The first processing project funded by the National Historical Publication and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Atlanta Department of City Planning records, MSS 1268, has been completed and is available to researchers in the Kenan Research Center. The collection contains meeting minutes from Atlanta’s Department of City Planning, which oversees Atlanta’s housing, buildings, design, and zoning. These minutes document public opinion about city development, growth, and gentrification as well as research into city decisions, financial and project planning, ordinance proposals, and finalized legislation. Researchers can use the collection to learn about city policy regarding land use in different neighborhoods, what Atlantans thought about these decisions, and how some, usually Black Atlantans, suffered under government policy while others, usually white Atlantans, benefited.
The collection contains meeting minutes from Atlanta’s Department of City Planning, which oversees Atlanta’s housing, buildings, design, and zoning.
For some background on the records, in 1920, Mayor James L. Key (1837–1939) introduced a proposal that resulted in the creation of the Department of Planning Commission. In 1952, Atlanta and Fulton County consolidated their planning departments to create the Department of Municipal Planning. The department changed its name in 1957 to the Department of Planning, in 1974 to the Department of Budget and Planning, in 1982 to the Department of Community Development, and in 2003 to the Department of Planning and Development.
As of 2017, the department became the Department of City Planning. It includes an Office of the Commissioner, Office of Design, Office of Housing and Community Development, Office of Buildings, Office of Zoning and Development, and Neighborhood Planning Units.
The Department of City Planning records is organized into four series:
- Series I: Atlanta-Fulton County Joint Planning Board records, 1920–1974
- Series II: Board of Zoning Adjustment records, 1923–1997
- Series III: Zoning Review Board records, 1954–1984
- Series IV: Planning and Development Committee records, 1957–1973
Series I
The first series contains records from when the department was named the Atlanta-Fulton County Joint Planning Board; it made recommendations to city officials and the mayor on Atlanta’s growth and development. Minutes document the committee’s discussion of city changes such as the establishment of what would become The Municipal Market in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, city charter amendments, and review of applications and petitions to change zoning ordinances.
Series II
Next, the second series contains meeting minutes from the Board of Zoning Adjustment, an appeals body for zoning regulations that heard appeals to administrative decisions and applications for special exceptions regarding zoning ordinance and variances. These variances included requests for new building projects or home renovations; special use permits; district rezoning; and lot resizing. For example, there is an application from the Westminster School Inc. to build schools and boarding buildings, and the Atlanta Merchandise Mart’s appeal against the board’s decision to halt construction.
Series III
The third series covers the Zoning Review Board committee, which held public discussions on rezoning petitions and special use permits, conducted public hearings, and offered recommendations to the City Council. Minutes include review of rezoning petitions and special use permits, discussions about city zoning ordinance changes, and rezoning petitions and special use permits. In addition, there are minutes from special meetings that document public discussions of specific topics such as proposed zoning ordinance changes and subsequent district map updates.
Series IV
Last, the fourth series contains committee meeting minutes from the Planning and the Development Committee which reviewed and evaluated living conditions in Atlanta neighborhoods. Committee responsibilities included reviewing and coordinating long-term plans and programs for Atlanta’s community development, facilities, and improvements; and developing and implementing housing programs.
For example, the committee reviewed redevelopment of areas that included Butler Street, Atlanta University Center, Washington-Rawson, Georgia State College (later Georgia State University), and McDaniel Street. Minutes document discussions of revised housing codes, highway and street development, development of housing units, and land incorporation. Specifically, there are minutes pertaining to the Butler Street Urban Renewal Area project to improve housing and increase greenspaces, plans to redevelop Buttermilk Bottom, and the construction of the Northeast Expressway (I-85).
Kenan Research Center has begun processing the Atlanta Urban Commission records and visual arts materials.
Now that this collection is complete, Kenan Research Center has started to process the Atlanta Urban Design Commission records and visual arts materials. If you would like to learn more about researching historic locations in Atlanta, please watch the recording from our first webinar, An Introduction to the National Register of Historic Places & Historic Property Research, or sign up for our next one, Finding Photos of Historic Properties and Neighborhoods, on Monday, June 3 at 10:30am with Josh Hogan, Digital Preservation Archivist at Georgia State University and Kate Daly, Visual Culture Archivist at Atlanta History Center.