Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-16
OBJECTIONS FILED
Commissioners Do Not Approve
Changes in Highway Plans.
LETTER Sent TO THE COMMISSION
Suggestions by Brightwood Avenue
Association for Section One.
Z II E ING TO-DAY

An adjourned meeting of the highway
commission was held in the office of the
chief of engineers at the War Department
this morning to consider the proposed
changes in the plan for the extension of
highways in the vicinity of Brightwood
There was a full attendance of the commits
sion, including Secretary Bliss, Secretary
Alger and Gen. Wilson, chief of engineers.
Arguments were made by Messrs. W. J.
Lambert, l.. P. Shoemaker and NJ. E. Rob-
inson in advocacy of the changes proposed
by the BrishtwooJ Citizens Association
and by Messrs. c. C. Glover B. H. Warner
and Thomas Blagden in opposition thereto.
A communication was read from the Dis
trict Commissioners, reporting adversely
upon the changes proposed by the Bright
wood Citizens Association, and advocating
the approval of the map of the section as
originally submitted.
Briefly described, the plan of the Bright
wood Citizens Association eliminates seven
west streets, Kansas avenue outside of Pet
worth, the avenue through the tract of
Waters, Lambert and Lee, the avenue from
North Capitol street to Rock creek, the
avenue from Richmond street to Rock
Creek Park, and portions of other Streets
the opening of which, it is claimed, are not
essential to the immediate plans of extern
sion.
After a short consultation it was decided
to ask the gentlemen interested to put their
views in writing and submit them to the
commission at an adjourned meeting, to be
held next Monday.
In forwarding the map, the District Com
missioners wrote the highway commission,
which consists of the Secretaries of War
and the Interior, and the chief of engineers,
United States army, as follows:
Reasons Assigned.
1.-The Commissioners have the honor to
forward herewith maps requested by the
h ,,,,ic l,- of
Der 81, 1898, and as said letter requests an
expression of opinion by the Commission
ers concerning the map prepared under the
suggestions of the Brightwood Citizens As
sociation, they would respectfully urge the
following objections against this plan
Il. The map will not accomplish the OBJ
ject for which the highway act was en-
acted, viz, the prevention of miSft sub
divisions.
- 1t is not equitable leaving out streets
in large tracts owned by the DIRECTORS, and
running the plan over small tracts where
relief is most desired.
-. 1t does not fulfill the intentions of
Congress or carry out certain explicit in
structions of the highway act.
The first objection is shown by the his
tory of misfit subdivisions that lie imme
diately north of the city. Prior to 1888
parties subdvided their land each accord
ing to his own ideas, and the streets were
generally guided in location by the posi-
tions of boundary lines, roads and lines Of
trees, no attention being given to topog-
raphy or public needs. The act of 1893
in part attempt to amend readjust
these unsymmetricai plans, but the eX
pense and difficulties involved caused a par
tial repeal of the act and forced an accept
ance of the irregular plan. 1t is generally
conceded that if a complete and regu ar
plan, after the city system, had been map
ped out for Mount Pleasant and vicinity
before subdividing, the original owners
would have conformed to such plan and
that all now interested would have been
benefited thereby. The plating of very
large blocks in the county will result in a
repetition of what has already been done
near the city, the streets and avenues
planned for a future time would be built
upon and rendered too expensive for open
ing.
The Inequality.
THE second reason against the plan-that
Of its inequality-will better appear from
comparison of the percentage of streets
over certain tracts. The percentage of
street area for all of section J. by the Com
missioners' plan is less than 80 per cent
and an effort was made to approximate
this average in all the various tracts. In
the plan herewith some comparisons are as
follows: