Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-16
.SMOOI APPROVES
|. MARKET SITE PLAN
Favors Location on Mall as
Temporary Step Only,
He Declares. &

The proposal of the District Com.
missioners to establish a temporarv
farmers market in the Mall between
Sixth and Seventh streets will he
agreeable to Senator Smoot, chairman
of the Public Buildings Commission.
he indicated today.
He declared that the locating OF the
farmers stands there wouIa he AZ.
ceptable only as a temporary step He
said the Commissioners were familiar
with the general plan for the inn.
provement of the Mall and the tri.
angle, in which the new public build.
ings are to be located and that he felt
sure they understood that a farmers
market at the proposed location would
be a temporary arrangement.
The Public Building Commission, Of
which Senator Smoot is chairman, will
meet at his Office tomorrow morning to
take UP further detail of the Federal
building program. Plans for the Ar.
chives Building, which is the next to
be started, may be gone over II time
permits at the meeting tomorrow.
Vigorous Fight Planned.
Advocates of midcity location are
planning a vigorous fight before Con.
gress to defeat the plans of the Dis
trict Commissioners to establish the
market temporarily on site on the
Mall or on the Southwest site bounded
by E and G and Eleventh and Twelfth
streets. it was indicated today by
A. J. Driscoll. president of the Midcity
Citizens Association.
AS leader of the group which sought
to have the market located on the So
called midcity site. Mr.. Driscoll said.
he is preparing a petition of protest.
to be filed with the House District
committee and the Gibson investigat-
ing committee against the recommen-
dations of the Commissioners.
The Southwest location. he added.
not only would Choke the market to
death" but would defeat the purposes
of the market completely. AS well as
be counter to the wishes of the ma
jority of its patrons.
Final selection of new location for
the farmers produce market now rests
with Congress, which received from
the District Commissioners late yes
terday the recommendation that it be
established temporarily on Federal
owned property on the Mall.
The Commissioners, however, ad-
vised Congress that should perma
nent location be Immediately neces-
sary they would prefer the proposed
site in Southwest Washington bounded
by Eleventh and Twelfth and E and
G streets.
The recommendation of the Com.
missioners was contained in an Is.
page typewriter report, which out
lined advantages and disadvantages
of the eight proposed privately owned
sites and other factors on which they
based their conclusions. The report
was drawn up after an intensive study
of the market situation in accordance
with resolution adopted at the last
session of Congress directing the Com
missioners to recommend new loca-
ito nfor the farmers market, not to
exceed $500, 1000 in cost, by December Is.
The southwest site suggested for a
permanent location is one of the two
in this section which were considered
by the Commissioners. 1t is located
in squares 354 and $50 and contains
1929 square feet. The assessed
value of the land is $53,9S4. and the
improvements s57 800, making total
Of SILL S4. Charles A. Douglas. at
torney, for the group advocating the
selection OF this site, had advised the
Commissioners that 1t could be ac-
auired partly by condemnation and
partly by purchase at a price not
exceeding 100000.
Other Sites Eliminated.
The several other privately owned
sites urged for the farmers market
were eliminated by the Commissioners
/ for various reasons. The mid-city
| site, which was vigorously supported
| by A. j. Driscoll and the citizens as-
| ISOLATION of that territory, was re
| jected because it has no rail and watch
| transportation. and also because the
| Commissioners believe that the exists
| ing market at Fifth and K streets
serves a present need for retail
| market and will continue to do so.
| The Commissioners recommended
the southwest site as their preference
| for a permanent site. chiefly because
| the cost of the land is low in COM
| parison with the other proposed loca-
| tons. The existing railroad and water
| transportation and cold-storage facil'
| ties available. as well as its accessl-
| bility to the farmers of Maryland and
Virginia, also were important factors.
| The development of the southwest
| location as a general market area,
| the commissioners pointed out in the
| report, would be entirely south OIL the
railroad tracks and would therefore
not interfere with the proper develop
| ment of the Mall, nor would 1t en-
croach upon the harbor front, since
| commercial street would separate
| it from the latter.