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Dept. of Community Development Yesler-Atlantic Parcel Appraisals, 1961-1985

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Dept. of Community Development
Title
Dept. of Community Development Yesler-Atlantic Parcel Appraisals
Dates
1961-1985 (inclusive)
Quantity
6.0 cubic feet, (15 boxes)
Collection Number
1627-03
Summary
Appraisals of property as part of the Yesler-Atlantic Neighborhood Improvement Project.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

The Department of Community Development administered the City's comprehensive plan and provided direction and support for the City's physical and economic development through community planning. DCD was established in 1969 and assumed the responsibilities of the City Planning Commission and the Urban Renewal Program. In 1972, the Office of Economic Development was created in the Department to provide information to businesses that were expanding or relocating in Seattle. DCD was the lead agency for implementing various types of grant funded projects, such as the Neighborhood Improvement Program, Targeted Neighborhood Assistance Program, and Neighborhood Development Program. DCD was abolished in 1992 and its programs were relocated in the Department of Neighborhoods, Department of Housing and Human Services, Planning Department, and other agencies. DCD records include material from the City Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, Metropolitan Arts Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Urban Renewal Program.

The City Planning Commission was created in 1924 to prepare plans and gather data for the development of the City, to advise City Council on current problems and long range planning, and to participate in administration of the City's Zoning Ordinance. An independent nine-member commission was established with adoption of a new City Charter in 1946. It was provided with authority to hire as needed to carry out its planning and advisory functions. The Planning Commission also administered the Board of Adjustment following its creation in 1957.

The city planning process was reorganized in 1980 and the Commission's planning function was transferred to the Department of Community Development. The current Commission is an advisory agency that reviews development plans and reports to the Mayor and City Council. It is composed of 15 members, all of whom must be Seattle citizens.

In 1959, a City ordinance designated the area "bounded by Yesler Way, Empire Way South, Lake Way, Rainier Avenue South, and 14th Avenue South" a "blighted area" and proposed an urban renewal project -- the 340-acre Yesler-Atlantic Neighborhood Improvement Project -- which would fund "rehabilitation, redevelopment, or a combination thereof" with federal dollars. The City was authorized to apply for $89,200 to fund plans and surveys of the area; this figure was later amended to $137,854. A $2 million capital grant was requested to demolish decaying structures and construct and install "streets, utilities, parks, playgrounds...public buildings or facilities..."; displaced families would be relocated.

In 1959, when the federal government expressed concern about the costs of funding the entire project, the area to be improved was divided into two sections (the Yesler-Atlantic "U" and the "T," so named for the shape of the areas covered). The 137-acre "T" was selected as the first to undergo development because a large non-cash grant would accrue from the construction of the New Washington Junior High School in the "T" area. Survey and planning of the area began in 1960.

In 1966, a new plan for the Yesler-Atlantic neighborhood was approved; structural inspections and an economic feasibility study were carried out, and a new project plan was created. A public hearing was scheduled for discussion of the new plan, and some property owners petitioned to have the hearing delayed on the grounds that the City Council had not made known the special procedures that applied to urban renewal hearings. Although their request was denied, the resulting litigation would delay the start of the project until 1968. In 1968, the project received HUD approval. By 1973, 42 homes had been rehabilitated, new complexes had been constructed, and a new park had been completed.

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Content Description

Itemized appraisals, 1961-1970, of real property, including structures. Used for documenting conditions in the neighborhood and for property acquisitions for the Yesler-Atlantic Street Neighborhood Improvement Project, which was comprised of 137 acres in the central core of the city. Also includes appraisals, 1971-1985, of disposition parcels owned by the City in the Project area. Appraisals include photographs of the property and appraisals of comparable sales in the neighborhood.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Yesler-Atlantic Parcel Appraisals, Record Series 1627-03. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Acquisition appraisals arranged in chronological groupings. Disposition appraisals arranged by Project parcel number.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

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Subject Terms

  • Civic improvement--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Community development--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Urban renewal--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Yesler-Atlantic Neighborhood Improvement Project (Seattle, Wash.)

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Dept. of Community Development

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)

Finding aid prepared by Janet Ness
2009

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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