Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-10

The facts in this instance stand out
in bold relief in the data gathered by
The Star in its study of the facts under
lying the trouble and contention arising
from the decree of the zoning Commits
sion that Sixteenth street must be re-
tanned in the residential classification.
Business Properties Bring More.
Business properties VIGOROUSLY are
more valuable on the market than resi-
Dental areas, and this is attested by the
many applications that come before the
coming body from property owners seek
ing to have areas restricted to -esi-
Dental uses zoned to permit business.
The instance cited is the home OF
Mrs. Mildren Mclean Dewey, widow OF
Admiral Dewey. The ground OF her
| property at 1901 K street, on the north
west corner of Sixteenth and K streets,
has an assessed valuation of $50 per
square foot.
Diagonally across the intersection
from the Dewey home is the Carlton
Hotel, which has levied against its site
an assessment rate Of $22 per square
foot.
One block to ths east Of the Dewey
residence, on the northwest corner OF
Fifteenth and K streets, on corner site
the same as that OF the Dewey home,
except that it is one block closer to the
downtown center, Is the History Invest
ment Building, one of Washington's
largest office structures, the site OF
which has an assessment rate OF $50 per
| square foot.
The figures cited here were taken
| from the Districts official assessment
record books for the current fiscal year.
Two Reasons for High Rates.
Two reasons are given for the high
| assessment rates on Sixteenth street
| properties. One is the presence of the
high-value commercial properties which
| lie on both sides of the Sixteenth street
residential island" William P. Rich
| ards. the tax assessor, In discussing
| Sixteenth street assessments, explained
! that the fact that properties on tniS
| thoroughfare are in the residential
| classification could not prevent the high
| values of property on nearby sections,
zoned for commercial use, from having
a lifting" effect on the lower sixteenth
| street values. He added, frankly, that
zoning restrictions are not given pre-
| dominate consideration in the making
| of assessments. Assessment rates are
determined, he pointed out, largely on
the basis of sales prices on land In the
| section unOer CODSlQGIdtlOll.
The other reason for the high assess
ment rate on the Dewey residence, ac-
cording to MIR. Richards explanation
is that the District has rule that cor
liner properties, having frontages on two
streets, are more valuable than the "in'
side" lots between intersections. There'
fore, generally speaking, the smaller tn
corner lot Ito reasonable degree) the
| greater the assessment rate would be
This is because large corner lot would
have frontages running farther TOWARD
! the center of the block and therefore
! partaking of the lesser value OF the
more inside" lots.
/ This rule is seen clearly in study
of land assessment rates on properties
| having a frontage on K street, both tc
the east and west of Sixteenth street
This may be an extreme case, since the
Dewey property has the highest assess
ment rate levied against its site OF any
residence on lower Sixteenth street.
is cited here for that reason because
this property is in the section of Six
tenth street involved in the notabE
coming hearing when Mrs. Dewey wa
listed as a petitioner for relief from
existing conditions arising out OF IN