Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-25
.F|REHOUSE SITES
UP TO RESIDENTS
ZONE BOARD RULES
Public Hearing Necessary Be
fore Location in Residential
Section Is Permitted.
BAR POLICE STATIONS
ENTIRELY FROM AREAS
Commission Adopts Amendments
After Endorsement by Citizens
Committee.

Fire engine houses may be located in
/ residential areas only after a public
hearing, duly advertised, has been held
on proposed locations. Police station
are barred from residential areas ant
are relegated to commercial or indus
trial areas.
This decision was reached by tn,
District zoning Commission at an exec
utive session last night, in adopting an
amendment to the coming code, consid
cred at the coming hearing last Wednes-
day following a long and heated con-
troversy over the right Of the District
Commissioners to erect fire stations in
areas zoned for the exclusive use Of
residences.
The amendment had the unanimous
Endorsement of a citizens Joint commit
tee. appointed by the Commissioners,
who drafted the plan after lengthy
consideration Of the matter. The
amendment was vigorously contested at
the hearing last week, however, by two
spokesman for the Federation of Citi-
Havenner, president, and Henry I.
Quinn, vice chairman Of the coming
committee. who charged that the fed
Grafton representative on the joint COM
mittee, E. B. Henderson, had exceeded
his authority In approving the amend
ment.
Proposes Amendment.
At the recent hearing Mr.. Quinn
proposed a substitute amendment which
would have allowed location Of a FIRE
house in a residential area only after
unanimous vote of members OF the
Zoning Commission, rather than by
decision by the District Commission
ers, following a public hearing. This
move, however, failed last night, when
the coming board adopted the unani-
nous recommendation Of the citizens
joint committee.
The amendment adopted reads:
Municipal recreational uses, pump
be erected in any use district, pro-
vided that in the case Of fire engine
houses located in residential districts
a public hearing shall be held by the
Commissioners, District Of Columbia.
Police stations shall be located only In
commercial or industrial areas"
The controversy over the location OF
fire engine houses arose when the Com
missioners selected site In resi-
Dental area on Sixteenth street. Pro-
testing residents of the community de-
feated this project when it was dis
covered that a covenant running with
title to the site banned its sale for
any use except residential. Another
site on Sixteenth street was selected,
and this also was upset when 1t was
shown that the land had been pur-
chased as park site. :.
The new amendment, just adopted, IL
is argued by its proponents, will prevent
the selection of a fire house site in a
residential area without the knowledge
of community residents, who will be
given an opportunity at public hearing
to argue for or against the adv1sablllty
or necessity for such a selection. At the
same time, it is pointed out, the Com
missioners will not be barred from Sc
lecting a residential site tor fire house,
if study shows the necessity of such 10
cation to provide required flre protection
to the community.
The new amendment, it Is explained,
would not prevent citizens Of commu-
nifty to appeal to court from the decls-
ion Of the Commissioners II, after pub
lie hearing, the city heads decide ne
cessity requires fire house on resi-
dental street.
Action Is Deferred.
The commission deferred action on
an application to change from re-
stricted residential to a residential area
several parcels of land south of Bunker
Hill road and west of Queen Chapel
road northeast. A decision also was
postponed on a proposal to change from
a restricted residential to residential
area a plot southwest of the 500 block
of Sherrier place at the intersection OF
Edmunds place and the railroad tracks.
1t is planned to establish In one OF
these areas the proposed Children's
Country Home. No action will be taken
until the commission has made another
inspection of the properties.
Decision was reached to change from
residential and first commercial CLASH
fication to second commercial the prop.
erty at 1890 and 1000 Bladensburg road
northeast, with the exception Of strip
of about 100 feet. The small parcel
will retain its present classification:
The commission refused requests 70
change from residential to commercial
zones property at 925 Twenty-second
street and l3O7-l309 M street.
Action was deferred on Suggestion
of the Operative Builders Association
that the commission hold three meet.
inos a year at regular times instead OF
whenever the occasion seems appro-
pirate.