|
Guide to the Archives of the City of Seattle Record Group 1600 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. 1600-01 Correspondence and memoranda of James Braman, director of Department of Community Development from 1969-1974. UW 1600-02 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, studies, and reference materials relating to DCD's activities, project, and mission. These are the Director's personal office files and include some materials of an administrative nature. Arranged alphabetically. UW 1600-03 Working papers, correspondence, and subject files of Department directors. Includes, memoranda, notes, and reports relating to planning, and project and program development. These records cover the major functional areas of concern to the Department: housing, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, urban renewal, and downtown planning. The files were generated by Paul Schell, James Hornell, Darel Grothaus, Evelyn Sun, Dean Mosier, David Moseley, and Linda Dupont-Johnson. SMA 1600-05 Maps and drawings for various planning studies related to zoning and land use, urban renewal, and neighborhood development. Most of the maps were created by the City Planning Commission, but also included are materials from the Zoning Commission, Office of Urban Renewal, and Department of Community Development. This series includes the 1956 Comprehensive Plan of Seattle which consists of a single land use map. SMA 1603-01 Grant applications, financial plans, guidelines, correspondence, and reports relating to renewal projects and neighborhood improvements. Non-cash grants in aid represent non-project funds and are considered the City's share of project costs. SMA 1604-01 Correspondence, reports, YANIP newsletters, activity reports, and press clippings relating to the Yesler-Atlantic Neighborhood Improvement Project. SMA 1612-01 Correspondence, publications, and promotional materials relating to the City's attempt to lure Chiyoda Chemical and Engineering Construction Company of Japan to build a plant in Seattle. SMA 1612-02 Correspondence, reports, and reference materials relating to economic development planning. Includes studies concerning the Convention Center and the Industrial District Improvement Program. SMA 1612-03 Correspondence, environmental impact statements, drawings, and landscape designs relating to construction of an urban open space park in the Westlake Mall triangle. None of the design proposals submitted during this phase of the project were implemented. SMA 1612-04 The Land Use Planning Project was a Model Cities Program venture operated by DCD. It was designed to develop a land use plan in the East Model Neighborhood. Records include correspondence, reports, notes, and reference material of the project director. SMA 1612-05 Horwood was the supervisor for certain Model Cities projects operated by the Department in 1970-1971 and was a senior planner from 1971. Her records relate primarily to the Model Neighborhood Land Use Planning Project, Model Neighborhood Transportation Study, and Interstate-90. Included are correspondence, reports, studies, and reference materials. Approximately two-thirds of the records are at the University of Washington and the remainder are in the Seattle Municipal Archives. SMA 1612-06 Correspondence, reports, agreements and contracts, charters, and fiscal and legal records related to the Westlake Development Authority, a public corporation created to plan and develop the Westlake Project in downtown Seattle. The WDA was chartered in December 1977 to develop a mixed-use urban center on a site that had long been considered for redevelopment as a park or public center. Mayor Charles Royer dissolved the WDA in July 1986. SMA 1612-07 Correspondence, reports, working papers, appraisals, and legal materials documenting the development of the Westlake Mall project. The project was a mixed-use public park/retail shopping plan intended to contribute to the revitalization of the downtown Central Business District. The records document the project initiated by allocation of one million dollars in Forward Thrust funds in the 1960s for creation of a downtown park. Records cover the planning phase, property acquisition, and ends when the City was prevented by a State Supreme Court decision from acquiring all properties necessary for project completion. Land was subsequently sold to private developers. A public square, office tower, and shopping mall were built on the project site in the 1980s. SMA 1613-01 Correspondence, reports, notes, and memoranda relating to the development and management of the Pioneer Square Historic District. Two-thirds of the series consists of newspaper clippings, including copies of the Pioneer Square Gazette. Of particular interest are reports and correspondence from 1952-1954 that include the initial proposals for the preservation of Pioneer Square. SMA 1620-01 Files of the director of the Housing Division, formerly known as the Housing Rehabilitation Section. Includes correspondence, reports, and working papers relating to housing rehabilitation, low income housing, and Federal housing loan programs. SMA 1620-02 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, contracts, drawings, accounting records, and newspaper clippings relating to urban renewal, Neighborhood Improvement Projects, and Neighborhood Development Projects. Includes records for Yesler>-Atlantic, South Seattle, Northlake, South Park, Leschi, and North Greenwood projects. Early records in this series were generated by the Urban Renewal Program office. SMA 1620-03 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, drawings, and financial records relating to urban renewal and neighborhood development projects. McIver was program coordinator and his files relate to monitoring of department projects. SMA 1622-01 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and Federal loan materials relating to the rehabilitation of single and multi-family housing units, especially in the central area. These are primarily the files of program coordinator Bill Stalzer. SMA 1622-02 Working files of the property development coordinator relating primarily to property appraisals, acquisition, disposition, and demolition in urban renewal areas. SMA 1624-01 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, issues papers, and newspaper clippings relating to DCD input and influence on U.S. Postal Service office site selection. Records illustrate the site selection process, and the federal government's lack of adherence to City urban development plans. Arranged alphabetically by site. SMA 1624-02 Correspondence, memoranda, meeting notes, issues papers, reports, newspaper clippings, and presentation materials relating to DCD concerns over University expansion. Subjects include urban renewal plans, cooperative understandings between the City and University, and DCD input on specific University projects. SMA 1624-03 Correspondence, memoranda, meeting notes, minutes, reports, issues papers, newspaper clippings, and presentation materials relating to transportation and parking problems in the University District. Arranged alphabetically by subject. SMA 1624-04 Correspondence, contracts and agreements files, financial data, ordinances, and maps relating to improvements in the Leschi neighborhood. These appear to be files of the project manager. SMA 1624-05 This project was managed under the Community Betterment Program. Includes correspondence, ordinances, specifications, cost statements, and drawings relating to landscaping and especially tree placement in the Fremont neighborhood. SMA 1624-06 Model Cities project operated by DCD 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. Includes 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. SMA 1624-07 Correspondence, reports financial data, and drawings related to the Neighborhood Development Project in South Park. SMA 1624-08 Correspondence, reports, financial data, and drawings relating to neighborhood development in the North Greenwood area. SMA 1624-09 Applications to HUD for funding of projects through the Neighborhood Development Program. SMA 1624-10 Notices regarding parcels in North Greenwood NDP, Leschi NDP, Pike Place Project, South Park Project, and Yesler-Atlantic NIP. Acquisition notices include legal description, address, name of owner, acquisition date, occupancy status and price paid. Disposition notices include parcel numbers, address, purchaser, bid opening date, contract and closing dates, price and net income to City, and intended development use. Arranged chronologically and by project. SMA 1624-11 Neighborhood improvement project records relating to the paving of SW Cloverdale Street and 8th Avenue SW in the Highland Park area of West Seattle. SMA 1624-13 Correspondence, memoranda, financial statements, grant applications, and agreements relating to the Neighborhood Development Program. SMA 1625-01 Files maintained by project staff including correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other working papers related to acquisition and disposition of property, and planning and improvements in the University Addition-Northlake area. SMA 1625-02 Itemized appraisals of real property including structures in the University Addition-Northlake area. Used for documenting neighborhood conditions and for property acquisitions related to the urban renewal program. SMA 1626-01 Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to acquisition and disposition of property, and physical improvements in the South Seattle Redevelopment Project area. SMA 1626-02 Itemized appraisals of real property including structures in the South Seattle area. Used for documenting neighborhood conditions and for acquisitions related to the urban renewal program. SMA 1627-01 Project manager of the Yesler-Atlantic Neighborhood Improvement Project. Records include correspondence, reports, and statistics relating to acquisitions, demolition, rehabilitation, and disposition of property in the neighborhood. SMA 1627-02 Correspondence, reports, work programs, and working papers relating to urban renewal and improvements in the Yesler-Atlantic neighborhood. Includes materials about social services, housing rehabilitation, pedestrian pathways and parks, commercial development, and religious structures. SMA 1627-03 Itemized appraisals of real property including structures. Used for documenting conditions in the neighborhood and for property acquisitions related to urban renewal and neighborhood revitalization. Includes comparable sale appraisals. SMA 1627-04 The collection consists of 330 black and white photographs of mostly domestic residences in the Yesler-Atlantic "U" area of Seattle's Central District; the structures shown are primarily located in the Atlantic and Leschi neighborhoods, although other neighborhoods (including Minor, Mann, Stevens, North Beacon Hill, and the International District) are represented by a few images. A few images of commercial buildings, streets, and empty lots are also included. Prints exist for nearly every negative in the collection; however, a few negatives do not have a corresponding print. All images are available in the Archives' online photograph database, and may be viewed by performing a search on the series code (1627-04). SMA 1628-01 Correspondence, reports, property appraisals, contracts, grant and loan materials, work programs, and newspaper clippings related primarily to the redevelopment and preservation of the Pike Place Market neighborhood. Documents urban renewal activities including appraisal and property acquisition, rehabilitation and redevelopment, tenant and business relocation, and project administration. The records document the proposed redevelopment of the Market and the subsequent citizen led effort to preserve the Market as a historic landmark. Included are records of the Department of Community Development, Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, and the City Council. SMA 1628-02 Photographs, slides, film, and audiotapes documenting the history of Pike Place Market. The vast majority of visual images relate to urban renewal activities in the Market neighborhood. The collection includes over 2500 photographs and over 4500 slides. The photographs are divided into three groups: historical and contemporary images of individual properties, images taken during a 1967 property acquisition project, and images organized by subject or Market activities. The slides document conditions of Market structures before, during, and after rehabilitation and construction; and Market activities and celebrations. SMA The Board of Adjustment was created in 1957 by the new Zoning Ordinance. It was a division of the City Planning Commission and had power to hear, decide, and grant or deny applications for variances and conditional use permits. The Board began hearing zoning and variance appeals from decisions of the Hearing Examiner (3400) following the latter's creation in 1973. In 1980, application and appeal processes were consolidated in the Department of Construction and Land Use (2000) with development of the Master Use Permit system. The Board functions were superceded and it was abolished in 1981. 1640-01 Minutes of Board luncheon meetings held, generally, prior to the Board's public hearings on conditional use, variance, and special exception applications. Includes discussion and action on modifications of previous Board actions, adoption of Board policy, election of officers, and authorization time period extensions on variances. SMA 1640-04 Copies of Board reports to City Council including appeals to Council of Board actions and statistical breakdowns of the type of appeals. SMA 1642-00: Urban Renewal Program The Urban Renewal Program was authorized by Ordinance in 1957 and the first Federal funds allocated for neighborhood studies were received in 1959. The program was designed to eradicate urban "blighted areas" in the City. It was initially administered by the Executive Department, and then transferred to the Department of Community Development in 1969. Conventional urban renewal funding was designated for four neighborhoods: Yesler-Atlantic, University-Northlake, South Seattle, and Pike Place Market. In addition, Neighborhood Development Program funds targeted Leschi, South Park, and North Greenwood. Despite the early identification of neighborhoods and the adoption of urban renewal plans, most projects did not get underway until the mid to late 1960s. 1642-01 Files of the Urban Renewal Director. Includes correspondence, reports, and notes relating to urban renewal projects and administration of the program. SMA 1642-02 Correspondence, reports, budgets, minutes, and maps relating generally to urban renewal. Includes administrative materials. SMA 1642-04 The Frank McChesney Files are primarily the records of the Community Renewal Program Files, although there is some information on other urban renewal projects including: Northlake/ University, First Hill, Cherry Hill, and the Yesler-Atlantic Project. Correspondents include the Planning Commission, the University of Washington, and members of the Civic Unity Committee. Board minutes for the Civic Unity Committee are also included. There is some information on how the continuation of the grant overlapped with the Seattle Model City Program. In addition to correspondence of Frank McChesney, the records include correspondence from 1962 to 1964 of Talbot Wegg, Urban Renewal Coordinator in the Office of Urban Renewal, who was responsible for hiring Frank McChesney. Correspondence concerns CRP program in other cities, the hiring of additional personnel, and consultant research for the CRP. The bulk of the records (2.0 cf) relate to the CRP. A Steering Committee was established with the Planning Commission staff and staff of the Office of Urban Renewal to assist with survey methodologies. The progress reports, quarterly reports, and minutes, provide an overview of the challenges and issues the project encountered as well as background on decisions made in the CRP. SMA 1642-06 Generally small scale projects designed to demonstrate the improvements possible through neighborhood improvement projects. Includes correspondence, studies, maps, and project monitoring records. SMA 1642-07 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and financial data relating to the City's Capital Improvement Program and its relation to the urban renewal process. SMA 1642-08 Correspondence, agreements, financial statements, and relocation data forms relating to the relocation of individuals and businesses from urban renewal areas including Yesler-Atlantic, North Greenwood, Leschi, Ballard, and University Addition. SMA 1642-09 Urban Renewal Program correspondence, arranged chronologically. SMA 1642-10 Seattle Urban Renewal Enterprise (SURE) was established in November 1958 by 300 local firms and individuals. The non-profit organization assisted the City in long-range neighborhood urban renewal planning. Records include correspondence, reports and studies, committee minutes, and financial records relating to SURE's operation and urban renewal projects. Major projects included Yesler-Atlantic, Cherry Hill, and University Addition-First Hill. SMA 1642-11 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other documentation relating to the Cherry Hill Urban Renewal Project (Project Wash R-4 NA). Also known as Conservation Project No. 1, this was Seattle's first urban renewal project. It covered nearly 63 acres and was bounded by E. Cherry and Yesler Streets and 17th and 23rd Avenues. SMA 1642-12 Chronological correspondence of DCD's Relocation Services. Relates to relocation of tenants and homeowners of property demolished as part of urban renewal and neighborhood development programs. SMA 1650-00: City Planning Commission 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 who must be Seattle citizens. 1650-01 Proceedings of the City Planning Commission including debate, hearings, and Commission actions. SMA 1650-02 The records are an incomplete body of files for the City's Planning Director. The bulk of records relate to the Central Business District study and the Comprehensive Plan. Population, traffic, and transportation issues are all included in the background information. A report and related information is also included for Alki and the recreation needs of the community, including a study of the natatorium and whether it should be replaced. Other files reflect work on zoning issues, including over-water construction. Also of note is an inventory of civic art structures. SMA 1650-03 Correspondence, studies, and working papers of the City's assistant planning director. Subjects include high-rise zoning, transportation planning, annexations, school planning, and the Central Business District study. SMA 1650-04 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, grant applications, and studies relating to the Commission's planning function with the greatest emphasis on zoning and central area planning. This series was the City Planning Commission's central file. SMA 1650-05 Correspondence of the Planning Commission's assistant director for administration. Includes material relating to the zoning ordinance and conditional use/variance applications. SMA 1650-06 Records of Donald Monson, director of the CBD study. Includes correspondence, surveys, and economic data relating to planning issues in Seattle's business center. SMA 1650-07 Working papers of the Seattle Planning Commission relating primarily to the development of the Comprehensive Plan, a Civic Arts Center, and recreation studies throughout the City. The records are primarily those of John Spaeth, appointed as Director of the Seattle Planning Commission in 1948. Comprehensive Plan files relate to zoning issues, including height issues, density, and land use studies. Recreation studies focus on Magnolia to a large extent but also include studies done on specific playgrounds in other neighborhoods. Papers of the Urban Design Advisory Board in the mid-1960s are also included. SMA 1650-08 Applications for conditional use permits and variances, CPC committee recommendations, and Commission action. Includes correspondence and notices of hearings. SMA 1650-09 Correspondence to the Planning Commission requesting amendments to the Zoning Ordinance. Includes ordinance amendment drafts, notices of hearings, and copies of Commission minutes. SMA 1650-10 Files generated by a petition to change a zoning designation. Includes property affected, justification for change, correspondence to Commission, meeting agendas, minutes of public hearings, actions taken by Commission, and zoning maps. Arranged chronologically. SMA 1650-11 Aerial photographs of Seattle commissioned by the Planning Commission. SMA 1650-12 Rezone agendas, minutes, correspondence, rezoning petition reports, maps, and notes from City Planning Commission public hearings relating to rezone requests. Arranged chronologically. SMA 1650-14 The Planning Commission photographs date from 1945 to 1957; most of the photographs are undated. The photographs depict neighborhoods, homes, parks, highways, moorages and marinas, and aerial views of Seattle and surrounding areas. Some photographs are related to land use. A selection of photographs of a display is included; the photographs show display materials on the topic of city and neighborhood planning. Some display materials in the collection may be related to the 1953 convention of the American Institute of Architects, which was held in Seattle. Also included are photographs of Kitimat, B.C., and highway photographs made in California. Very few images in the collection are specifically identified. SMA The Zoning Commission was established in 1920 to survey the City, divide it into districts or zones, and recommend land use in those areas. The City Engineer, Superintendent of Buildings, one Parks Trustee, and six individuals appointed by the Mayor comprised the Commission membership. In 1923, the Commission presented a draft ordinance to City Council which became the City's first Zoning Code. Commission activities were superceded by creation of the City Planning Commission in 1924. Although inactive, the Commission was not abolished until 1936. 1651-01 Proceedings of regular and special meetings and including annual reports. The early minutes include reports from other cities regarding zoning used by Seattle as it begins the zoning process. SMA 1651-02 Correspondence, reports, maps, and newspaper clippings related to the work of the Seattle Zoning Commission in compiling the City's first zoning code. SMA 1652-00: Municipal Arts Commission The Municipal Arts Commission was created in 1955 to advise City government regarding the artistic and cultural development of the City. The Commission was reorganized in 1957 and its advisory responsibility was extended to recommendations regarding the design of new physical structures to be constructed in the City. In 1961, the Commission's responsibilities were broadened to include historic preservation recommendations. The Commission was abolished in 1971 and replaced by the Seattle Arts Commission. 1652-01 Proceedings of the Municipal Arts Commission. SMA 1652-02 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and press clippings relating to the programs, activities, and administration of the Municipal Arts Commission. Includes materials on Commission input regarding planning for construction of physical structures in the City. SMA |
|