Evening star., 1936-02-16
zON|NG RACKET"
END IS. OBJECTIVE
.OF COMMISSION
Hearing on Proposed EIimi-
nation of Consents Will Be
Held February 27.
OTHER CODE CHANGES
WILL BE CONSIDERED
Suggested Revision Would In
volve Use of Properties in First
Commercial Zone.

Seeking to end an alleged racket"
in the gathering Of consents Of ad-
joining property owners for the uses
of properties as classified under the
zoning law, the District Zoning Com
mission will hold a public hearing
February 81 on proposed elimination
Of all so-called consents.
This Is one. of the most important
proposed changes in the District zon-
ing code to be suggested in the past
year or two. 1t is the result Of nu-
merous complaints brought to the
commission over the effect Of present
regulations requiring that consent of
rs per cent of the owners of property
within 200 feet Of a proposed estab-
hshment be obtained before certain
uses may be allowed.
At the same hearing the commission
will consider other changes in the
code which are described by Capt.
Hugh P. Dram. director of inspectios,
as intended merely to clarity the regur
lations.
Consent Is Necessary.
Under present regulations, clubs,
fraternity houses, public storage ga
RACES, hospitals and sanatoriums are
permitted In the residential districts
with consents. None Of these is per-
mitted in the "a" restricted area dis
trict. Clubs and fraternity houses
are permitted in the "a" semi-re-
stricted districts, with consents, as
well as in the "a" 'B" restricted, and
''B" areas.
If the amendment is adopted, clubs
and fraternity houses will be per-
mitted outright in the "a" "B." &C"
and %" residential areas and will be
barred from the "A" restricted, "a"
ser1i-restricted and "B" restricted
areas. The reason is that multiple
family occupancy is now permitted
only in the "a" "B," &C" and %"
residential area districts.
Hospitals and sanatoriums are class
if1ed in the same way as clubs and
fraternity houses.
Garages are Barred.
Public storage garages have been
eliminated entirely from the resi-
dental districts except In cases where
alley lots are involved or cases in
which such garages will be placed un.
der apartment houses.
An important revision of the code
proposed by the commission would in
volve the uses Of properties in the
first commercial district, where the
following uses are now permitted with
consents: Bakeries employing more
than five persons, laundries employing
more than five persons, bowling alleys,
carting express or hauling yards. stor-
age or fuel yards, gasoline filling sta
tions, milk distributing stations, ice
cream manufacturing plants, under
taking establishments and public serv-
ice garages or public stables.
Under the proposed new regulations,
| the bakeries, carting. hauling and
and milk stations would be barred
from first commercial districts and
would be permitted only in second
commercial use districts.
| Bowling alleys would be permitted
in first commercial districts, provided
they were located at least 200 feet
from a residential use district. Un-
dertaking establishments would be per-
mitted in first commercial districts,
provided they were at least 800 feet
from q residential district.
Conditions Enumerated.
Automobile repair shops, public
service garages and gasoline stations
could not be established in first COM
mercial districts except with the ap-
proval of the commission and apph-
cations for permits could not be
considered by those officials unless
the following conditions first were
met:
That any portion Of Sthe street
frontage of the premises or proposed
building would not be opposite any
residential district measured at right
angles to the intervening street; that
any portion of the building must be
at least Is feet from . residential use
district.
Furthermore, under the proposed
rule, the Commissioners would have to
find that mo dangerous or otherwise
Objectionable traffic condition would
result: that the city plan or the pres
ent or future development Of public
or private property in the vicinity
would not be adversely affected to q
substantial degree; that such location
would not be in such proximity TO q
school. church or hospital and to affect
adversely the public convenience, In.
terest or safety.
In such cases, the Commissioners
would refer such applications for re-
port to the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission and to the
trafic director.