Robert F. Hintz Records

Series

Identifier: 1650-03

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

Files of assistant planning director files Robert Hintz, hired as a principal planner in 1953. He was responsible for the technical sections of the staff, and supervised research and advance planning. Significant planning issues included in his records are zoning and high rise apartments, planning for the central business district, and transportation planning. Hintz' papers also reflect his work on the Comprehensive Plan. Included is correspondence with City Council, the Mayor, various city departments, and the public.

The largest volume of material relates to zoning and high rise apartments in the 1960s, covering density, height and proposed areas. Folders include information and correspondence relating to several public hearings held. Of note is a report done by Clark, Coleman and Rupekins and the response to it by the public.

Another significant topic within Hintz's records is transportation. Records from the early 1950s on thoroughfares relate to freeway planning and arterial thoroughfares. Hintz was also involved in regional transportation planning and his records cover joint meetings between the City Planning Commission and the County Planning Commission as well as participation on a Puget Sound Regional Planning Council. The Council was funded in part by the Washington State Highway Commission and worked towards conducting a survey and $1.6 million study in order to identify a transportation system for the area. Correspondence and minutes of meetings of the Puget Sound Regional Transportation Study, as well as progress reports, are included in the records dating from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s.

Records reflecting the Central Business District as a focus of research are included in Hintz's files, primarily from the late 1950s. The file on Mayor Pomeroy includes newspaper clippings about the beginning of his tenure and minutes of his weekly staff meetings with department heads. Other material of note relates to school planning, regulations relating to houseboats, and recreation.

Dates

Creation: 1950-1969

Creator

Seattle Planning Commission (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access note

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

The City Planning Commission was created by ordinance in 1924 and was first included in the City Charter in 1946. The Commission's role was to prepare plans and gather data for the development of the City, to advise City Council on current problems and long range planning, and to participate in administration of the City's Zoning Ordinance. It was provided with the authority to hire as needed to carry out its planning and advisory functions. However, the Planning Commission's decisions needed to be passed by ordinance before they became effective.

Between 1924 and 1974, the Commission's membership was changed periodically by ordinance. It varied in size from 9 to 25 members. The composition of the Commission also varied but always consisted of a percentage of the following: Mayoral appointees, ex-officio members from various government departments, as well as representatives elected by various government agencies.

With the creation of the Department of Community Development in 1969, the Commission became a part of the Department of Community Development. For the purpose of having a more broad-based membership, in 1974 the Commission membership was changed to be comprised of 15 Seattle citizens, appointed by the Mayor and approved by City Council. If at all possible, the citizens would come from different neighborhoods and a variety of disciplines would be represented.

Due to reorganizations in city government, the Planning Commission became a part of the Office of Policy Planning in 1974 then was returned to the Department of Community Development in 1979. In 1980, an independent office of the Planning Commission was established. The Planning Commission would no longer review site-specific land use applications and permits. Its city planning functions were transferred to the Department of Community Development.