Atlanta Daily World

A Timely Meeting

A dinner meeting held Thursday night for the mayor, Board of Aldermen, Housing Authority and Urban Renewal officials was very much in order in the light of action by the Aldermanic Board majority in rejecting the zoning of land purchased for public housing on Forrest Road. The stated purpose of the meeting was to prevent in the future the working at cross-purposes by any of the various agencies or departments of city government concerned with the implementation of the multi-million dollar Renewal program. As one alderman put it, such a meeting was long past due and he intimated had it been held prior to Dec. 7th, the zoning result might have been different. The meeting was also for the purpose of telling the aldermen why certain sites were selected for public housing.

Mayor Hartsfield and Cecil Alexander, chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Urban Renewal, reportedly told those assembled about the concern of the Negro Atlanta leadership over the rejection of the Egleston site which comprised mostly vacant land bordering on Negro residences. We thank them for this action.

Alderman Milton Farris, chairman of the Aldermanic Zoning committee, suggested that all the aldermen be present at the next meeting of his committee to consider zoning a site for a housing project on Bankhead Avenue. Under the program a project was to be built in both the westside and northeast area.

Significantly, and very properly so, John O. Chiles, head of the Atlanta Housing Authority which is the purchasing agent for the city for Urban Renewal, reportedly told the group that the authority was still looking for a site in the northeast section for a project. There is no better site than the Forrest Road location.

Hundreds of Negro families have already been displaced in the northeast section which is important to the Auburn Avenue businesses and churches. Logic dictates that a project in that section should be given high priority. But as regretfully as may be the action on the Egleston site, after the aldermen have had a chance to hear the many positive facts why the project should be built there, we are hoping that they may early reconsider their action and permit the beginning of work on this urgently needed housing in an area where large numbers of families have already been required to move out.

It is important that all responsible citizens and officials concerned with this big task of Urban Renewal work in basic understanding to the end that the program will bring about the minimum hardship to any family.

All should constantly bear in mind the fundamental phase of the program which requires for the providing of housing for displaced families as close as possible to the area from which they were displaced. This is important.

We are glad that Thursday night's meeting was held because it could not help but bring about better understanding and more agreement about action in connection with Urban Renewal.