Evening star., 1930-12-13
Home Building Decline Averts Oversupply
Situation in Capital Sur
veyed by Zoning
Engineer.
NEW UNITS EXCEED
GROWTH IN DECADE
Decided Reduction in Vol
ume During Last 2 Years
Is Encouraging.

The decline in private building opera
tions in the residential field in Wash
ington, brought about to some extent
voluntarily during the past two years by
builders, flnanciers and property owners
TO allow demand to catch up with sup
ply, has been wise thing and bene-
f1cial to the city in preventing a de-
cidedly harmful oversupply of housing.
This is an Interpretation. placed on a
survey of the housing situation in
made by S. G. Lindholm, engineer OF
the Zoning Commission, in the light of
census figures for 1920 and 1890
There has been an oversupply of new
housing units constructed during the
last 10 years. in comparison with the
increase of the population of the Dis
trict, Mr.. Lindholm finds.
The encouraging thing about the cur
rent situation, however, as revealed by
surveys by Rufus S. Lusk, secretary of
the Operative Builders Association is
that there has been a decided decline
in the volume of new residential con-
struction during the past two years.
Cut Speculative Construction.
Part of this no doubt was caused by
the general business depression that
struck the country as a whole last Fall
but builders and financiers also have
acted to hold down purely speculative
construction programs here, which
served to prevent an oversupply of a
degree that would have driven market
values to disastrous levels, it is pointed
out.
Further, it is pointed out by Mr..
Lusk. the situation has been improved
by the demolition of large number
of houses that have become obsolescent
during the past 10 years and by the
acquisition by the Government of
houses in the sites of Federal building
projects.
The percentage of vacancies in apart
ment houses, according to surveys by
Lusk. Is less now than 1t has been dur
ing the past five years
Surveys here have shown that during
the past year the number of new houses
on the market has been steadily de-
creasing. due to the gradual increase
new residential construction.
Report Is Made Public.
The current survey by Mr.. Lindholrn
gives picture not only of new con-
struction for the District as a whole, In
the light of census figures on popula-
tion increase. but also shows the situa-
tion for various sections Of the city, all
OF which is plotted on a map.
The report, made public today, states:
Not counting such institutions as
the Soldiers Home, Walter Reed Hos
pital and few others. the increase In
the population of Washington between
the censllses of 1920 and 1880 Is 2.1O6.
What increase in housing took place
during the decade?
= About $4,000 new family accommo-
dationS were erected, one-l1alf of them
In apartment houses. The increase
would give one dwelling or one apart
fnent unit to each IL per cent OF the
new population. On the face of it this
shows an excessive overbuildinR.
IAN analysis by districts show that
the excess Is not so extreme in the
residential sections, but the final
ngures reveal sufficient danger to cause
the builder to take heed.
The downtown sections, south of
Florida avenue and west of North and
South Capitol streets (section Al, and
Continued on Second Pagel