Evening star., 1902-01-16
MARKET PERMIT DENIED
CONCESSION REFUSED To THE CO.
LUMBIA COMPANY.
The District Engineer Sets Forth His
Reasons in an Opinion Rem
dered Today.

After having had the matter under con-
sideration since May last when a public
hearing was granted to those interested.
the District Commissioners today voted to
deny the application Of the Columbia Mar
ket Company for a permit to construct
market building on the east side of 14th
street between v and W streets northwest.
Commissioners Macfarland and Biddle
voted against the market and Commissioner
Ross voted In favor Of 1t.
Soon after the application of the market
company had been placed file the Com
missioners considered the matter in board
session. At that time Commissioner Mac
farland announced himself as being against
the proposition to establish market at the
locality mentioned, and Commissioner Ross
stated that he was In favor of granting the
permit under all the circumstances of law.
Engineer Commissioner Capt. Lansing H.
Beach, who then held Office, announced
that he had not made UP his mind in the
matter, and consequently would not cast a
vote.
When Col. John Biddle, the present En-
gineer Commissioner, took office November
l last he found the 14th street market Ques-
ton on his hands, with the decision resting
upon his vote, the other members of the
board being divided.
AS the question was matter of public
policy, and not merely an engineering de-
tail of the office, Colonel Biddle decided to
study the matter carefully before announc-
ing his decision. Today he forwarded a
statement to the other members of the
board In which he said:
Reasons Assigned.
81 recommend that the application Of
Francis Perciva1 and Robert Head, for the
Columbia Market Company, dated April 90,
1901. to locate market in accordance with
plans submitted. on 14th street, between
and W streets. be not granted for the
following reasons
First While the law has been fulfilled
as to requiring the consent of the property
owners In the vicinity, there seems to be
considerable doubt as to whether suffi-
cient number of them actually desire it to
make it good policy to grant a permit
against the protest Of the remainder. In
the opinion Of the attorney for the District
of May 15 1901, he states that he Is Of the
opinion that all the requirements Of the
law were fully complied with.
In rendering this opinion. he states, that
the applicants had received a permit on
April %. 1901, to build store on 14th
street at the corner Of V street, covering
the entire lot, 16 by 40 feet, which would
make void any objection Of the dwellers on
street to the market, and that the ap-
plicants had notified the Commissioners
that failure to erect this building stimuli
taneously with the market would author
lie the revoking Of the market permit.
This application for a store expired Oc-
tober 22. 1t was not renewed, but, on the
contrary, was withdrawn November 27. so
that apparently there would be a vacant
lot, and in accordance with the same opin-
ion the proposed building would, to all in
tents and purposes, face on v street as
well.
Objects to Location.
Secondly, / do not consider the location
a good one for a market. Fourteenth street
has car tracks, and is one of the main thor
oughfares, and always will be one to that
part Of the city. 1t therefore should be
kept clear far as possible. The appli-
cants claim and agree that they will keep
this street clear. The method of doing so
does not, however, appear to be sufficient.
The plan for the building covers the en-
tire lot, and the only entrances and places
for placing wagons would be alley II
feet wide. In a letter of December ~, 1901
it is stated that they will leave IL feet ad-
ditional at the back of the building, and
also that portion of the building will be
left unconstructed, if necessary
Even if built according to this statement
twenty-four feet with the narrow entrances
to and w streets. of only twelve feet
would not. in my opinion. be sufficient for
the wagons which would be there. and if
the market proved to be a success public
policy would demand that it be made to
cover the entire lot, with the exception
perhaps, of this twelve feet in the rear, so
that whatever might be the present desires
and Intentions of the market company it
seems to me that it might prove imprac-
ticable in the future to deny to them the
use of 18th street. >.....~s
Il have visited about every market In the
city during the busy. season and find the
accumulation Of wagons around markets
such as would practically obstruct this i'm
pcrtant thoreughfare- The greater the sue
cess Of the market the more will this OBJ
struction exist. 1 think that markets
should, when possible. be placed just off
the main thoroughfares, so as to be easily
accessible and yet not interfere with
through traffic
There does not seem to be any good rea-
son to think that the Riggs market. on P
street, is liable to be closed. therefore
necessitating this new market"
Commissioner Macfarland appended his
approval to this recommendation of Col
Biddle. Commissioner Ross has not yet
prepared his dissenting Endorsement, but
probably will do So
The majority of the board being against
| the project. however. the 14th street mar
ket plan is for the present dead.
The proposition to erect the market on
14th street above V street brought forth a
storm of protest, and for many weeks there
was a lively discussion of the subject by
the citizens.