Evening star., 1924-05-15
OPPOSE ZONE BAN
ON new APARTMENTS
Builders Tell Commission Need of
Suburban Building to Keep
Down Rents.
CITIZENS CROWD HEARING
Question of Protecting Residential
Sections Being Threshed.

sessions which began this morning
in the boardroom of the District
building before the Zoning Commits
sion. Builders contended that il the
zoning laws did not permit the con-
struction of apartment houses in the
suburban areas apartment dwellers
would be forced into the congested
and more expensive sections down
town. Property owners. on the other
hand, upheld the coming laws as pro
lection for their property against the
construction of apartment houses
which they termed objectionable.
A crowded boardroom and applause
now and then by the audience testl
fed the interest taken in the proceed
ingS
Speaking of prohibiting apartment
houses in residential sections, Mr.
Wardman said:
You'll push all the young married
couples downtown into the high-ren,
sections. BY keeping apartment
houses only in the congested. expen-
sive sections. you're simply golhE to
crowd these young couples INTO hlsn-
priced one-room, kitchen and bath
apartments, where they could nave
cheaper three rooms, kitchen ano
bath in apartments out in the SUD
urbs."
Protection Of Estates.
Then, when L. F. Colladay, attor'
ney, representing Senator Phipps
who owns property at Woodley road
and 2Sth street, asked Mr.. WardTnan
whether he felt that estates were no'
deserving Sf some protection, the
builder replied:
Certainly let them protect it. I've
got no objection to what they Nan Nan
do anything they want. But lts VIVA
they want to do with my property
that I'm objecting to-.
The commission did not go very iai
in the hearings this morning. BATES
Warren, representing the Samuei
Ross interests: Mr.. Colladay and W
C. Sullivan, representing the Bliss
properties, filed briefs in support o.
contentious Of their clients. TINS con
sumed some time. And ssnt;n tnen yudes :
Wardman, took the fioor, as one OF
the concluding speakers at the morn
ing session.
Fears Continued High Rents.
Warren and Judge Wright baset
contentious against limitations pro-
hibiting apartments in "a" Residential
areas on the ground that it wouie
mean continuation of high ren-s II
the sections described. Sullivan SPOKE
to his brief. with three legal reasons
why apartments should not be pan
ned Colladay favored the complete
zoning of sections, without e1cep
tions, dotting and spotting the zon'
ing map in the shape of exemptions
Sitting with the three Commls
sioners Of the District were Col: Z
o. Sheriff. and David Lynn, ofticel
in charge of public buildings ane
the Capitol architect respectively
ha nf the SSlOn
Provisien In Protested.
Several protests were filed agains
the provision which authorizes tn
Commissioners to withhold permit!
pending a public hearing. but the in
terest in it was by no means as keeI
as in the consideration to place 10!
parcels in the "A" restricted resi-
that the tense situations developed
Numerous other propositions are Il
be considered at the hearing thii
afternoon.
When the commission started th'
hearing, Mr.. Sullivan, on behalf o.
the Bliss properties. registered objec
tion to consideration of complaint!
except on their merit. He contendec
that the hearing was not a continua
tion of the old hearings last fall. ant
said he would object to a complaint
being made against the desires of hi:
clients by any citizens association rep
resentation or by any person not actu
the radius of three blocks Of the proper
ally a property holder or resident within
ty. He said that the zoning act pro
vided for this limitation of objections.
MIR. Colladay asked for the inclu
sion of all adjacent property to thu
Phipps property on Woodley road, IL
"A" restricted residential area Ap
plause followed Colladays assertion
that to assign zones and permit prop
erty owners to spot certain zones
with prohibitive types of structure
is destructive to the whole principl'
of coming. He quoted the New Jer
sey supreme court and assured th'
commission that the drift of legisla
tive work and judicial decisions ii
favorable to zoning laws. Guy Ma
son, representing the Nelson proper
ties, noted his concurrence in Mr.
Colladay's remarks.
First Opposing Change.
Mr.. Sullivan was the first witness
to appear against a change in th'
present classification of parcels Of tn,
Bliss interests, which permits build
ing CT apartments on not more thai
40 per cent of the lot He registere,
his objections as follows: The zoninj
act authorized the division Of tn
District into districts, one of whica
was to be residential. There can b
but one classification for Residential
purposes. Secondly, the power TO
subdivision of the residential divi
sions by the zoning authorities wa
exhausted when the first set OF rule
| anent districts was promulgated
Third. there is no reason for a change
Mr.. Warren next took the stand. H
said:
Apartments have como to tn
front as desirable dwelling place.
Children live in apartments If thi
restriction is put into effect there vii
be many who should be in the sub
urbs who will not be in the suburbs
saying that you can build one typ
| of dwelling in one section where yo
can't build another type of dwelling? i?
Judge Wright obtained testimon
in question and answer from Nj
block the change in classification o
| twenty-five acres of Wardman prop
erty. The law states that 20 per cen
| Of property owners can protes
against the change of classification
| and make the protest valid, he SAID
He had Mr.. WArdman. who said h
owned about 95 per cent of the prop
| erty, to make such objection and the
took the stand that the commission
could not override the propert
owners protest. The Wardman prop
erty is located west of the Connect
cut avenue bridge, south es., Of calver
on Woodley road, west of 28th stree,
all the way down Klingle road t
Rock Creek Park and thence back t
| Connecticut avenue to the lot o.
which the Klingle Mansions no,
stand.