Evening star., 1931-12-26
PARK BOARD URGES.
GARAGES TO CARE.
FOR WORKERS CARS
Insists Government Provide
Storage Space in Triangle
Development.
REPORT TO PRESIDENT
ASSAILS STREET USE
Far-Sighted and Correlated Policy
by All Federal Agencies
Recommended.

The vexing question of where to put
Washington's automobiles during work.
ing hours drew from the National Cap-
ital Park and Planning Commission, in
its annual report, sent to President
Hoover today, the reiteration that the
best way to provide for the extensive
daytime storage of automobiles in a
business district appears to be in multi
story garages"
1t insisted again that the Federal
Government should take the lead in
providing storage space for automobiles
in the Federal triangle development
with reasonable charge being made
for this service to employees
The commission specifically recon-
mended that in Washington there
should be agreement upon, and per-
sistent adherence to- a self-consistent
and far-sighted policy, or group of
correlated policies, by the several
agencies of government responsible in
various ways for the handling of auto
mobile storage in the principal business
district, including the District CommiS-
sioners and the Office of Public Build
ingS and Public Parks as concerned
with parking regulations, the Public
Buildings Commission, and, in the last
analysis, Congress"
Lists Primary Principles.
1t listed these primary principles to
be borne in mind in the formulation
of such program:
1T is not legitimate permanent
function of public streets and parks to
provide storage for vehicles when not
in use for transportation.
The policy of progressively and per-
sistently increasing the stringency of
restrictions upon the free storage of
vehicles in the streets and parks
should be so clear and so firmly estab-
lished that fear of competitive free
storage provided by public authorities
at the expense Of the general taxpayers
will not deter investors from providing
convenient and economical storage
places on private property in the busi-
ness district at charges commensurate
with the cost of the services and with
the value of the service to those who
use it.
The Government, in its capacity of
builder and operator of Office buildings,
should, as part of its Office building
program, provide a reasonable amount
of cubic feet of building space adapted
to the daytime storage of automobiles
OF the occupants of its Office buildings
This starage, except in the case of
official cars, should be provided only on
the basis of a reasonable charge suffi-
Clent to cover the cost of the Serv-
ice; so that those to whom the con-
venience of such storage on valuable
central land is not worth its real cost,
may use public transportation systems.
Otherwise they parasitically obtain
luxury at the cost of others, which is
not worth to anybody what it costs.
Ratio Is Problem.
Owing to the uncertainty as to what
ratio of automobile storage space to
office space will prove economically
sound, it is expedient to make at least
part of such structures for automo-
bile storage in connection with Govern
ment offices readily convertible to other
use, as can readily be done with ordi-
nary loft-building construction.
The principle of the self contained
block, as advocated by Dr. McClintock
and the Automobile Parking Commit
tee in the report of that committee,
reinforces the opinion of the commits
sion in regard to the necessity of pro-
viding parking space in connection with
the triangle Government building de-
velopment.
The commission has always advo-
Gated that the triangle should be self
contained as to parking and has re-
peatedly brought the matter to the at
tention of the Treasury Board of Archi-
tectual consultants and of the Public
Building Commission.
In the opinion of the commission.
parking facilities should be provided
within the buildings and courts of the
triangle for the use of employees and
persons doing business with the Gov
ernment, at a reasonable charge"