Evening star., 1938-06-19
East Washington Development Seen as Balanced City
P[ANNERSFAV0R
PUSHING PROJECT
Easing of Population and
Traffic Congestion Seen
as Possible.
By JOSEPH s. EDGERTON.

mOIlIIlS Ol StuulSS lldNc ccIFCu Uully
to intensity the long-held belief that
Washington stands to gain many
lasting, growing benefits and to lose
nothing from a restoration and de-
velopment of that neglected area to
the east of the Capitol.
From the standpoint of the Federal
Government, the District Government,
the people of Washington and the
people of the Nation it is of great i'm
portance that comprehensive. far<
reaching effort to restore East Wash
ington to its rightful, intended status
should be made, in the opinion Of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
Summarizing in this, the last of a
series of eight articles. the arguments
which have been advanced by his
commission and other leaders in civic
planning, Frederic A. Delano. chair
man of the Planning Commission, de-
clared that in East Washington the
National Capital has wonderful
opportunity for a development which
will contribute greatly to the beauty,
usefulness and INABILITY of the city.
Capitol Faces East.
The Capitol was laid out with its
entrance facing eastward, Mr.. Delano
pointed out, and it was to the high
ground east of the Capitol overlooking
the beautiful Anacostia River valley
to which Maj. Pierre Charles L'Enfant,
who laid out the city, looked for the
most healthful site for the first de-
velopment.
Disregard of his original plans for
Washington has resulted only in an
unbalanced growth to the north and
west. Such abnormal growth is as
unhealthful for city as unbalanced
growth is for an individual, and today
Washington is suffering from the
baneful effects of civic malformation
congestion of population and dwell
ings, high land prices. limping rush.
hour transportation over unnecessarily
great distances traffic snarls and a
growing parking problem.
All these evils are attendant upon
the unplanned, unbalanced growth to
the north and west. And yet in spite
of the fact that East Washington has
well-paved streets and all the require
ments for sound civic development it
has Jagged, although there the taxable
values are relatively low and the op-
portunities for improvement are great.
In an effort to relieve some of the
more pressing evils of the unbalanced
growth in the Northwest section. Con-
gress and the District now are resort
ing to expensive, occasionally beauty
destroying underpass and street-wid-
ening programs. The same money,
spent in Improvements in East Wash
ington which would induce private
business and home developments in
that area, would prove of great gen.
eral benefit, in the opinion Of planning
officials.
Much Land Available.
There are thousands of acres of land
in East Washington available for home
and business development, far closer
to the downtown section and accessible
by way of broad uncrowded streets,
than any remaining areas in other
sections Of the District, it was pointed
out.
To bring about the necessary,
healthful growth of East Washington
there is need for public Improvements
which will create public sentiment
In favor of East Washington as q
more suitable and more favored resi-
Dental area, it was pointed out. The
latter trend now is making itself felt
and within the past few years many
fine homes have been built east Of the
Capitol
In elaboration of the arguments ad-
vanced in support Of the East Wash
ington development program the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission outlined three possible
major projects which it is believed
would start and stimulate sound de-
velopment of this section of the city:
l. The development of East Capitol
street for Federal and quasi-Federal
activities, including such projects as
the proposed State buildings.
Q. The development of system Of
major parkway and highway arteries
which the commission has planned,
including the Anacostia parkway, to
connect with parkway to Baltimore
and with the George Washington
Memorial parkway and new outlets
to the south, and the Fort drive, with
its series of historical and scenic parks
on the heights east of the Anacostia
River.
8. The development of recreational
facilities on a more adequate scale,
because of relatively low cost of land,
than is possible in the older sections
Of the city.
Building Sites Provided.
Study of East Capitol street, the
commission said, shows several sites
for satisfactory groups of Federal or
quasi-Federal buildings. 1t is not in
tended to undertake such a massing
OF buildings as is to be found in the
Mall Triangle, but rather the develop
ment of well-balanced groups of
buildings in areas of two or three
oHNNASo S0NA1 ob NdAAOAo Will
residences and shops between.
Good progress already has been
made toward development of park
and recreational facilities in East
Washington, according to John Nolen,
jr., director of planning of the COM
mission. He explained that the Ana
costa Parkway is second in area
among parks created by land reclama-
tion only to East and West Potomac
Parks and that Fort Dupont Park
is second iii size only to Rock Greek
Park among the natural parks. Both
these splendid East Washington parks
are surrounded largely by undeveloped
areas which afford beautiful, health
full home sites.
At the east end of East Capitol
street, on the bank of the Anacostia
River, the Government owns, in Ana
costa Park, tract of about l25
acres on which an unusually extern
sive public recreational area can be
created to take care of all kinds Of
sports, parades and national celebra-
tions, including water carnivals and
sports on Kinpman Lake This rom.