Newspaper Page Text
April 23, 1968 • THE MERCER CLUSTER • Pape 4
Mercer Seeks Urban Renewal With Macon
B’nr ?■; » .....
University Officials Make
Proposal To City Council
by Tom Cauthom
Mercer Asks Growing Room headlined an article in the
Telegraph which told of the 35 acre area east of College Street
and west of the Central of Georgia Railway that tire Univer
sity needs for physical expansion. Mercer officials on Thurs
day, March 21 asked the Macon City Council to sponsor an
urban renewal project in this eleven block area. The cost to
exceed $1.5 million dollars d'oultl be shared by the federal gov
emment and Mercer with no cost accruing to the city.
Mercer requested the city to
uct an the ag(*nt in exercising em-
minent domain in securing the
land. The university would pay
the city’* »hare of the urban re
newal program with the federal
government financing the rest. Wil
liam Haywood told the City Coun
cil that Mercer plana to construct
$11 million worth of new facilities
by 1980.
Adley Associates were engaged
by the university to study the
greater area surrounding the school
and specifically that sector be
tween Plant Street and east to the
railroad and Alabama Street. Ad
ley Associates found that, "A1
though in need of more acreage
Mercer University’s expansion area
is some what determined by signi
ficant constraints in all four direc
tions.” Namely, Tatnall Square,
the east by the railway and Tin
dall Heights Homes, to the south
by Porter Stadium and to the west
by Interstate 75; now under con
struction. They concluded: “The
resulting 15 block expansion would
provide 35.3 acres to the east of the
existing campus (11 blocks) and
26.4 acres to the west”
Eric Welsh, Telegraph Staff Wri
ter, reported that the university
officials found 74.5 per cent of
the dwellings in the eastern sector
substandard. The blocks range
from 30 per cent to 100 per cent
substandard but he wrote, “only
two of the 11 blocks are rated be
low 60 per cent substandard homes
The racial ratio is almost 1 to 1.”
On March 26 Mr. T. Baldwin
Martin (Chairman of Executive
Committee Board of Trustees of
Mercer University) stated Mer
cer’s “serious” need to expand. He
stated that "the University’s long
range plan has been consistent
with the principles employed by
college and universities throughout
the country.” He outlines the in
creasing budget of Mercer fron
$1.6 million in 1961-62 to over $5
million for 1968-69.
He outlined the university’s phy
sical expansion from 1963 in excess
of $3.5 million: Law Library, Fresh
man Woman’s Dorm, Freshman
Men’s Dorm, Stetson Library, Phv-
sics-Math Building. Connel Stu
dent Center and the nearly com
pleted Wilet Science Center.
Mr. Martin "conservatively es
timated” that each of Mercer’s
1800 students spend an average
of $500 per year in the local com
munity. This figure coupled with
the $1.6 million annual payroll
of Mercer's 350 employees and
the University’s $1.6 annual ex
penditures in Macon for her opera
ting needs gives the total Univer
sity impact on Macon annually as
between 40 and 50 million dollars
(based on the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce's estimate of a dollar’s
turning over seven times before it
leaves Macon).
The “Martin Report’ answered
Mayor Thompson’s objections to
the re-routing of traffic from Col
lege Street on the basis of the Ad
ley study which predicts the
street’s daily traffic to increase
from 9,089 cats per day at pre
sent to over 18,000 cars per day
by 1976. Martin also stated that
these are only two blocks under
50 r /< substandard and that in total
of 117 houses in the 11 block area
only 15 are rated as standard hous
es. He concluded his statement by
emphasizing the crumped condi
tions of the campuB and the uncon
ditional need for more area for
Mercer to expand.
In answer to the “Martin Re
port" Mayor Thompson, that same
afternoon in The Macon News was
quoted as considering the Univer
sity request of the city as immo
ral. He further explained that this
would be an immoral act by the
Many of the children in this area
come across the Georgia Central
Railroad track from school every
day. This path takes them into the
easternmost end of Edgewood Ave
nue, the same street that runs in
front of Shorter Dorm for men.
city because it would be' forcing
one private individual out to turn
the property over to "a private
institution or person, whether it
be Mercer or someone else.”
Alderman Ivey, chairman of City
Council’s Urban Renewal Commit
tee. said the duy before the "Mar
tin Report" that his committee
could not go along with the Uni
versity's proposal. He further stat-
ted that College street is a main
artery and although the problem
should be studied the street should
not be closed.
Mayor Thompson told Telegraph
reporters on March 24 that he
could not obligate the city for ano
ther urban renewal project until
the $340,00 debt for the coliseum
is paid in November. There is a
conflict of facts between the “Mar
tin Report” and Mayor Thomp
son's stand on economics. The Uni
versity proposed to cover all the
expenses insured by the city in
the project. Martin further noted
the $40 to $50 million impact of
Mercer on the community which
would easily offset the $20,000
loss of ad valorem taxer. The pro
jected impact of the University
by 1980 will be approximately $160
million annually, which more than
compensates for the loss of 12 years
of ad valorem taxes.
Objections and counter objec
tions have been the fare from
March 21 when the university
made the proposal to the City
Council to just last week when
the Atlanta Constitution again
strongly editoralized its support
of Mercer’s expansion.
The plan proposed would turn
a jungle of poverty into an educa-
al paradise front the stand
point of physical cyzseeranae. The
University had hoped that the city
would welcome the effort to aid in
improving the cultural and aca-
The completed expansion as projected in this diagram by Adley Associates will include
both an area to the east and one to the west of the campus. The present proposal of the uni
versity concerns that land to the east of the campus amending to the east of the railroad
and Alabama Street. The present proposal of the university is for Area I, Adley Associate!
diagram showing the two areas is below. It designates the blocks by letter.
demic potential of one of Mucon’s
oldest industries and certainly its
best known; namely, Mercer Uni
versity. Traffic would be rerouted
through College Drive with the
present College Street and perhaps
Adams street no longer open to
thru traffic.
Resistance of Mayor
The resistance of the Mayor and
Alderman was noted last week by
prominent Macon attorney at
resistenee to the ideas that defeat
ed B. F. Merrit — urban renewal.
That same attorney later stated
that individuals in the proposed
sector should probably be given
sufficient chance to sell individ
ually to the University. But, he
also noted that those who own
real property in this urea for rent
al and investment purposes are not
in the same category as the individ
ual, that they are in this communi
ty for profit and probably do not
intend to cooperate with Mercer’s
offers; here emminent domain will
be necessary, he said.
Tom Ivey .Alderman, through his
IHwition on the Urban Renewal
Committee of City Council, had re
peatedly objected to the Mercer
proposals for the past month on
Some of the dwelling in this area are standard. Block ~,
pictured above in an ariel view, is only 30% sub standard I
While Block E, the next block north is only a little more sub I
standard. Block H is nil white and block E is all white. Tbestl
two areas differ widely from those areas to the north andl
Block K.
four grounds: 1. The desire to buy
the property owners first; 2. The
widening and paving of new streets
would be a cost to the city and
not under the renewal program; 3.
Cutting off College Street would
seven a vital traffic artery that
does not seem at present to
congested; 4. And, the pro]
does not include the possibility
the owner's bringing their
ings up to standard using Fi
Assistance as does the i
Unionville (west of Pio Nono
nue between Columbus
Dempsey Avenue).
The "moral issue” at st
the proposal is in Ronnie
son’s words, “. . . taking
houses from them against i
and then conveying the pro]
to a private institution. . .” 2
The Macon Mayor has sla i
seemed to fear the loss of $20,00
per year in ad valorem taxes shook
this area revert to Mercer,
most adamant of his objection* i
incurring the city in any
debt until the Coliseum projsct I
paid off in November.
It has been noted that Baldwfc
T. Martin answered Tbompsoa'
concerns about loss of ad valoi
taxes with a projected import
$180 million by 1980 through iM&fct
versify, employee and studsaf If,
spending.
On March 26 about 24 repress
stives of the area’a 177 families 0
peered before City Council to "pi*
test the intent of Mercer Unival
sity to have the City of
class our residential section as
ban renewal area in order that I Qo>
may be absorbed by the Ms***
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