Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-12
1000 NEW HOMES
BEGUN At bERWYN
ON LOW-COST PLAN
Government Will Spend S.
100000 to Develop Model
Town for 5000.
RENTAL MAY AVERAGE
ABOUT $50 PER MONTH
Village to Be Circular, With Cen
ter Parkway and Underpasses
for Safety.
BY WILLIAM A. BELL, Jr.


Out of the rolling wooded acres
around Berwyn Heights, Md, less than
10 miles from downtown Washington.
relief workers today began carving a
site for a suburban town of 5000
population.
Some time next year, probably,
jewellers will begin moving into the
1000 homes it is planned TO construct
with s5,500000 of Rural Resettlement
Administration funds.
The families will be from the low
income group-mothers and fathers
and children who have to live on
LAO a year or less who elsewhere
would be cramped into stuffy apart
ments or duplex houses instead of the
neat homes the Resettlement Admin
1stration intends to provide. They
will be from Washington and nearby
Maryland areas and there will be
both Government and ron-Govern-
ment employees.
Officials Watch Beginning.
District Works Progress Administra-
tor George E. Allen and officials of
Resettlement's suburban division went
out to witness 900 relief workers and
20 tractors start clearing site for the
first of four "Tugwell-towns" to be
erected as experimental community
developments by DR.. Rexford Il. Tug
wells rehabilitation agency The ini-
tial work involves uprooting trees,
grading, leveling and road construc-
ton. ReSettlement officials said the
start of actual construction some
months hence would he a spectacular
novelty.
The houses, 1t was indicated au-
thoritatively, will rent for subStan-
TALLY less than units in housing de-
velopments undertaken by the Public
Works Administration. Secretary
1ckes' loW-cost dwellings have a
monthly rental of $3.50 to SO a room
and it was believed the Berwyn homes
would rent for SIS or Sc per room,
suggesting a months rental for five
room house of around $50.
Officials said, however, that current
cost estimates were tentative and
rentals could not be announced until
construction and amortization costs
were determined. The Ickes houses
are amortiZed for so years. Since the
amortization at Berwyn will be for
much shorter period. rentals will be
correspondingly lower.
Residents will be expected to pay
slightly more than one-fifth their an
nual income for rent, 1t was indicated
Project Embraces 5000 Acres.
The project embraces 5000 acres
and the development area is to be
Enclosed in protected area or green
belt" The village will be circular in
design with houses on the outer rim
and in the center parkway. A sys-
tenn of underpasses is to be provided so
children can attend school, run err
rands and play games without cross
ing streets.
AS the town is in the beginning, it
will be always, resettlement officials
plan. That is, there won't be press
ing shops under dwellings, scattered,
Unsightly filling stations or other hap
hazard establishments which result
from lack of foresighted planning.
The business and government Of the
community will be concentrated in one
area, recreational facilities in an
other, residences in third Reduced
to the least common denomination, the
project will be "zoned" from the be-
ginning, precluding the necessity for
future read i,IStnont
Families to Be Chosen.
Regarding the type of families to be
admitted, officials said they would es-
tablish an income ceiling" Prob
ably no family with an income of more
than about $500 will be considered.
They will be selected from a stand
point of family health, habits and
need. Persons unwilling to Cooper
ate with the Government and help
keep "Tugwelltown" attractive are not
wanted.
In time, it was believed, the devel-
opment will be regular town, with
its own government, newspaper, civic
interests and so forth Rent and
service bills probably will be payable
to the Resettlement Administration
management division and a special
corporation may be set up to super
wise the community.
While most of the residents prob
ably will be Government workers, en-
ployed at the Beltsville Agricultural
Research, Center or on the project it
self and in Washington bureaus, non
Federal employees will be accepted on
the same basis and accorded equal
treatment, officials declared. The prox-
Unity of the suburb to the Capital will
make it easy and cheap, it was ex-
planned, for jewellers who work "in
town" to commute. It takes about 40
minutes to reach the site by bus from
Washington, and less by train. Those
employed in the vicinity probably can
walk to work.
Research Center to Expand.
In connection with the housing de-
Velopment, the Agriculture Depart
ment plans further expansion Of its
Beltsville plant to make it an argicul-
tural research center second to none
ulld d OH VI Dull C1u VI otdllQdI Us lOf
Agriculture. The departments re-
search center at Berwyn has grown
from a few hundred acres in 1910 to
b.555 acres today. Six agencies have
branches there.
One of the greatest benefits accru-
ing to the District from the project,
according to Commissioner Allen, is
the solution offered to the transient
problem. There are more than 1000
employable transients here CRelief
Administration estimate) and these
will be put to work Immediately at
Berwyn, a work train going out daily.
Unemployables will be sent to Fort
Eustis, Va, and employables who don't
want to work will be turned out on
the streets, Allen said.
Employment for 5000.
Resettlement officials estimated the
project would provide employment for
1000 almost Immediately and later
for some 5000 or 5000.
Three similar projects are planned
for other sections of the country and