Evening star., 1927-08-10

An important survey of the potential
! business space In Washington has just
! been made by the coming commission,
with the result of an announcement
that the District has at this time ap-
proximately four times too much first
commercial property judging from the
areas allowed by other cities for such
uses. This survey was made in con-
nection with a study of the needs of
business which will be forced out
OF the Pennsylvania avenue triangle
by the public buildings program. In
the course of the next four or five
wears there will be a considerable
change in the downtown section as es-
Establishments now located within the
triangle are evicted TO make room for
Government constructions. Other
changes will occur, too. as office build
ings will I've erected to provide accom-
modations for those who require prox-
unity to the Government bureaus,
which are to be removed to midcity
situations. In short, Washington will
see a very decided alteration within
half decade.
In the estimate OF the zoning COM
mission Washington's oversupply OF
possible business space will be reduced
bv about fifty per cent II and when,
as is now expected, the local popula'
ton reaches the million point. This
would seem to leave an ample margin.
It is the confident belief that Wash
lngton's population will be doubled In
the next twenty-five years. Probably
a large part of the business now 10.
Gated in the center of the city will be
shifted to the community" centers
such as those that have developed of
late in several sections of the Capital.
Much of the downtown space allo-
Gated for business is not at present
fully utilized. There are numerous
one-story structures accommodating
only a single establishment each. Com.
pared with other cities the superficial
area of downtown Washington is not
working to capacity. 1t is not de-
sired that Washington should develop
as a skyscraper city. that land areas
should be utilized to the limit of struc-
tural stability, as in New York. A
comparatively low ''sky line" should
be preserved. 1t should, however. not
be an irregular sky line, with mini
NUNS of construction offering un-
slightly spectacles on important streets,
quite as disfiguring as the maximum
departures above the normal horizon.
The computation Of the coming COM
mission appears to have been made
on the superficial area basis, not with
regard to the matter of the number Of
stories to be erected on a given plot
Of land. Naturally retail business
seeks the ground floor. In many cities,
however, 1t finds adequate accommo-
dations and good trading opportuni-
ties on other levels.
Much of the business that will be
ousted from the triangle by Govern
ment constructions is of wholesale
and fabrication character. 1t Is hardly
to be expected that it will find new
room within the area of retail mer-
chandising. If 1t does, however, 1T
will have to be restricted to some de-
gree to prevent the development of
disfiguring conditions north Of Penn
sylvania avenue, conditions incident
to the character of business pursued.
Washington Is In a state Of change,
and these next few years will be
marked by relocations. adjustments
and constructions that unless care
fully watched and reasonably regu.
lated will detract from the benefits
which it is expected the Capital will
gain from the Governments building
program.