Evening star., 1939-07-09
Arlington Civic GrouE
Plans 10 Study New
Housing Project
Will Decide Whether
Arlington ViIIoee Has
Row-House Setup

The Parks, Planning and zoning
Committee of the Arlington County
(VaD Civic Federation will meet this
week to study the issuance of build
ing permits for large-scale housing
project, Chairman j. c. Mcclellan
said yesterday.
The meeting will be called to car
ry out provisions of a resolution
adopted at the last meeting of the
federation in which the committee
was instructed to study the develop
ment of Arlington Village with a
view to determining whether the
project could be considered a row.
house development. A study also
will be made of the question of
whether the issuance of building
permits was violation of the zoning
ordinance prohibiting row-house
construction.
The development is situated south
OF Columbia pike between Barton,
Cleveland and Edgewood streets. 1t
consists of 655 living units, costing
$l,65OOOO.
Similar to Others.
Officials at the building inspectors
office yesterday said the project is
in no way roW-house develop
ment, but is large-scale apart
ment housing project similar to two
others already existing in the county.
The federation last spring partici-
pated in successful campaign to
have row houses prohibited in Ar
lington County. An old law for this
purpose had been thrown out of
court and the new ordinance met
the requirements by defining the
structures and prohibiting their con-
struction. A section of the existing
ordinance is Worded as follows:
"A rowhouse is one of series of
three or more houses or living units,
under common roof, with common
exterior walls, separated from one
another by single partition walls
extending from basement to roof. or
otherwise so planned that the sew
eral-unit houses may be sold to
separate owners
First Plans Rejected.
1t was learned from reliabl
source that when plans for Airing
ton Village were first submitted to
county officials for approval. they
were turned down because it was
claimed they fell within row.
house classification The developer
was required to change all OF his
plans. involving IA new features
so they could not be classified as
row dwellings.
In the project to be studied, plans
show that the living units are inter-
locking so that one persons living
room may be in front of his neigh
bors bedroom or kitchen, or that
the living room may be beneath
a neighbor's bedroom upstairs. This
interlocking of living units has made
it possible to sell the several-unit
houses to separate owners, county
officials believe.
Other features which make the
project an apartment development
and not one of roWhouSeS, it was
stated are a continuous excavation.
with no separating walls, beneath
the individual living units. Through
this excavation are sent pipes from
a central heating plant, and trans
mission facilities for other utilities.
including a central telephone switch
board.
Central Heating Units.
While row houses require indi-
vidual water taps. the Arlington
Village units are served from one
tap at central distribution points. it
was explained. There are no Chin
neys in each of the living units, but
only over the central heating unit
in each group of apartments, it was
stated.
Mr.. Mcclellan said his committee
has not made any findings as yet
and is entering the investigation
with an open mind The commit
tee will appear before the County
Board If its findings show the project
to be a row house development, he
said, or it will make a report to the
first fall meeting of the federation
if it believes the project is not
primarily row house type.
Serving with Mr.. Mcclellan are
Mrs. Marguerite z. Baughman, vice
chairman. Comdr. P. T. Wright. U.
S. N, retired; Miss Constance
Backus, Mrs. Florence Cannon. Mrs.
E. D. Fenton, G. w. Quick. William
A. E. McShea, Joseph F. Feigley, jr.;
Norman j. Hall, and Mrs. Emma C.
johnson.