Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-08
DISTRICT WILL BUY
MARKET SITE LOT
AT PRICE OF $4,000
Land Condemned at $4,000
to Be Given at Lower
Cost for Project.
OBJECTIONS OF McCARL
OVERCOME BY DEAL
Appeal From Verdict on Another
Piece Of Land May Be Offset
by Terminal Company.

BY accepting an offer Of the Terminal
Refrigerating & Warehousing Corpora
ton to sell for $4,000 a lot which a
condemnation jury had decided was
worth $4,000, the District Commits
sioners announced today they believed
they had erased legal objections raised
by Controller General McCarl threaten
ing to block their attempts to establish
in Southwest Washington the projected
wholesale produce farmers market
under direction from Congress.
In purchasing the lot from the
terminal company, which previously had
agreed to hold it for two years until
the District could get a further APP
preparation from Congress, the Commits
sioners are now about to acquire title
to the whole Of the two squares
designated by Congress as market site
Gave Informal Opinion.
Earlier in the week. the Commits
sioners had received letter from Con-
troller General McCarl demanding an
explanation Of negotiations thus far
taken in connection with the purchase
or condemnation of lands for the
market site. The controller general
in an informal opinion held that the
Commissioners were violating the law
in making such an arrangement where
by the terminal company would hold It's
lot for a two-year period. 1t was the
contention of the controller general
that the whole of the two squares must
be acquired before the Commissioners
closed the streets and erected market
sheds.
Or. Luther H. Reichelderfer. chair
- IL
issued a statement today following a
conference with officers of the terminal
company, which he described as lrac-
tlcally the same reply which the Com
missioners will make to the controller
general.
Statement Is Quoted.
This statement explanatory of the
present status of negotiations said:
The Commissioners of the District
Of Columbia this morning accepted an
offer of the Terminal Refrigerating L.
Warehousing Corporation to sell to the
District of Columbia lot S00 square
355, for the sum Of $4,000 cash. Upon
the contamination of this purchase all
of the land required by law for the
establishment of a wholesale farmers
market in the Southwest section will
be acquired within the appropriation
within the limits of said site, between
Tenth and Eleventh streets. will be
closed and form a part of the market
site. With this land purchase a suffl-
cient sum will be available to carry
out the provisions of law for the estab-
| lishment of wholesale market on the
site
The transaction was closed at a con-
ference today held between the District
Commissioners and officers and attor-
neys for the terminal company. These
latter were G. w. Forsberg, vice presi-
dent, and j. P. Johnson. secretary OF
the terminal company. and Charles A
Douglas and E. F. Colladay, attorneys
$4,000 Had Been Asked.
The lot in question had been offered
previously to the Commissioners fol-
$4,000. A condemnation verdict
however, of 1872. 900 was awarded. This
would have depleted the 100000 ap.
propriated by Congress for the acqui-
sition Of the two squares and the estab-
lishment of wholesale market in &C.
cordance with law.
Being close to the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Terminal. District officials OK
planned. the Terminal Refrigeratine
Co. was as DESTROYS as the Commits
sioners to see the market site deal &c
through. BY giving the Commissioners
virtual option on the lot for two years
the terminal company made it possible
for the Commissioners to retain ap.
proximately $35, 600 for the erection OF
market sheds.
4 This arrangement and another with
/ the refrigerating company was brought
| to the attention of Controller Genera
! McCarl, who previously had questioned
the legality of the negotiations in pro.
! cess.
Owner to Appeal Verdict.
/ At first declaring they would stanc
/ their ground. the Commissioners next
! agreed to enter into new negotiation.
with the refrigerating company where.
by the corporation would let them have
the lot at a nominal price. The out.
come of the negotiation resulted in the
sale today for $4,000.
Another owner of lot within the
market site has appealed from a con.
demnation verdict.
Through an arrangement with tn,
terminal company, the Commissioner,
will suffer no financial loss in the event
of higher award The terminal com.
pany will meet whatever difference in
price by knocking down" the price the
District has agreed to pay it for other
lots acquired from the terminal COM
pany in the market site.