Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-10
ROSSL YIN PROJECT
MEETS APPROVAL
Civic Groups to Have Chance
for Waterfront Project
Consideration.

A proposed plan for the development
Of the RoSSlyn. Va, water front, under
which park and commercial projects
would be represented, suggested by the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, has been approved in
principle. 1t is being laid before Ar
lington County. Va, authorities for
study and action.
One of the outstanding features Of
this new program is the plan for a
county wharf, to be located below Key
Bridge, with an adjoining railroad track
and a pump house. The tracks would
overpass the George Washington Memo
rial Parkway, travelling southwark to
the community wharf, enabling the use
Of facilities for freight and for excur-
sion boats in the territory served by
the Washington and Old Dominion
Electric Railway.
Plan Up to Organizations.
The plan was prepared by Charles
w. Eliot, I'd, director of planning of
the commission, and G. L. Kinnier, di-
recting engineer Of Arlington County,
Va. The Arlington County Chamber OF
Commerce. the RoSSlyn Business Mems
Association, the Arlington County Board
Of Supervisors and other civic organi-
cations in the area will be given oppor-
tunity to express their opinions on the
new plan.
Lieut.. Col U. S. Grant, Sd, vice
chairman and executive cficer of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission; its engineer, Capt. z. N.
Chisolrn, jr., and George A. Riker, in
dustrial conSultant, have had q major
part in the preparation Of the plan and
referring 1t to the interested authorities.
. Connection is made from Hume street
to the lower level, under the plan, and
the highway Of the George Washington
Memorial Parkway passes under the
Key Bridge, as does the proposed rail-
way bridge to the county wharf.
Analostan Island, now Is process OF
condemnation SO that Uncle Sam may
acquire it for park purposes, would be
linked by bridge ID the RoSslyn area,
affording a highway to the Arlington
Memorial Bridge, across Little River.
The parkway highway runs northwest
ward to Spout Run and on to Great
Falls.
Boundary Decision Important.
The new decision Of the Supreme
Court of the United States, holding that
the Federal Government and District Of
Columbia property go to the high water
mark of 1871 on the Virginia side OF
the Potomac River, will have an 1npor-
tant bearing on this development, in
the opinion of commission of1cials.
Surveys will likely be undertaken soon
to determine the exact extent Of this.
The commission is not inclined to
have commercial development upstream
Of Key Bridge at RoSslyn, as the Struc-
ture across the river has no draw span
and the old Aqueduct piers are still in
position and it is not known when they
will be removed. To put a pier above
the Key Bridge at that point, the off,
Gals of the commission say, would be
to destroy the park value of the George
Washington Memorial Parkway. Wood
ed sections above RoSslyn must be pre-
served for park purposes, the commits
sion says. Flood control considerations
also enter into the program.
Highways Hit ROssIyn.
A wider circular development at Ross
lyns front door is proposed under the
new program suggested by the commits
sion, with a number Of proposed thor
oughfares leading into it. The pro-
posed Lee Highway connection would
give access to Washington bound traffic,
as we'll as permitting egress into the
park drive and southwark to the Mount
Vernon Memorial Highway, across Co
lumbia Island.
While plans are now actively afoot
to improve the Rosslyn water front, ef-
forts are being made likewise to have
suitable changes made on the Washing
ton side Of the Key Bridge. At the foot
Of Thirty-fourth and Thirty-flfth and
M streets, 1t is tentatively planned TO
have park treatment given to the hill
side to eliminate the trafic hazards
there and TO facilitate the movement of
traffic.