Evening star., 1925-07-24
BELT LINE PLANS
TO Be EXAMINED
Committee to Investigate
Potential Effect on ArIing-
ton County.

Examination of the plans, purposes
and proposed route of the Washing
ton and Loughborough Belt Line Rail.
road from Little Falls on the Potomac
to Cameron Yards, near Alexandria
Va, is to be made by a special com
mittee of the greater Arlington County
committee, according to DIR. F. l..
Kirkpatrick, who is chairman of the
latter body. He has already appoint
ed this special committee which will
study the whole matter as TO its ef
feet, if any, on the proposed develop
ment of Arlington County in accord
ance with the regional plan.
The committee is composed of J.
Cloyd Byars. Arlington. chairman: A..
l.. Handy, Bancroft; Maj. f. w. r.
Ewing, Ballston; Charles F. Kincheloe.
East Falls Church. and ]. c. Milstead
of Cherrydale. This committee was
appointed at a meeting Of the greater
Arlington County committee held
wednesday night, and is instructed to
make study and prompt report 50
that the body may determine what
action 1t would want to take, if any.
on the proposition.
Will Hurry Investigation.
DR.. Kirkpatrick said that practically
all of the members of this commit
the City Club in connection with the
development Of the Lee highway, and
that he would seek to get the members
together at that time and urge them
to take prompt steps in connection
with the railroad matter which has
been assigned them.
The first intimation he had Of the
proposal to build a railroad line
through this section came from the
IN 10S Sf
Kirkpatrick, and he Immediately took
action to have the matter studied. He
said that he called a meeting of the
Greater Arlington County committee
to discuss the matter, and that he be-
lieved that the whole proposition
should be investigated thoroughly to
determine what effect it would have
on the regional development of this
section. If il should be found, he
continued, that the building of such a
road would mar the development of
this section in accordance with the
regional plans, then the time to make
protest is right now.
Importance Emphasized.
1.-THE whole matter is a very i'm
portant one TO US, he said, and /
believe that prompt steps should be
taken to find out just how it will
dlISCl the ucNSlOpIilSHI VI THIS S6tlIOIl-
While L have already appointed a
special committee to look into the
proposition, l expect to see most of
them tonight at meeting at the City
Club in connection with the Lee high
way development, and ] am going TO
urge on them again at that time the
Importance of determining every de-
tail of the proposed railroad line and
ask them to make a report to the
full committee, to be held on Tues
day or Wednesday of next week"
The committee has not yet held
a meeting on the proposition, said
Mr.. Byars, its chairman. The com
mittee, he added, had been instructed
to investigate the proposition and de-
terrnine its purposes and location.
Speaking for himself and not the
committee. he said he was rather in
clined to favor the building of such
road with attendant terminal facili-
ties, believing that it would help the
community. He said, however, that he
had not examined it thoroughly TO
determine its effect on the develop
ment of the section in accordance
with the regional plan.
He said that an approval of the
proposition by the Virginia Public
Service Commission would give the
road the usual rights of eminent do
main and it could condemn lands for
its right of way, and those property
owners who did not like the price of
fered by the road would have 1t sub
mitted to a condemnation jury and
it could be fought out in the courts.