Box 1, Folder 3, Document 7

Box 1, Folder 3, Document 7

CITY OF ATLANTA b

CITY HALL ATLANTA, GA. 30303
Tel. 522-4463 Area Code 404

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING
COLLIER B. GLADIN, Director

January 10, 1989

Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.
City of Atlanta

City Hall

Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Mayor Allen:

In developing a new Housing Code Compliance Program the Planning Department
and Building Department are convinced that a city-wide field survey of housing
conditions must be conducted in the second quarter of 1969. A new survey is the only
way to obtain the information necessary to establish the level of accomplishment
of the original Housing Code Compliance Program and fo develop realistic priorities
for housing code inspections for the next several years. No accurate or complete
information has been maintained on housing condition changes within the city since
the 1965 Community Improvement Program Survey, and an efticient, new Boer
cannot be developed from obsolete management information.

Both the Building Department and Planning Department believe the proposed
survey will facilitate the development of a more effective Housing Code Compliance
Program. In short, there is no other way to quantitatively and qualitatively measure
the level of accomplishment of the first five year Housing Code Compliance Program,
to wit; which areas have been stabilized; which areas have regressed; which areas
are continuing to decline and for what reasons; which areas require more constant
surveillance than that provided to this point; how can we more effectively apply
our personnel and what additional personnel will be required to halt slum and blight
development and spread, etc.

Who should undertake the proposed survey? For several reasons, the two
Departments feel that Housing Code Inspectors are ideally suited to conduct the
necessary field survey:
v

Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. -2- January 10, 1969

The original five year inspection program has been accomplished
ahead of schedule. All of the original inspections have been
completed. What remains are uncomplied cases which can be
assigned to the Sector Inspectors, plus handling city-wide
inspections on a complaint basis. Thus, the Concentrated Area
Inspectors would be in a logical position wherein they could
begin immediate preparations for the proposed field survey.

. The proposed field survey must be initiated in the next few months.

HUD requirements on the Workable Program provide for a Housing
Code Compliance Program. The Workable Program must be
recertified in September, 1969 and current information is essential
to its preparation. Since the survey will take at least three
months to complete, aciual field work must begin by the first

of March at the very latest to be of greatest use. Consequently,
time being a major factor we must use those personnel most
familiar with the type of information being sought.

The inspectors are better qualified than anyone else in the city
to conduct a Housing Conditions Survey. They have inspected
the city's houses for five years; they know what to look for and
can be quickly trained in survey techniques because of their
background in housing terminology, conditions and experience
in meeting the public. ;

The inspectors will be required to furnish continuous information

to keep the survey data updated. In other words, their observations
during the course of later inspections will be fed back into the
central record keeping system to keep the housing conditions

' statistics current. The experience they will gain while conducting

the survey will be invaluable training for this future role, and

The inspectors will gain valuable familiarity with all areas of the
city during the survey which will be of use to them ata later date
when they are making inspections and attempting to obtain
compliances.

Since the present program is running ahead of schedule relative to original inspections,
it is recommended that extensive time and manpower be devoted to uncomplied cases in
order to gain more lasting compliances prior to initiating any new program. As soon as the
field survey techniques and policies are developed, ten of the inspectors would be
assigned to the survey. This would leave the other ten inspectors to concentrate on
obtaining compliances and to cover city-wide inspections on a complaint basis. The ten
Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. -3- January 10, 1969

inspectors on the survey team. can completely cover the city in three to four months,
enabling the Planning Department to use this information in developing a new Housing
Code Compliance Program. In turn, the new Housing Code Compliance Program can
be incorporated into the 1969 Workable Program.

A more complete and detailed explanation of the contents of this letter is
contained in "Housing Code Compliance Program: Interim Proposal, 1969."
Background material is contained in "The Housing Code Compliance Program: Background
and Present Situation (Problems and Recommendations for Action)." oD of these
are producis of departmental staff and attached hereto.

We seek your endorsement of this proposal. If further explanation or additional
information is required we will be pleased to meet with you at your convenience.. ,

Sincerely,

Cah QO.

Collier B. Gladin
Planning Director

a Pee Le Taal

William R. Wofford
Building Official

CBG/WRW/ jp

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