Unity 71 Project Records, 1970-1972

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Dept. of Community Development
Title
Unity 71 Project Records
Dates
1970-1972 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.8 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
1624-06
Summary
Correspondence, reports, minutes, and maps relating to the Unity 71 Project, an urban development project in Seattle's Central Area, 1970-1972.
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

Historical NoteReturn to Top

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 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.

Unity 71 was a Model Cities project that was operated by DCD in an effort to rehabilitate and revitalize a small area in the East Model Neighborhood by drawing upon existing City, State and Federal resources rather than creating new service agencies. The project area was bounded by Yesler Way on the south, 17th/18th Avenues on the west, 20th/21st Avenues on the east, and East Fir/Alder Streets on the north.

Unity 71 began in 1969 as a program called "Postage Stamp" intending to "physically and socially" rehabilitate a small residential area in the Model Neighborhood. In 1971, over $1 million in Model Cities funds was authorized for Unity 71, which would attempt to "eliminate physical and environmental blight symptoms" in the chosen area. The Unity 71 fund would finance property purchases, rehabilitation of existing structures, and administrative work for the project. The new DCD positions of Urban Renewal Project Manager, Assistant Urban Renewal Project Manager, and Secretary would implement the project.

An important aspect of the project was its dependence upon the resources of existing agencies to renew a neighborhood by "using innovative procedures and methods." Some of these agencies and programs included the Seattle Model Cities Program, Seattle Urban League, City of Seattle, and Seattle Housing Authority, among many others. Some goals of the project included assisting homeowners in rehabilitation, eliminating "environmental deficiencies and blighting influences," adding housing and community facilities, and improving public utilities and transportation.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Unity 71 Records date from 1970 to 1972 and include correspondence, reports, minutes, contracts, transmittal notices, newspaper clippings, and maps. Information on topics such as acquisition and appraisal of properties, budgets and funding, capital improvements, and redevelopment and rehabilitation (including specifications for the rehabilitation of structures) is included in the records, as well as copies of relevant ordinances and resolutions. Plans and proposals for the project exist for 1971 and 1972, and a land utilization and development study is also included.

The annual activity report discusses the history, scope, objectives, and progress of the project, as well as scheduled activities for the future. Monthly activity reports discuss progress made in areas such as administration, community organization, redevelopment and rehabilitation, property acquisition, and capital improvements. The records also contain copies of the NAHRO Letter, a "weekly dispatch" providing news to National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials members. The records also contain maps of the project area.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Department of Community Development Unity 71 Project Records, Record Series 1624-06. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

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

Unity 71 Project Records, 1970-1972Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Administrative - includes budget and black and white 35 mm negatives
1971
1/2
Annual Report
1971
1/3
Activity Reports - Monthly
1971-1972
1/4
Activity Reports - Quarterly
1971
1/5
Agreements and contracts - Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
1971
1/6
Agreements and contracts- Seattle Model City Program (SMCP) / City Demonstration Agency (CDA)
1971
1/7
Agreements and Contracts - Other
1971
1/8
Budget
1971-1972
1/9
Memorandum - Incoming
1971-1972
1/10
Memorandum - Outgoing
1971
1/11
Correspondence - Incoming
1971-1972
1/12
Correspondence - Outgoing
1971-1972
1/13
Appraisal Requests
1971
1/14
Capital Improvements
1971-1972
1/15
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Handbooks and Procedures
1971
1/16
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Section 312 Loans
1971
2/1
Maps
1970-1971
2/2
Minutes - Community Meeting
1971
2/3
Minutes - Other
1971-1972
2/4
Newsletters - National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) (includes minutes of 10/15/1971)
1971
2/5
Housing Affairs Letter / The Weekly Washington Report on Housing
1971-1972
2/6
Newsletters - Leschi Neighborhood Development Program
1971-1972
2/7
Postage Stamp Project
1970-1971
2/8
Program Proposal
1971-1972
2/9
Redevelopment Study
1971
2/10
Seattle Model Cities Program (includes map descriptions)
undated
2/11
Utility Undergrounding
1971
2/12
Urban Renewal - Newspaper Articles
1971
2/13
Yesler Atlantic Neighborhood Improvement Plan (YANIP) - Pedestrian Pathway - Analysis
1971

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • City planning--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Civic improvement--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Urban renewal--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • United States. Model Cities Administration

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Negatives

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Unity 71 Project (Seattle, Wash.) (creator)