-NO. 4ib STAFT RTPCR CIL P iU To the Moyor ond Members of theCityCouncil Dote tt /05/76 Subject : Preservation of Housing The area between North Lincoln Boulevard and North Eastern from Northeast 4th Street to Northeast 24th Street includes the John ...
-NO. 4ib STAFT RTPCR CIL P iU To the Moyor ond Members of theCityCouncil Dote tt /05/76 Subject : Preservation of Housing The area between North Lincoln Boulevard and North Eastern from Northeast 4th Street to Northeast 24th Street includes the John F. Kennedy and cal C ter Urban Renewa I Projects and an area (Northeast I3th Street to Northeast 24th Street be tween North Lincoln and North Lottie) which is part of the Capi tol -l4ed i cal Center lmprovement and Zoning Commission jurisdiction. lf the smal I area south of Northeast 4th Street to the CRI and P Railroad right-of-way, between Lincoln and Washington Park were included, the entire near Northeast residential area would be included" The City Council requested information as to the manner in which housing improvements for this area could be accompl ished. Discussed below are those actlvities which are currently availabfe and some of those which might bq developed'within our present capabil'ities and fund ing levels. tnsofart as we can determine, the mixture of juri s- any the activit'ies itis- dictions in the area ',vould rtot adversely affect of cussed Currentl y Ava i lab I e 4qqlyiqeq: l ln the Urban Renewal Projec L Areas, all substandard structures which'are not capable of being rehabi I itated, are scheduled for acqr.risition arici cic- mo!ition. The cleared Iand then becomes avai!ab!e for private redevr:!op- ment in accordance with the Urban Renewal Plan Section 312 Federal Iow-intgr€st loans (3 percent) dre available to those who qualify in these project areas. The loans are administrated by the Urban Renewal Authority. Tfiere is also a significant amount of Sec. ll5 Federal Grant money availabte in the JFK Project area. This progrant is also administrated by the Renewal Authority for hardship home rehabi I it:rtion actitities. Some project improvement work still remains to be done in botFr Renewal Project areas. Famllies, individuals and busine,ss.es displaced by these activities receive Federal 'Relocation and Housing Replacement assi's- tance payments. ln that area not encompassed by the two Renewal Projects, the city has a I imited program of demol itort of abandoned and dilapidated housing, vrhich is available on a complaint basis. This program is carried out under a $5O,OOO Community Development Revolving fund. The City also provides zoning enforcement, on a cornplaint basis. Potential Activi ties Wi thin Our Present Capabilities: Generally, it may not be advisable to expend additional City resources (other thin those designated to complete approved renewal activities) tn either of the Urban Renewal Project areas. First of all, there exists ln lssued by City Monoger Oklohomo City, Oklo. Page 2 the Renewal Areas an array of both corrective and preservation measures which far exceeds the Cityrs capabil I ty. These activities are fully outlined in the respective Renewal Plans fq r each of the projects, and the City is uti I izing Conrmun i ty Developmen cD) money to fund these'activities to completion over a six year per extending to 1980. The past and current lack of demand for cleared lan n the JFK Project has slowed progress in fully implementing the Redevel t Plan. As this si tuation is al leviated in the next few years, progres n fully restoring the area can and will be accelerated. Meanwhile, the Fede ral loans and grants available to project residents should be more effecti ve than any of the modest city sponsored programs. The City does need to make clear to the Project- residents its intention to fully restore and ma intain those areas as viable residential neighborhoods. Lack of con fi denc e in these intentions and the lack of housi n9 code enforcement can contri bute s ignificantly to the lack of demand for the avai lable cleared Iand. Unfortunately, one of the crititat municipal tools for the conservation of housing -- a sound housing maintqnance code does not exist in Oklahoma City. Respons"ibility for enforcing 0k[ahor" City's present Housing Code rests wiifr the Ci ty-County Heal th 0f f ice. l^le understand that budget cuts in that of f i ce have resulted in the elimination of any systernatic code inspection activities. . At present, most of the model National Housing Codes are being revised to provide. a more f lexible ttHousing |laintenance Code'r. The City nright want to study these new codes from the standpoint of revising our present code and replacing the inspection function with a staff of City Housing Counselors. Under such a code, coupled with npdest CD loans and grants, the City could prevent major deterioration from occurring in once rehabil itated neighborhoods such as the JFK Renewal area anril surrounding area. The Cityts Legal Depart- ment has been requested to check out the legality of requesting the City-County. Health 0fficer to designate City emptoyees as his representative for code in- spec'tions in the so-cal led Harrl son l,Ial nut Area tn the.area between Lincoln and Lottie, between Northeast 24th Street and the CRI and P Railroad right-of-way the City currently has its zoning enforcement and demol ition program operatin, on a complaint basis. lf the current demo- I ition program rtere concentra I In this area, the $50,000 fund could account for the removal of approximatel FO ai Iapidated houses. You should also be aware that C {noney is currently being uti I ized to pay the salaries of three former'Envi mdntal Code lnspectors and a Clerk Typist. This staff could const,tute a srnall beginning for a permanently staffed housing maintenance program. They are currently being employed in the housing demo- I i t ion prog ram. Page l The Community Development Citizenrs gommittee is currently hearing new program proposals for the third CD Action year beginning June I, 1977. Qne of the proposals to be heard will consist of a housing maintenance and de- molition program for this area costing approximately S1q8,000. The program would be designed along the Iines of the Riverside Neighborhood Rehab Training experiment incorporating some of the lessons learned there and adapted to this particular neighborhood. Approximately 100 homes could receive some kind of assistanbe under the proposal during next year. tn addition, efforts are undef'way to establ ish a l2-month CETA demol ition program. Restricted to the denplition of frame structures and including the clean-up of salvagable Iumbern two, four-to-six man crews should be able to handle Letween 60 to 80 smallistructurei over a twelve month period. Firral clean-up requiring heavy equiFmient would be the responsibility of the City with the costs being paid outiof the $5O,OOO annual CD revolving fund and assessed against the propertylotaner. This program had a targeted start date of November l, 1976. Section 312 Lbans might also be made available to those areas outside the Renewal Projects. Such Ioans would be. especially appropriate for the small areas'south of Northeast 4th btneet (Northeast 4th Street to the CItl ano P Railroad right-of-way between Lincoln and Washington Park. However, care should be exerclsed in the extension of elny of these prog rams to the subject area because of the planned freeway and the potenti al for additional l"ledical Center expansion and related pressures. Some I ong range planning for the area should occur prior to any large expenditures on the part of either the City or the property o^rners. Development of a plan for CD plan for the coming year- the northeast is Proposed in fhe Respectful I y submi tted J. , Ci ty Manager .. 1: ',J. .