the things that I discussed -- some of the
Commission members will remember when I did it -- and that is because
we are going to perpetuate segregation because we are in a
predominantly negro section. Well, you own property there. Now, if
you want to lift yourself up above by your bootstraps and get out of
there, that's your privilege, and I think it is time we ought to
start moving wherever we can find property to move, and if we don't
like down in the East Riverside project, we can move out, and find a
place somewhere we can move. We can develop some place. I have got
my eyes on a piece of property now. I will sell you one as soon as I
can get it straightened out. ( Laughter.) It can be done. That's what
I am convinced that we ought to do. But I am really concerned of the
errors that we make in panic when it comes |
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| 28 |
down to a project like this. The thing can be
orderly. You can get your information, and when you get it, pay
attention to it as to how it will affect you, because most of the
people that you talk to in the street about it don't know anything
about it, but you will be discussing it with everybody you come in
contact, and they will have a different idea as to how it is
working. If I didn't think that it was good, I wouldn't tell you
that I was for it. Thank you. (Applause.)
DOCTOR JOSEPH SCHANDLER: My name is Doctor Joe
Schandler. I am Chairman of the Housing Committee of the City of
Asheville. I live at 29 Mount Vernon Circle. The reason I spoke to
Mr. Greer, I was late when I came in and I don't know if you were
told about the housing that the City of Asheville and the Federal
government is subsidizing for us to put in the area. You are used to
seeing Pisgah View Apartments. You are used to
seeing Hillside and Lee Walker Heights. You will see nothing
like that any more in the City of Asheville as far as the Housing
Commission is concerned. We are learning from mistakes. A lot of
these things we have learned from previous mistakes. We have sent in
already to Atlanta and we have had approved plans for our first two
projects in the area. The first one if approved and it goes through
as we hope it will be, |
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| 29 |
will be a seven-story high rise like any of the
finest apartment houses we see in this country. It will be for low
rent. It will be only for those people who have a limited income. It
will be next to Aston Park so we have plenty of rooms to go out and
walk around and sun themselves and be a person with a lot of open
land, a lot of land to breathe in. The second area that we have
planned that has been approved will be a hundred homes of one
family, two family and maybe -- we are not sure -- maybe some three
family. One family, two family or three family, and will be low
homes. They will not be two storys [sic], one story, and you can
take these homes and compare them to any of the finest homes being
built in Asheville today. When we have these homes I would dare any
one of you to go to any block in this redevelopment area and tell
anyone else which is a project home and which one was put up by the
Housing Authority. They will be homes that you will be proud to live
in. They will be homes that look like the homes you would build if
you could afford to build a home like this. There was also a
question about a library. There will be a meeting -- nobody knows
this except two people, but there will be a meeting toward the end
of the month and we are going to ask to that meeting people
from the Health Department, the Welfare Department, the Re- |
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| 30 |
development Commission, the City, everybody who is
going to be involved, we are gong to put in the house and we are
going to ask them to get together with us and everybody that is going
in there. Now, the government is giving us, the Housing Commission,
money to put up a community building, or the City might put up a
community building, the Redevelopment might put up a community
building, but we are going to get everybody together and see if we
can build a bigger community building by getting everybody together.
The same thing with health facilities; the same thing with
playgrounds; and we are not going to have the homes next to each
other so you can't pull your elbows up. We have new regulations now.
Everybody is going to have a front yard and a back year and a play
area, and we think it is going to be an area you can be proud of.
There will not be a house after a house and you can't tell the
difference between the two of them. There won't be two alike in the
same block. One might be built with wood, one brick, one with stone,
one stone and brick, one stone and wood. It is going to be something
different than the country has ever seen. We have been told by
Atlanta if we work this right, we are going to have a housing
project of 500 units, but it may be in fifty different spots, not in
just in one spot. It is going to |
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| 31 |
be wherever there is land available that now has
substandard housing. We may have one house itself on a block. We may
have three homes on another block by themselves with other houses
around them. But this is going to be public housing like no one in
Asheville or this area has ever seen. We will not be in competition
with any private real estate people because the only people eligible
to live in these homes will be those who are now in substandard
homes. The project investors will have all the land that they want
to to build their own homes on. People who live in our home will
have to come under certain stipulations, their income, and
where they now live. You are gong to see an age of new public
housing, and I think you all will be very proud of it. (Applause.)
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Are there any other questions anyone
would like to ask or any information you would like to have? Mr.
Greer, it looks like you have done it well.
W.C. ALLEN: My name is W.C. Allen. 350 Southside is the
address I am representing. My question is, is it a fact that this
meeting or these people in this meeting tonight would like to know
whether or no the people living in this area would like to have the
services which are being offered? |
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| 32 |
Is that a fact is what we would like to know
tonight.
CHAIRMAN MILLER : Yes, sir. We want to know.
W.C. ALLEN: Now, we might stay here all night and
wait on each other, each person to ask questions and we still
wouldn't have, perhaps, what you would want. For me, I think by and
large like a numbers of others who have the opinion and said they
would like to have it. I would like to make a motion that we do
accept this as has been offered by the East Riverside Urban Renewal.
FROM THE FLOOR: I second the motion.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Mr. Attorney, this is in order, I
presume? You have heard the motion and a second. Is there any
discussion on the motion?
FROM THE FLOOR: I want to know one thing. These houses
you all are talking about, they are all for rent it seems to me, and
I am not in to rent. I am going to be frank with you, I am not in to
rent, because I want to save money. Somebody coming to get my rent,
I don't like that, to be frank with you. I got my own right now and
I ain't in for no renting.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: We have a motion before the house now
and I don't believe this is on the motion, but I will come back to
you though and have your question |
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| 33 |
answered. Are you ready for the question?
FROM THE FLOOR: The question.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: All those in favor, please say
aye.
FROM THE FLOOR: Aye.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Opposed likewise.
FROM THE FLOOR: Nay.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: All right. Now you may answer the
question, Mr. Greer.
MR. GREER: May I have your name and address, please
ma'am, just to get it on the record?
MRS. ROY ROGERS: My name is Mrs. Roy Rogers. 11 Blanton
Street.
MR. GREER: Mrs. Roy Rogers, 11 Blanton Street?
MRS. ROY ROGERS: That's right.
MR. GREER: Mrs. Rogers, I can sympathize with you
greatly for I don't believe in renting either. As to the houses that
will be built other than rental houses, we
have areas within the redevelopment project that are to be sold for
people who want to build a house or that we can sell -- as I said
earlier, we don't build any kind of buildings. We will sell the
land. You can build a house on it of any type and style you like and
have no restrictions of square footage or price, and there |
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| 34 |
will be builders in the area who will want to buy
land and put up a house that you might want to buy from them. There
will be ample opportunity for anyone who wants to buy or own a home
to do so in the East Riverside area. And in addition to that, for
those of you that might desire to live outside the area, the
Redevelopment Commission has a full-time professional staff who does
nothing but assist people in finding a place to live, whether it be
one to rent or one to buy. We have several people working at this,
as I say, full time. They are experienced in this. They know all the
realtors and know where everything is for sale in the whole City of
Asheville. We keep a list of it daily. We will, certainly, if we
cannot find you a place to live within the redevelopment area, if
you want some place else to live, we will certainly be glad to help.
This is a legal requirement that we do so, and we certainly will
give you all the assistance that we can.
MRS. ROY ROGERS: I already have one.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: If there are no further questions, we
will stand and adjourned.
FROM THE FLOOR: I would like to ask a question.
MR. GREER: Will you come up to the mike, please? |
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| 35 |
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Ladies and
gentlemen, we do have a question on the floor here. This lady wants
some information.
MRS. HARRY THOMPSON: I am
Mrs. Harry Thompson. I live at 31 Silver Street. I would like to ask
a question about receiving a letter stating the items I should do to my home to bring it up to
standard that I would like to know what I should do with it.
MR. GREER: The lady, ladies and gentlemen, the lady has
asked a question about receiving a letter stating what she is
supposed to do to her house to bring it up to the standard of the
City of Asheville. Again, we have a special staff, Mr. LePore is an
architect. He has worked for several years. He is assisted by Mr.
Bill Roland. These gentlemen, one or both of them, will inspect your
house upon request. If you don't request it, sooner or later they
will be around knocking on your door and asking to inspect it. They
will give you a complete list of what should be done to bring it up to the
standard of the City of Asheville. This is professional advice. It
is not the advice of somebody who doesn't know what they are talking
about. These people know buildings. They will tell you approximately
how much it will cost. The will assist you in getting a contract or
a contractor to do the work. |
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| 36 |
MRS. HARRY THOMPSON: Thank
you.
FROM THE FLOOR: Mr. Chairman, could I say just a word?
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Yes, sir.
W.F. ALGARY: I am W.F. Algary, member of the City
Council. 172 Wembly Road is my address. This project came
about in an unusual sort of way. It is one of the largest land area
projects that the FHA has yet tackled, and probably one of the worst
problems they have ever had. I was in a meeting in Detroit a couple
of years ago and this thing was being discussed very accurately and
the Area Manager from Atlanta frankly told me that he didn't think
Asheville could handle it, is was too big a problem. Well, after
about an hour of selling, he did change his mind, and tonight we are
on the threshold of the fulfillment of this project. Mrs. Pickard, I
think, has put her finger on a lot of the problems. A home is not
simply a lot of land, some sticks and stones. It is more than that,
and I envision the area and the day that will be in the not too
distant future if the City of Asheville will accept the bond issue,
that this thing in a material way will come to pass, but tonight is
a good night to start thinking and tomorrow is a good day to start
working towards determining when this does come to pass that the
people in |
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| 37 |
the area will be proud of it, will make it a
showplace in Asheville. It is entirely possible. I have heard a
great many people say great criticism about these things, that
people pour millions of dollars into them and people move in to
them, they tear up the houses and they disregard the parks and the
shrubbery and the flowers, and so forth. I know this is going to be
different, and I hope to see that when this is even started that
community areas will be developed, such as the Agricultural
Community Council, and you will have various areas that will be
vying with one another to see who can make their area the most
attractive area in the City, not just in this particular area, but
the most attractive area in the City of Asheville. Now, that is
something for us to really shoot for, to make worth all the --
really worthwhile all the effort and all the money and all the time
that will have been put in to this project. We can go down there and
move people in after putting ten million, twenty million, fifty
million in this project, but somebody doesn't give it loving care,
it really isn't worth the effort. Now, you people have the
opportunity to prove to yourselves, to the city of Asheville and the
State of North Carolina, that you can really make this project
worthwhile and it will be one where anyone, regardless of race,
creed, or color, will be damn |
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| 38 |
glad to live. Thank you. (Applause.)
MRS. GLOVER (?) : My name is Mrs.
Glover (?). I live at
49 Hammet (?) Street. This does not concern me, but I am speaking
for the people here who haven't asked about rent. Now, in the
projects that they have, every time the man gets a raise, the rent
goes up, and they pay exorbitant prices for Lee Walker Heights
facilities, and they have families, and going up with the rent --
you know what the food is doing. I think they would want to know
just what rent they would have to pay in these new houses.
MR. GREER: That, of course, is a question which
the Redevelopment Commission is not able to answer. The
Administrator and the Board of the Housing Authority can best answer
that. I believe I can say without fear of contradiction that the
rent is charged in all public housing areas and in this public
housing area to be built, is approximately twenty or twenty-five per
cent below what a family would have to pay for the same
accommodations outside the housing project, bearing in mind that
you are getting the utilities and getting decent, safe,
sanitary homes. Perhaps you need more clarification from the
Director or from the Chairman. I would like to point out, if I may
digress from that, prior to the meeting we have some booklets over
here |
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| 39 |
concerning the East Riverside Project, and certainly
would be happy if you would take on of these with you. It does
contain some information. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Any other questions or comments?
Someone back here?
FROM THE FLOOR: I wonder if I might stand back here
where I am?
CHAIRMAN MILLER: All right. It is a little hard for me
to hear you out there.
FROM THE FLOOR: Mr. Greer and his staff and the
Urban Renewal staff, I just wanted to take time out to express our
appreciation for the very fine way and thought and consideration that has
been given to this program through Mr. Greer, and having to make a
choice of some of the very fine people I feel that we have here in
the City down at 86 Livingston Street. Being one of the area
chairmen and having tried to walk the wall that I felt my own humble
way for this particular program, I feel it would be robbery if we
did not give our appreciativeness for those persons in the office
for the educational program that is now in action, and I feel that
unless we offer our appreciation to Mr. LePore, Mrs. Grayson, Miss
Littlejohn, and Mr. Roland, this particular part of the program so
far would be incomplete. As one of the area chairmen |
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| 40 |
and as a minister in the area, I want to thank you
and I want to ask the people of the area and the people of Asheville
that we cooperate in a most humble and sincere and progressive way
that we might accept this program that Asheville might be totally
proud of itself. (Applause.)
CHAIRMAN MILLER: Thank you, very much. I am sure
that the staff and those who work so hard appreciate your remarks.
Anyone else have anything to say at this time; any questions or
comments to make? If not, I will declare the meeting adjourned.
---------------------( Meeting adjourned at 8:40
P.M.)------------------------ |
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| 41 |
North Carolina
Buncombe County
I, Awa N. Edney, Court Reporter and Notary Public, do
hereby certify that the foregoing forty pages is a true record of
the public hearing on the East Riverside Urban Renewal Project given
by the Asheville Redevelopment Commission, on Tuesday, May 31, 1966,
at 7:30 P.M., in Room 409 of the Buncombe County Courthouse,
Asheville, North Carolina, and reported by me.
Witness my hand and seal, this the 8th day of June,
1966.
_____________________________
Awa N. Edney, Court Reporter and
Notary Public.
My commission expires:
November 1, 1966.
Awa N. Edney
Court Reporter
Asheville, N.C.
253-8510 |
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