Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-30
BOARD OF TRADE !
| FIGHTS EXTENSION
| OF BUSINESS ZONES
Body Declares Limited Com
merciaI Move Not Re- !,
lief Method.
ASK STUDY OF 18TH
STREET ASSESSMENTS
High Tax Figures Rather Than
Residential zOning Named as .
Cause Of Distress.

Creation Of the proposed limited come
mercial coming areas, under which ONCE
| buildings and other structures, where nd
| retail trade is conducted, could be erecta
ed in sections now zoned residential
was opposed definitely by the zonin4
committee of the Washington Board Of
Trade after lengthy discussion of the
matter late yesterday.
The committee declared its belief that
such change would not bring about
the designed relief and declared that,
particularly in the case of lower Six
tenth street, the high assessments on
residential properties were more the
cause Of their undesirable situation than
the existing coming restrictions.
The committee, in its report to Dis.
trlct oft1cialS, therefore, recommends o
thorough study Of assessments In this
section, with the idea of making as
coming uses.
ZOning and Assessments Collide.
A series of articles published in The
star last year, after q comprehensive
| study of the Sixteenth street situation.
| showed that there was virtually head
| on collision between coming restrictions
ana assessments there, that some private
| dwellings there had ground assessments
| not only higher than in even the best
residential sections of the city, but also,
In some cases, higher than on nearby
commercial property.
Tax Assessor Richards was quoted In
the series in The Star to the effect that
nigh-pr1ced commercial areas surround
ing the Sixteenth street section had the
effect Of boosting the assessments on
the residential strip and that the asses
sors gave but little consideration to
| coming restrictions
The proposed change in the coming
code, thrown out for public reaction re-
Gently by Mai. Donald A. Dawson, As
| siStant Engineer Commissioner in charge
OF the 2oning office, is designed to re-
lieve property owners IN certain Sec
lions now restricted 10 residential use
where high assessments, trafic and
other conditions have made residence
undesirable to owners and tenants. b,
Members of the trade body commit
tee who opposed the change, on the
| ground that Washington already has
more than ample areas for commercial
development OF various types, included
Harry Blake, chairman; Joseph Boiling,
Ben T. Webster, Arthur Carr and Rob-
ert j. Cottrell.
Text of Report.
The report reads:
1.-THE coming committee of the Wash.
ington Board of Trade Is opposed to
| the creation of a new coming classificas
ton for limited commercial use, as sugs
gested for Sixteenth street from H to
w street; Calvert street from Columbia
road to Connecticut avenue; Connecti-
cut avenue from Rock Greek to Cath.
edral avenue; residential portions Of
Columbia road from Eighteenth to Six
tenth street and residential portions
of M street from Thomas Circle to New
York avenue.
THE committee believes that addi-
tional commercial properties in these
locations could not be absorbed ana
that such changes could be used as an
entering wedge for the commercializa-
ton of residential sections in other
parts of the city.
Further, the committee feels, par.
| ticularly in reference to Sixteenth street
from H to w streets, that the present
| condition has been brought about
largely through the existing status of
assessments and is therefore of the
opinion that the relief from this situa-
ton does not lie in changing the coming
from residential to limited Commercial.
but In q thorough study Of assessments
IN this location with the idea of makina
assessments conform to the permitted
uses"