Evening star., 1925-07-28
NO. 8.
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATLEY.


Virginia, or that part of it adjacent
to Washington in Arlington County
is striving hard to climb out of its
rural sphere, 10 which it has been
weighted by antiquated laws, into Ia
thriving urban community, to At into
the scheme being planned for a met
ropolitan district developed around
the Capital City. Its progress is nota-
bic to close observers and to those
who live in this area, but functioning
as the county does, ii provides no ac-
curate figures on which to base a true
picture of its growth from year to
year. nor can any figures be found
there to indicate TO the house and it's
cost just where the development has
been. Those on whose shoulders now
rests the responsibility of undermining
the county into city are fully cogni-
Zant of the conditions. They see the
shadows cast already by Washington s
expansion, and are rushing to help it
spread.
Aided by Trinkle.
In fact, 1t was little group of men
in the Arlington County Civic Fedora
ton who foresaw the coming events
and who conceived the idea of regional
development now coming into being
and which resulted in the formation
of the Greater Arlington County Com
mittee. They have met with support
on every hand, and Gov. E. Lee Trim
kle, the States chief executive, is
standing with them to give them sup
port in making Arlington County part
of city.
Within the next year or two there
is going to be considerable smoke
raised in this section, and when it
subsidies there will appear the nucleus
of a city, and the antiquated laws
which have impeded its progress, it is
freely predicted, will be cast into the
discard. Those responsible for the
countys affairs now assert that in the
next two years they expect to cut a
swath that will put Arlington Coun-
ty on the map"
Rigid Building Code Planned
Arlington County now does not have
the building permit system. Any one
can go in and build a house on a lot,
and whether it is good or bad the
county officials cannot say a thing.
Therefore, there Is no accurate check
on building. But the officials realize
the seriousness of this haphazard
method and it's effect on buyers who
go there if they should get a house
put up to sell quickly by some I'M
scrupulous builder. So there now is
being drawn up a rigid building code,
fashioned somewhat after that in the
District of Columbia, which will re-
quire a prospective builder to present
his plans in order to get a permit to
erect "a structure, and it will be
watched by county inspectors. This
will go to the Legislature January
next.
The county now is divided into
| l4e%,. F@,- 1ln
assessment of taxes. The first, Jeffer-
son district, follows the Potomac
River shore southwark from Rosslyn
to it's junction with the Alexandria
| City line and then inland to a short
distance from, and taking in, the
Mount Vernon boulevard. The rail-
road line from Washington to Alex
andria runs through this district.
| There is the Arlington district with
| Wilson boulevard as its main artery
| leading from Rosslyn, and the Wash
ington district with the Lee highway
as it's artery Of communication lead
| ing from the Highway Bridge at
Rosslyn.
Arlington District Figures.
The figures which were obtained
came from the county assessors office
at the Arlington Court House and are
for the period from February, 1924,
to February, 1925. During this period
there were constructed in the Jeffer-
son district 249 new houses, ranging
| in value from 500 to $4,000. The
| average assessment on each was
S1,450, which is one-third of the ac-
tual value. In this district are the
subdivisions of Aurora Hills, Hume,
Del Ray, Mount Ida, Potomac, North
Braddock and Braddock
In the Arlington district there were
constructed 329 houses during this
period, the prices ranging from 500
to $4,000, with an average assess
ment of S1,360. This district includes
the subdivisions of Colonial Arlington,
Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Clarendon
land Ballston.
/ In the Washington district SO houses
were constructed, ranging in value
from $500 to S25 ,oeo, with an average
assessment of 'S1s4io. This district