Box 21, Folder 43, Document 53

Box 21, Folder 43, Document 53

824 Hurt Buitoinc
TELEPHONE JA. 3-6074

ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303

April 27, 1967

Dr. Richard C. Hackney
Suite 306, Herndon Building
239 Auburn Avenue, N. E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Dear Dr. Hackney:

We regret that you feel that we may have contributed to a vacancy
problem which you have in your 12-unit apartment building at 525 Ira
Street, S. W. We make a particular and special effort at the time
the required appraisals are made to reassure occupants of properties
being appraised that there is no reason for them to be upset and
that no immediate relocation will be necessary. As you probably
know, it is to the advantage of tenants in a case such as this to
remain on the premises until we can legally assist in their reloca-
tion by paying their moving expenses and otherwise assist them. I
am enclosing a copy of the notice to occupants of the area which is
a Federal requirement, and we think a good and fair one. You will
notice that it urges people not to move until they have consulted
our representative about relocation.

We have talked with our appraiser whom we employed to make this ap-
praisal and he tells us that he did his best to reassure the tenants
in your property that there would be no immediate change and no reason
for them to contemplate moving. However, he did have to identify
himself as an appraiser in order to carry out his work. With all the
public hearings and public discussions which have been conducted con-
cerning the use of this area as a school-park complex for the City,

as well as the notice referred to above, we expect that there is
general knowledge in the neighborhood that eventually some of this
property will be acquired.

We presume and hope that the improvements which you made on your
property three years ago enhanced its value in an amount which can
be’ recognized in the appraisals so that you will recover the addi-
tional investment which you made.

COPY
Dr. Richard C. Hackney page 2 April 27, 1967



Although we consider all appraisal reports as confidential, we feel it
is appropriate to repeat some portions of it and our recent telephone
talk with the appraiser to you since the question has arisen. At the
time of the appraiser's visit, five of the twelve apartments were vacant
and the property was littered with rubbish and garbage, in addition to
being vandalized. Parts of the report states "Subject property is in
poor condition. However, it varies from other apartment facilities in
that it has a poured concrete first floor, second floor and ceiling. It
therefore has structural soundness and continues to rent in spite of its
condition." --- "Oddly enough, this sturdily built apartment house is in
poorer condition than other neighboring units not so heavily built with
concrete floors, ceilings and roof deck. Rental experience poor."

In view of the general conditions which apparently existed in and around
the property, and the also apparent history of difficulties in turnover
and vacancies, we do not feel that the visit by the appraiser is solely
responsible for the present vacancy problem. We do regret that you do
have such a problem and fully appreciate the difficulty of keeping
property in good condition when there is a high vacancy and vandalism
rate.

Sincerely,

M. B. Satterfield
Executive Director

MBS:dm
Enclosure

The Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr.
Mayor of the City of Atlanta