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RESOLUTION NUMBER 2,770
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE CITY CF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS,
APPROVING THE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN ANC
THE FEASIBILITY OF RELOCATION FOR PRO-
JECT NO. ARK R-12
IATHEREAS, under the provisions of Title I of the Housing Act of 1949,
as amended, the Housing and Home Finance Administrator is authorized to
provide financial assistance to Local Public Agencies for undertaking and carry-
ing out urban renewal projects; and
WHEREAS, it is provided in such Act that contracts for financial aid
thereunder shall require that the Urban Renewal Plan for ti-c respective project
area be approved by the governing body of the locality in which the project is
situated and that such approval include findings by the governing body that: (1)
the financial aid to be provided in the contract is necessary to enable the project
to be undertaken in accordance with the Urban Renewal Plan; (2) the Urban Re-
newal Plan will afford maximum opportunity, consistent with the sound needs of
the locality as a whole, for the rehabilitation or redevelopment of the urban
renewal area by private enterprise; (3) the Urban Renewal Plan conforms to a
general plan for the development of the locality as a whole; and (4) the Urban
Renewal Plan gives due consideration to the provision of adequate park and
recreational areas and facilities, as may be desirable for neighborhood improve-
ment, with special consideration for the health, safety, and welfare of children
residing in the general vicinity of the site covered by the Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Housing Authority of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas,
(herein called the "Local Public Agency") has entered into a planning contract
for financial assistance under such Act with the United States of America, acting
by and through the Housing and Home Finance Administrator, pursuant to which
Federal funds were provided for the urban renewal project (herein called the
"Project") identified as "Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project ARK R-12"
and encompassing the area bounded on the North by the centerline of the Arkansas
River, on the East by the centerline of the Little Rock - North Little Rock
Expressway extended to the centerline of the Arkansas River and by the center-
line of the Little Rock - North Little Rock Expressway, on the South by a line
commencing at a point where the South right-of-way line of Fifteenth Street ex-
tended intersects with the centerline of the Little Rock - North Little Rock
Expressway, thence West along the South right-of-way line of Fifteenth Street
extended and the South right-of-way line of Fifteenth Street to the \Vest right-of-
way line of McAlmont Street, thence North along the ';Vest right-of-way line of
McAlmont Street to the South right-of-way line of Fifteenth Street, thence West
along the South right-of-way line of Fifteenth Street to a point where the South
right-of-way line of Fifteenth Street intersects with the Vest right-of-way line
of Broadway Street, thence North along the West right-of-way line of Broadway
Street to the South right-of-way line of Eleventh Street, thence ','est along the
South right-of-way line of Eleventh Street to the East right-of-way line of Arch
Street, thence North along the East right-of-way line of Arch Street to the North
right-of-way line of Eighth Street, thence East along the North right-of-way line
of Eighth Street to the West right-of-way line of Broadway Street, thence North
along the West right-of-way line of Broadway Street and of Broadway Street
extended to the centerline of the Arkansas River, in the City of Little Rock,
State of Arkansas, (herein called the "Locality"); and
WHEREAS, the Local Public Agency has applied for additional financial
assistance under such Act and proposed to enter into an additional contract or
contracts with the Housing and Home Finance Agency for the undertaking of, and
for making available additional financial assistance for, the Project; and
WHEREAS, the Local Public Agency has made detailed studies of the
location, physical condition of structures, land use, environmental influences,
and social, cultural, and economic conditions of the Project area and has deter-
mined that the area is a slum, blighted, deteriorated, or deteriorating area and
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that it is detrimental and a menace to the safety, health, and welfare of the
inhabitants and users thereof and of the Locality at large, because of overcrowd-
ing or improper location of strucrires on the land; excessive dwelling unit
density; conversions to incompatible types of use; obsolete building types; detri-
mental land uses or conditions; unsafe, congest¢d, poorly designed or deficient
streets; inadequate public utilities or community facilities; and other equally
significant environmental deficiencies, and the members of this Governing Body
have been fully apprised by the Local Public Agency and are aware of these facts
and conditions; and
WHEREAS, there has been prepared and referred to the Board of r`irec-
tors of the Locality (herein called the "Governing Body") for review and approval
an Urban Renewal Plan for the Project area, dated September 1961, as revised
December 18, 1961, and consisting of six (6) pages and four (4) exhibits; and
-'HEKEAS, the project area, which is predominantly nonresidential in
character, is to be redeveloped for predominantly nonresidential uses under said
Urban Rene\A al Plan; and
!HERcjAS, said Urban Renewal Pan has been approved by the Governing
Body of the Local Public Agency, as evidenced by the copy of said Body's duly
certified resolution approving said Urban Renewal Plan, which is attached
thereto; and
`-'HEREAS, a gene_'' plan has been prepared and is recognized and used
as a guide for the general development of the Locality as a whole; and
-71EREAS, the Little Rock Planning commission; which is the duly
designated and acting official planning body for the Locality, has submitted to the
Governing Body its report and recommendations respecting said Urban Renewal
Plan for the Project area and has certified that said Urban Renewal Plan conforms
to the said general plan for the Locality as a whole, and the Governing Body has
duly considered said report, recommendations, and certification of the planning
body; and
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WHEREAS, said Urban Renewal Plan for the Project area prescribes
,certain land uses for the Project area and will require, among other things,
changes in zoning, the vacating and removal of streets, alleys and other public
ways, the establishment of new street patterns, the location and relocation ox
sewer and water mains and other public facilities, and other public action; and
':WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the
City of Little Rock, Arkansas, has caused to be made a competent independent
analysis of the local supply of hotel and other transient housing; and
WHEREAS, the Local Public Agency has prepared and submitted proposals
for the relocation of families that may be displaced as a result of carrying out
the Project in accordance with said Urban Renewal Plan; and
-tTHEREAS, there have also been presented to the Governing Body
information and data respecting the proposals for relocation which have been
prepared by the Local Public Agency as a result of studies, surveys, and in-
spections in the Project area and the assembling and analysis of the data and
information obtained from such studies, surveys, and inspections; and
WHEREAS, the members of this Governing Body have general knowledge
of the conditions prevailing in the Project area and of the availability of proper
housing in the locality for the relocation of families that may be displaced from
the Project area and, in the light of such knowledge of local housing conditions,
have carefully considered and reviewed such proposals for relocation; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary that the Governing Body take appropriate
official action respecting the proposals for relocation and said Urban Renewal
Plan for the Project, in conformity with the contract(s) for financial assistance
between the Local Public Agency and the United States of America, acting by
and through the Housing and Home Finance Administrator:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, AS FOLLOWS:
1. That it is hereby found and determined that the Project is a slum,
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blighted, deteriorated or deteriorating area and qualifies as an eligible Project
area under Act 212 of 1945 of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas,
as amended by Act 189 in 1957 and Act 119 in 1959.
2. That said Urban Renewal Plan for the Project aforement_oned, having
been duly reviewed and considered, is hereby approved, and the Recording
Officer (City Clerk) be and is hereby directed to file said copy of said Urban
Renewal Plan with the minutes of this meeting.
3. That it is hereby found and determined that said Urban Renewal Plan
for the Project area conforms to said general plan of the Locality.
4. That it is hereby found and determined that the financial aid provided
and to be provided pursuant to said contract(s) for Federal financial assistance
pertaining to the Project is necessary to enable the Project to be undertaken in
accordance with the Urban Renewal Plan for the Project Area.
5. That the redevelopment of the Urban Renewal Area for predominantly
nonresidential uses is necessary for the proper development of the community.
6. That it is hereby found and determined that the above-mentioned
Urban Renewal Plan for the Urban Renewal Area will afford maximum opportunity,
consistent with the sound needs of the Locality as a whole, for the urban renewal
of such areas by private enterprise.
7. That it is hereby found and determined that the Urban Renewal Plan
for the Urban Renewal Area gives due consideration to the provision of adequate
park and recreational areas and facilities, as may be desirable for neighborhood
improvement, with special consideration for the health, safety, and welfare of
children residing in the general vicinity of the site covered by the Plan.
8. That it is hereby found apd determined, as a result of a competent
independent analysis of the local supply of transient housing, that there exists
in the area a need for additional units of such housing.
9. That it is hereby found and determined that the proposals for the
proper relocation of the families displaced in carrying out the Project in decent,
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safe, and sanitary dwellings in conformity with acceptable standards are feasible
and can be reasonably and timely effected to permit the proper prosecution and
completion of the Project; and that such dwellings or dwelling units available or
to be made available to such displaced families are at least equal in number to
the number of displaced families, are not generally less desirable in regard to
public utilities and public and commercial facilities than the dwellings of the
displaced families in the Project area, are available at rents or prices within
the financial means of the displaced families, and are reasonably accessible to
their places of employment.
10. That in order to implement and facilitate the effectuation of the
Urban Renewal Plan hereby approved it is found and determined that certain
official action must be taken by this Body with reference, among other things,
to changes in zoning, the vacating and removal of streets, alleys, and other
public ways, the establishment of new street patterns, the location and relocation
of sewer and water mains and other public facilities, and other public action,
and, accordingly, this Body hereby: (a) pledges its cooperation in helping to
carry out such Urban Renewal Plan; (b) requests the various officials, depart-
ments, boards, and agencies of the Locality having administrative responsibili-
ties in the premises likewise to cooperate to such end and to exercise their
respective functions and powers in a manner consistent with said Urban Renewal
Plan; and (c) stands ready to consider and take appropriate action upon proposals
and measures designed to effectuate said Urban Renewal Plan.
11. That additional financial assistance under the provisions of Title I
of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended, is necessary to enable the land in
the project area to be renewed in accordance with the Urban Renewal Plan
for the Project area and, accordingly, the filing by the Local Public Agency
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of an application or applications for such financial assistance under Title I
is hereby approved.
ADOPTED: December 18, 1961
ATTEST: APPROVED:
' ✓e
So-1J
CITY CLERK MAYOR