Housing Plans in East Camden Okayed by U.S.

View transcription

Housing Plans in East Camden Okayed by U.S. 306 Defense Units to Rise on State Street, East of Cooper River — Cost Put at $1,566,000 on Plot of 23 Acres The Camden Housing Authority, in special session yesterday, announced the U.S. Housing Authority has approved a $1,566,000 defense housing project for East Camden. The project will be built on the south side of East State street between Cooper creek and River avenue. Announcement of the approval was made to the local authority members by Horace R. Dixon, executive director, who declared sanction was given following a four-day conference at Washington. Numerous federal housing officials and Col. Henry G. Perring, architect for the Camden project, attended the Washington conference, Dixon reported. Perring is a member of the firm of Perring and Remington, engineers for the project. 306 Dwellings Planned The construction will begin at an estimated 1100 feet east of Cooper creek, will extend along East State street approximately 1000 feet and along River avenue a distance of about 900 feet. There will be 306 dwelling units for a total of 1342 rooms. The project will comprise 23 separate buildings, each two stories high. The units will be of three and one-half, four and one-half, five and one-half and six and one-half rooms each. There will be no cellars nor any garages. The site of the project comprises 23 acres, Dixon said. There will be two entrances into the development, one from State street and one from River avenue. Because of a recent ruling by the Office of Production Management which refused approval of any central heating plant for defense projects, original plans of the local housing authority for such a system had to be abandoned. Instead, each dwelling unit will have its own oil heating plant to be fed through six master fuel tanks located throughout the project, it was explained. Cost of fuel to individual tenants will be calculated in the rent, Dixon said.

306 Defense Units to Rise on State Street, East of Cooper River — Cost Put at $1,566,000 on Plot of 23 Acres

The Camden Housing Authority, in special session yesterday, announced the U.S. Housing Authority has approved a $1,566,000 defense housing project for East Camden.

The project will be built on the south side of East State street between Cooper creek and River avenue.

Announcement of the approval was made to the local authority members by Horace R. Dixon, executive director, who declared sanction was given following a four-day conference at Washington. Numerous federal housing officials and Col. Henry G. Perring, architect for the Camden project, attended the Washington conference, Dixon reported. Perring is a member of the firm of Perring and Remington, engineers for the project.

306 Dwellings Planned

The construction will begin at an estimated 1100 feet east of Cooper creek, will extend along East State street approximately 1000 feet and along River avenue a distance of about 900 feet. There will be 306 dwelling units for a total of 1342 rooms.

The project will comprise 23 separate buildings, each two stories high.

The units will be of three and one-half, four and one-half, five and one-half and six and one-half rooms each. There will be no cellars nor any garages.

The site of the project comprises 23 acres, Dixon said. There will be two entrances into the development, one from State street and one from River avenue.

Because of a recent ruling by the Office of Production Management which refused approval of any central heating plant for defense projects, original plans of the local housing authority for such a system had to be abandoned. Instead, each dwelling unit will have its own oil heating plant to be fed through six master fuel tanks located throughout the project, it was explained.

Cost of fuel to individual tenants will be calculated in the rent, Dixon said.

Dixon further explained that a ban on central heating plants resulted from a shortage of cast iron, steel and wrought iron utilized for piping and boilers for central plants.

The housing authority instructed Colonel Perring to proceed with the work of advertising the drawings and specifications for the project and ask for bids on the contracts. County Clerk Frank J. Suttill was not present at the meeting due to illness. Others voting approval of the project were Judge Bartholomew A. Sheehan, authority chairman; Dr. Howard E. Primas, vice chairman; Samuel D. Shields and Wilbert F. Dobbins.

Bids for construction of the apartments must be advertised February 27. The Authority must take the bids by March 20 and the contract must be let by March 30, it was announced.

The plans for the USHA provide that 106 of the dwelling units must be ready for occupancy by July 1. The next 100 units must be ready by Aug. 1, and the third 100 are required to be ready by September 1.

Final completion of the project is listed for October 1.

Homes for Defense Workers

Dixon explained that government officials emphasized that defense workers in this area must be given first consideration in renting apartments in the project. Dixon said the project is not a slum clearance program as was the case in two other undertakings in Camden.

This marks the first time the Camden Housing Authority has taken over control of a defense housing project, Dixon explained.

In discussing the plans a question was raised by Commissioner Dobbins concerning the type of construction as provided in the plans. Dobbins declared the cinder block type of construction is not, in his opinion, the most acceptable form. He said he realized the need for quick action and suggested that an alternate plan of using brick veneer be recommended. Dobbins said a restriction of the city building code, against brick veneer construction, might be waived in this instance.

Cites Branch Village

"It seems to me we are getting a lot less in construction under the present plans for what is to be spent than we did in the Branch project," Dobbins said. "We are to get a cinder block job here for $1,566,000, while the Branch Village is a brick job and cost only $1,412,000. The floors in the Branch project are of reinforced concrete, but these plans call for wooden floors."

"However, I assume present conditions have increased the cost of materials and that we must accept slightly inferior specifications. I think we should recommend that wherever possible the best equipment available be used. I would not like to see this or any of the other projects in the city become 'ghost towns' after this war is over."

Alternate Plan Offered

Colonel Perring said that while the cinder block type of construction was "not a thing of beauty" it is as substantial as anything easily obtainable under present conditions. Colonel Perring said he feels the USHA will agree to the alternate plan and that it would not interfere with the A-4 priority rating given the project.

Colonel Perring stated that there are at least two other housing projects which have the individual heating units installed. He said he is quite sure this plan would have no effect on the insurance rating for the project.

In addition to the 306 dwelling units there will be buildings for community facilities, administration, project service and storage, Col. Perring said.

The new project will be the third Government housing facility within Camden City limits. The first built was Westfield Acres, Thirty-second street and Westfield avenue, costing $3,250,000. The second was the Clement T. Branch Village, Ninth street and Ferry avenue, costing $1,412,000.

The local authority has been negotiating with the Government for a third project for over a year. It first proposed a site in North Camden, but this was turned down when it was discovered real estate speculators had purchased ground for the site.

Ground at Civic Centre was then suggested, but that proposal was abandoned for one on the Moro-Phillips tract on the north side of State street between the Cooper creek and the Delaware river. The Government refused to approve that site after making test borings. The present location was then recommended and subsequently approved.