Evening star., 1925-06-14
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATLEY.

Visions of great metropolitan
district surrounding the National
Capital into the border States of Nir-
ginia and Maryland, for a distance of
from 20 to 80 miles, are beginning to
turn into reality with the appoint
ment of a city planning committee
for the District, and activities on the
part of civic bodies in Maryland and
Virginia. The whole plan, interlock-
ing of which into a homogeneous
whole. without the sacrifice of auton-
omy by any of the districts involved
has in mind the development of the
surrounding territory in Maryland
and Virginia in accordance with a
concerted plan which will provide for
parks. highways zoning, schools.
transportation lines, public buildings
and such matters as must be con-
Sidered with such development.
Washington has expanded now al
most to it's very borders, and pos
terity to a large extent will have to
find places on the outside, though in
reality, they will be a part of the pop
ulation of the District, or the met
ropolitan district. Those interested
in the civic development of the Ma
ment, and are desirous of prevent
ing a hodge-podge conglomeration of
buildings of various types and busi
ness houses all mixed together, and
are preparing to start now in the de-
velopment in much the same way
LEnfant developed early Washing
ton as far s Florida avenue.
Sheriff. Aided Idea.
ha of
this great metropolitan district, and
it's possibilities, originated with a lit
tie band of civic workers in Arlington
County, Va, headed by Arthur Orr
j. G. Byars and r. E. Plynnale of the
Arlington County Civic Federation
They wanted to start the development
in Arlington County, and came to
Lieut.. Col. Clarence o. Sheriff. di-
rector of the Office of public buildings
and public parks of the National Cap
ital, and executive secretary of the
National Capital Park Commission,
as well as officer in charge of many
of the projects for the development
of Federal projects in the District of
Columbia.
Col. Sheriff., ever ready to seize
upon any feasible plan for the devel-
opment of the Capital City. saw the
possibilities, and is working with this
he appointed a city planning com.
mittee as part of the National Cap
ital Park Commission. which is com
posed of Maj. Carey II. Brown, u. S.
Army Engineer Corps, former assist
ant engineer of the commission, who
had much to do with the development
of the present zoning, and who is to
come here in July as deputy director
of the office of public buildings and
public parks of the National Capital:
Frederic A. Delano, chairman of the
committee of 100 of the American
Civic Federation on the Development
sistant director of the National Park
Service; Maj. Raymond A. Wheeler,
assistant Engineer Commissioner Of
the District of Columbia; James G..
Langdon, who, on July /, will become
the landscape architect of the Ma
tional Capital Park Commission; Mel
vim c. Hazen, surveyor of the District
of Columbia: Irving w. Payne, land
scape architect Of the office of public
buildings and public parks, and
George E. Clark. chief of the survey
ing and mapping section of. the office
of public buildings and public parks
Will Assist Communities.
The appointment Of this commission
is of far-reaching importance, as 1t Is
the first time since L'Enfant that the
city has had such a planning commit
tee, taking into consideration all
phases of the problem-parks, coming.
highway development, city projects,
Federal projects, ETC., and uniting
them in a co-ordinated plan. There
have been other planning commissions
but they have dealt with specific prob
lens. such as the park commission OF
1901, which dealt only with the park
ing development But this little or
eaniz alton will not only deal with the
whole problem Of city planning as 1t
relates to the District, but will work
in cooperation with planning commit
tees of the communities which are
eventually to become a part OF the
metropolitan District.
The Arlington County civic leaders
are planning a gigantic meeting to be
held in the near future to mobilize
the communities of nearby Virginia
in support of the great plan, and also
are to invite leaders from the Mary
land communities to get their support
in the cooperative movement. 1t is
the plan of the Virginia men to petit
tion Congress at it's next session to
authorize the Federal and District of
Columbia authorities to cooperate
with the States. and the Virginia,