At a special meeting on Nov. 22, the executive board of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council set up a board of direct ors for the Kingsbury Redevelopment Corporation which will be the developing agency for the triangle area, roughly from McPherson to Delmar and from DeBaliviere to DeGiverville.
As reported in previous issues of The Paper and at a number of neighborhood meetings, Phase One of the development plan calls for the rehabilitation of apartments in condition to be saved, and for the purchase, demolition and new construction of those lots now vacant or occupied by unsound buildings.
Kingsbury Redevelopment Corporation is at present authorized to issue 30,000 shares of stock, all of which will be owned by the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council and will insure neighborhood control of development plans. If it is necessary by law for each director to hold at least one share of the stock, the vast majority of such stock will still be held by the Council.
Steve Sailer, chairman of the Council’s Housing Committee, presented the plans for a board of directors to the executive board. He stressed the necessity that control of the Kingsbury Redevelopment Corporation remain with the SDCC, and the importance of naming a board with credibility in financial and housing circles.
The initial board of directors selected by the Council executive board will consist of seven members, serving at the discretion of SDCC executive board. Those named are Mr. William Douthit, of the Urban League; Mr. Sachar of Sachar Corporation, a development and management firm; Mr. Jerry Pratter, of Team 4 urban planning firm which did the surveying and outlined plans for the redevelopment; Mr. Virgil (Jack) Wright and Mr. Ed Walsh, board members of SDCC and Mr. Cal Stuart, executive secretary of SDCC.
The SDCC board members felt that a representative from the Urban League would be of value since that organization has had previous experience in redevelopment and is particularly interested in Skinker-DeBaliviere because of Urban League rehabilitation projects immediately to the east of S-D boundaries.
As part of the plan outlined by Mr. Sailer, the SDCC board authorized the new directors to hire a competent lawyer, with housing experience, on a contingency basis with legal matters in organizing the corporation and in the redevelopment work.
Those nominated for position on the board of directors, besides those selected were Pat Kohn, Bob Moore, Mike Magrath, Marlene Mestres, and Blanche Reel.
The SDCC board also approved a recommendation of the Housing Committee that when Phase I is completed and tenants occupy the new buildings, the board of Kingsbury Redevelopment Corporation be altered to include 7 residents of the Skinker-DeBaliviere area, 2 residents of the newly developed area, 1 member of the Urban League and 1 member of the development firm. This makeup for board of directors will assure neighborhood control and include representatives living in the newly developed area.
Originally published in The Paper, December 1971.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1971_12.pdf, printed page 1, 3.
