Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-23
Ex-Housing Aide Books
BusinessIike Renewal
BY ROBERT J. LEWIS
star staff Writer


BY ROBERT J. LEWIS .
star staff writer
More businesslike procedures
would help the Nations urban
renewal program, the Eisen-
hover Administrators top
housing official told House
subcommittee today.
Testifying as head now Of one
If the country's largest urban
Fedevelopment firms. Albert NJ.
Cole, former administrator Of
ne Housing and Home Finance
Agency. said:
Local public agencies should
act in accordance with the
hard. cold, economic facts Of
life"
The former official said he
considered it very important
that planning be done in an
atmosphere Of the hard reali-
ties of real estate values
Served s Years
Mr.. Cole served as HHFA
head for six years. resigning
IN 1853 to head the Reynolds
Metals Development Corp. a
subsidiary of the Reynolds
Metal Co. The redevelopment
firm has many projects under
way. including the Eastwick
project in Philadelphia, the
country's largest.
Under questioning by Repre-
sentative Rains. Democrat of
Alabama. and other members
Of the House Banking Com
nittee's Housing subcommittee.
Mr. Cole said time lag" was
renewals greatest difficulty"
from the redeveloper's point of
view. ~.
r Lots OF things are wrong
with the law. with the regula-
tons and with the program,
Mr.. Cole told the subcommit-
tee.
Il know it isn't perfect and
you know it isn't. It is not
working satisfactorily and the
problem begins with the COM
plexity Of it."
Had Served on Unit
Mr.. Cole said he. was greatly
disappointed in our failure to
do something effective in re-
Mobilization. Il don't believe
renewal can be made effective
without IT,"
As q former Republican rep
Fesentative from Kansas, Mr..
Cole had served as a member
of the Housing Subcommittee
before which he testified today.
He told the members revival
ization Of urban centers is i'm
portant from both the social
and economic point Of view"
TT Is really a cold FLOODED
business deal by which the
Government wants to get its
money back and wants to in
crease the cities tax Yield"
Representative Widnall, Re-
publican Of New Jersey, asked
Mr.. Cole how his firms land
was obtained for redevelop-
ment. whether by negotiation
or through bidding.
Mr.. Cole replied that both
methods were used, and said
that as a developer, he would
prefer q negotiated contract.
Cites Problem
Mr.. Cole said zone of the
problems about negotiation is
protection Of the public inter-
ests." and stipulated that
nothing should be under the
table and all the dealings
should be above board"
IF the project has received
correct appraisal and the ne
gotiation is completely open.
you will find the program
moves more rapidly" he said.
Asked whether he would ad-
vocate "a mixture of luxury.
niddle-income and public
housing units in a single project
area" Mr.. Cole replied:
Let me answer you gen.
orally. Any plans that have a
mixture would cause me to look
at them very carefully. Gen.
orally the plan should be ae-
ceptable to the market"
Against mix" Laws
p. Mr.. Cole added he would be
against legislation saying
there should be a certain kind
Of mix" of dwellings within a
project area.
Yesterdays witnesses in.
cluded Mayor Joseph M. Bar
Of Pittsburgh and Mayor Byron
r. Morse of Little Rock, Ark.
both of whom urged increases
in the rate of Federal aid.
Larger cities, they said
should be made eligible to re-
ceive Federal grants of So on
of every 81 of the net cost o
renewal projects, instead of S.
out of every So of cost, as a
present.
Program Going Well
Cities with less than 5000
population now can receive tn
higher Federal grant. Cities o
10000 in depressed areas
also can receive the higher rate
as well as cities of any siz
Groun TO Press