Evening star., 1933-05-15
Rehabilitation of BIighted
Areas Would Improve VAL
ues and Employ Men.
subcommittee SOON
TO REPORT IN SENATE
Municipal and Social Waste Part
of High Cost Which Is Not Under.
stood by Taxpayer, Says Official.

The District government Is losing
much taxable revenue in the city's al
ley dwellings, inhabited by about $4,000
persons, Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant. Sd.
director of Public Buildings and Public
Parks. asserted today. While the So
cial side OF the question has been
stressed, Col. Grant said, the economic
phase needs attention. pointing out
that elimination Of the alley dwellings
not only will stimulate employment, but
rehabilitate the blighted areas and i'm
proved the assessed values for the Dis
trict government.
At the present time a subcommittee
of the Senate District Committee is at
work on the problem Of the alley
dwellings. 1t Is expected that the
question will come before the full COM
mittee tomorrow. Col. Grants re-
marks were indorsed by John Nolen. city
planner of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission. and by
Charles w. Eliot, I'd, director OF plan
ming for that body. The colonel said
the city's parking problem might well
be solved in large measure by convert
ing present alley dwellings into park
ing garages by razing the present un-
slightly structures and erecting mod
ern garages thereon. In the vicinity
of the Capitol for instance. he said.
there are alley dwellings which could
be wiped out, and in their stead garage
accommodations for five hotels IN that
neighborhood created.
Municipal, Social Waste.
Col. Grant said the inhabited alleys
are a form of municipal and social
waste. uneconomical in fact because ex-
pensive and unproductive OF any nnan-
cial or other return to the pubic.
The taxpayers of Washington Col.
Grant asserted, "as we'll as the financial
supporters of social welfare work, have
failed utterly to comprehend the hlgn
cost Of inhabited alleys. An impartial
consideration of the facts reveals the
tax return on inhabited alley properly
Is but a fraction OF the total COM
munity expense incident to their use as
habitations for $4,000 or 50 people NV,
ing at the lowest economic ana social
level.
The progressive but speedy elm
nation OF alley dwellings at moderate
capital expense along constructive lines.
can be justified from an economic point
of view.
Recent Investigations and analysis OF
the situation by welfare workers and the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission support this contention.
The average alley dwelling OF four rooms
is assessed at value from $5OO 10
81 ,0O0 depending on the land value In
the section Of the city where located.
With land varying from 20 to so cents
a foot, and improvements from $500 10
$780, it is probable that total assessed
value of $500 represents a fair average
for an alley habitation. Upon this
value the city gets a return OF but $40
in taxes annually. Furthermore the
assessed values are largely static regis
tering little. If any, increase over
period of years, notwithstanding incre-
ments in value of nearby street prop
critics Moreover, there is no contriou-
ticn to the utility taxes there being no
gas or electricity in the average alley
house.
Inhabited Alley Example.
What this low tax income means in
the community balance sheet may be
best illustrated by taking q specific in
habited alley for example. This alley
has been recently surveyed. IS centrally
located with highly developed street
property In the same square. The alley
dwelling property In this square brings
a tax return of $500, In contrast to
nearly q hundredfold greater return
from the surrounding street property.
Twenty-eight of the SO alley houses are
occupied, and 127 people, including 81
children, reside on one-third Of an
acre.
Set against this scant financial re-
turn to the city treasury, the cost to
the community Is measured in direct
and indirect expenses. First are the
nearly 10000 annual inspections of
alley habitations by the District health
officer, average about 10 per dwelling.
or quota of 800 inspections for the
alley in question One-eighth of all
inspections warranted the serving of
notices for correction of insanitary con-
ditions.
Add to this expense the incessant
visits of welfare workers and other Dis
trict agencies for refuse and trash re-
moval, collection Of garbage and sweep
ing of the alley. The costs are higher
than for similar services on streets be-
cause of the narrowness and tnaccessi-
bility of many Of these hidden COM
munities. They further add to the cost
of police supervision, for suppression OF
all manner of disturbances, crime and
vice, so prevalent in the alleys. These
conditions demand police inspection,