FEDERAL GRANTS

The 56-acre "Harrison-Halsted" urban renewal project became the 16th in Chicago to reach the stage of actual execution when Urban Renewal Commissioner Richard L. Steiner approved for it a $5,835,266 Federal loan and a $4,833,151 capital grant.

The run-down predominantly residential area is located two miles west of the Loop. It contains 812 dwelling units, the majority of which are substandard. The 753 families now residing in the area will be offered relocation in decent, safe and sanitary quarters, as required by law.

Chicago's plan for redevelopment of the area calls for new residential construction, along with a park-playground and shopping facilities, on project land west of Halsted Street. Project land located between Halsted and the South Expressway will be reused for new commercial and light industrial installations. Hull House, world-famed social work center, will remain at its present location in the project area.

Estimated net cost of the project is $6,905,281. This represents the difference between the cost of acquiring, clearing, and preparing the land for its new uses and the return from its resale at fair value. Chicago will put up approximately $2,300,000 in local grants-in-aid as its share of this deficit. The $4,833,141 Federal grant covers the remainder of the loss and includes an amount for aiding in relocation of site residents.

In addition to its 16 projects in actual execution, Chicago has nine other urban renewal undertakings in the planning stage.

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Commissioner John C. Hazeltine of the Community Facilities Administration today approved a loan of $78,000 to the village of Baylis, Pike County, Illinois, to finance construction of a complete water system. The project will cost an estimated $93,000, of which $14,000 is in the applicant's funds.

Baylis is a community of about 400 persons in a stable agricultural area approximately 45 miles west of Jacksonville. It presently depends on shallow wells which run dry at certain seasons and water is hauled in at an excessive cost. The project will consist of a well, pumping equipment and pump house, elevated storage tank, chlorinator, fire hydrants, and service lines.

The loan is contingent on the inability of the applicant to obtain private financing at reasonable terms.

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The Illinois State Housing Board will receive Federal grants totaling $24,250 to aid in formulating comprehensive general plans to guide the growth and development of five communities, it was announced today by Commissioner Richard L. Steiner of the Urban Renewal Administration.

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Page 133 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1958

FEDERAL GRANTS

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The communities are Algonquin in Lake County, Greenville in Bond County, Watseka in Iroquois County, Dolton in. Cook County, and Lombard in DuPage County.

For each of these municipalities a general plan will be developed on the basis of population and economic base studies, land use studies, and analyses of thoroughfares, public utilities, community facilities, and public improvements. In addition, zoning and subdivision regulations will be prepared. The work will be performed by private planning consultants under the technical supervision of the Department of City Planning and Landscape Architecture of the University of Illinois. Administrative supervision will be rendered by the State Housing Board.

The grant was approved under the urban planning assistance program authorized by the Housing Act of 1954 to provide Federal funds to State planning agencies to aid them in giving planning assistance to communities of less than 25,000 population. Similar grants are available to official State, metropolitan, and regional planning agencies for work in metropolitan and regional areas. The grants may not exceed 50 per cent of the cost of the work for which they are made. State and local funds make up the remainder.

Page 142 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1958