Evening star., 1939-09-17
Survey Urged
For Districts
Wafer Front
Planning Commission
Asks Congress to
Approve Plon

Congress willing, the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission, Army engineers and the
District Commissioners will be able
to inaugurate a comprehensive and
long grange survey of the uses to
be made of the entire District OF
Columbia water front and that of
the adjacent metropolitan area.
After conferring yesterday with
officials of the United States engl-
neer office for the Washington area
and District engineers, the Plan
ming Commission adopted a resolu-
ton asking that such a survey be
authorized by Congress under the
direction of the chief of engineers.
in consultation with the Park and
Planning Commission and the Dis
trict Commissioners.
Recommendations made on the
basis of such survey should con-
tain comprehensive plans, esti-
mates of cost" for wide variety
Oh uses, JIlc IcSOlutiOi1 odlAs
Provisions for Survey.
Suitable terminals and adequate
channels for water transportation,
seaplanes and pleasure craft, to-
gether with all facilities relating
thereto, their management and
control, would be included in the
survey. Removal of the piers OF
Aqueduct Bridge. which have long
interfered with pleasure naviga-
ton in Georgetown Channel, also
would be considered in the survey.
The point of the survey, the reso-
luton said, is to attain a full and
proper co-ordinated development
and improvement of the shores and
/ waters at and near the National
Capital which will adequately serve
| the varied interests concerned"
Thomas S. Settle, secretary and
spokesman for the commission, said
that while local plans were going
| forward for development Of the
water front, such as the segregation
of industrial plants, parks and park
ways, yacht basins, bridges and
channels, as yet no co-ordinated
plan of procedure had been evolved.
Want Definite Plan.
Such a plan has been drawn up
for the city's recreation system and
for both a city and regional park
and parkway system, Mr.. Settle said.
Now the commission feels that a sur
vey of the waters and water fronts
of the area should be provided un-
der definite plan.
The commission, which ended a
three-day session yesterday, ap-
proved preliminary plans, prepared
by the District Highway Department,
for a grade separation at Fourteenth
and Maine avenue formerly Water
street, S.W. Plans for the ground
development of the Howard Play
ground, which adjoins the Mott
School at Fourth and Bryant streets
NV, also were approved. Several
minor land transfers involving the
Federal and District Governments
were approved and paper street
closed.
Inspect Prospective Purchases.
During the early part of the
morning members of the commits
sion toured the city to inspect land
which the planning body expects to
purchase.
During its meeting, the Friday
afternoon session of which was held
in conjunction the National Com
mission of Fine Arts, the commission
took several important steps toward
realizing the, city plan of Washing
ton.
1t approved preliminary plans for
the new District National Guard
Armory and the new Navy Depart
ment. 1t moved to make new pur-
chases in Montgomery County, Md,
and Arlington County, Va, for the
George Washington Memorial park
way and announced purchase of
large tracts of land for Palisades
Park and the Oxon Run parkway,
besides taking action on a number of
matters of lesser Importance.