Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Statement by the President on the Use of Surplus Federal Lands for Model Communities in Atlanta and San Antonio.

December 12, 1967

THE PROPERTY of the Federal Government belongs to all of the people.

Wherever possible, surplus land should be turned to their benefit.

The Federal Government will cooperate fully with private enterprise and State and local government to transform these surplus and idle lands into new communities.

The American people, I believe, want to see government and private enterprise join together to build decent homes for citizens who have never known their comfort, and to provide new training opportunities for those who want to improve their lives.

The projects in Atlanta and San Antonio are directed to those goals. We hope in the months ahead to see more communities for the people take shape on surplus Federal land.

Note: The statement was made public as part of a White House release announcing a further step in the program launched by the President on August 30, 1967 (see Item 372).

The Atlanta community, the announcement said, would be located on a 95-acre surplus Department of Justice tract and would include 400 low-cost housing units, parklands, schools, and a light industrial area.
In San Antonio, the announcement added, the community would occupy 200 surplus acres at Fort Sam Houston and accommodate some 4,500 lowincome citizens. Job opportunities for the unemployed would be provided "through special training programs and a light manufacturing center."

The Presidential task force appointed in August, the release concluded, was continuing surveys for similar communities in 48 cities across the Nation. The statement was released at San Antonio, Texas.

Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President on the Use of Surplus Federal Lands for Model Communities in Atlanta and San Antonio. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238056

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