Evening star., 1939-02-01
Calvert Street
zoning Proposal
Fought Bitterly
Foes of Commercial
Roting Are Supported
Before Commission


property on Calvert street between
Biltmore street and Columbia road
was waged before the Zoning Com
mission today.
On one side, property owners on
Calvert street contended their prop
critics no longer are valuable for
residential purposes, largely because
of a great increase in traffic along
the street.
Opponents of the proposal, most
of whom are residents of Cliffbourne
place and Biltmore street, countered
with the statement that if Calvert
street is commercialized their prop
critics will depreciate greatly in
value
Samuel A. King, counsel for the
Calvert street residents favoring
the rezoning, told the commission
the street is so noisy that it is al
most impossible for residents ito
live or even to be heard" The
street no longer is adapted for resi-
dental purposes, and is now used
almost entirely for boarding and
rooming establishments, he said.
Counsel Backs Stand.
Opponents of the proposal were
supported by the Zoning Advisory
Council, which submitted, through
John Nolen, jr., recommendation
against granting the petition. Mr..
Nolen presented map showing that
an additional commercial district in
To1 Str
be justified because there already
are sufficient commercial establish
ments to serve the needs of the
community adequately.
The solution of this problem on
Calvert street does not lie in recon-
ing for commercial use" Mr.. Nolen
said. These properties are now
undergoing transition from single
family use to rooming and boarding
house use and will ultimately be
utilized for multi-family dwellings,"
Calling attention to the fact that
the area under consideration is
directly at the east end of the CAL
vert Street Bridge, Mr.. Nolen de-
clared that if a new commercial
district is created it will result in
clogging the approaches to the
bridge and greatly impede the flow
of traffic to and from the span.
, Immediately after Mr.. Nolen
testified, Mr. King called on all per-
sons present who favored the re-
zoning to stand. About 80 stood up.
do you think rezoning it would
affect property on Biltmore street?"
Mr.. King queried. The answer again
was chorus of noes.
Mrs. j. E. Schafirt, 1888 Calvert
street, told the commission it is i'm
possible to use the street for any
thing but rooming and boarding
houses.
John j. Keegan, commissioner of
the United States Employees Com
pensation Commission, who lives at
1945 Calvert street NV, said the
value of property along that street
has declined in recent years and
now would be valuable only as a
comme&al district
Urges Ong-Range Plan.
Arguing against the proposal, Gen.
Laurence Halstead who said his
mother lived at 1886 Biltmore street,
contended that the change would
tend to mar the beauty of the bridge
and surrounding territory and that
there already are sufficient business
establishments in the nearby Sec
tions He was joined in this plea
by DR.. V. E. Watkins, who owns 1887
Biltmore street.
DR.. T. S. Palmer of 1899 Biltmore
street declared there is not a single
residence on Calvert street that is
not occupied today He said the
Zoning Commission should not take
steps to change the character of
that neighborhood until it has
worked out long-range plan for
the entire area.
Granting of apartment house
zoning for numerous properties lying
in the area bounded by Ontario
road, Harvard street and Columbia
road was urged by a group of
property owners represented by
Louis Gutenberg. The commission
was told by Mr. Gutenberg that
numerous property owners would be
penalized for the benefit of but
half dozen residents if residential
zoning were continued. He argued
that the properties involved in the
case were surrounded by apartment
house developments with the excep-
tion of five houses.
Capt. Hugh P. Orem, executive
secretary of the commission, said
he had received a petition contain
ing 33 names protesting against
the proposed change. In addition,
there were IL individual protests
submitted, he said. Accompanying
the signed petition was map of the
Rock Creek area, embroidered with
drawings of Zoo animals, designed
to show that additional stores and
other business establishments would
serve but few, if any, beyond the
specimens in the Zoo.
Referring to this may, Mr.. King
testified that, as a matter of fact,
the nearest animals in the Zoo are
at least three-quarters of a mile
away from Calvert street.
Massachusetts, Proposal Contested.
The commission also urged wit
nesses to testify both for and against
a petition for raising the height
limit on buildings to 80 feet for
properties along both sides of Mass
achusetts avenue NV. between Six
teenth and Eighteenth streets NV.
James Donovan, who said he rep
resented % property owners in
favor of the proposed change.
pointed out that all the property
virtually in the adjoining area is
zoned to permit 90-foot buildings.
r. Ross Perry, jr. of 1886 Mas
sachusetts avenue NV. said that
the value of old homes on that
street would go down if the 9O-foot
height was permitted SO that apart
ment buildings could be con-
structed.
Mrs. S. H. Rathbun, 1922 Massa-