Evening star., 1940-01-05
Mandatory Area
For Parking in
Buildings Urged
Zoning Boord Plans
Hearing on Apartment
And Assembly Centers

A drastic proposal to require
parking garages or parking areas
for any new multiple-family dwell
ings or places of public assembly
erected in the future is to be con-
sidered by the Zoning Commission
at a public hearing February 7, it
was announced today.
The proposed rule would not be
applied to one-family dwellings. The
reference to places of public as
sembiy presumably would include
theaters and churches. skating rinks
and the like, although the present
draft of the suggested amendment
to the zoning rules does not so
specify.
The plan was suggested by Har-
land Bartholomew, zoning expert of
st. Louis, Mo-, who serves as part
time consultant to the National
Capital Park and Planning Commis-
sion and who has conferred num-
Der of times with the Zoning Com
mission.
HOW frOpOSal heaoS.
The proposal is to add new Sec
ton. No. IA, to read:
Space for automobile parking
Every building used for dwelling
purposes, excepting only one-family
dwellings, shall provide garage space
whether in the main building or in
accessory building. or in parking
area on a lot occupied by the main
building, sufficient to accommodate
one automobile for each dwelling
unit within the main building.
Buildings designed or used for
public assembly shall provide
storage garage either in the main
building or in an accessory building,
or in parking area on the lot
occupied by the main building, suff-
cient to accommodate one automobile
for each five seats in the assembly
hall"
The proposed amendment also
states that nothing contained in the
section shall be construed as
waiver of any of the area require
ments of the zoning regulations.
New Open Court Definition.
To clarity the meaning of the pro-
posed requirement of parking area.
as an alternative to parking
garage, the commission is offering
q new definition to section of the
definition of open court" which
would read:
Parking area: An open, unoccu-
pied space, dedicated for parking of
automobiles exclusively, and in
which 40 gasoline or automobile
accessor1es are sold and no business
Is conducted" 49,.
One District official who did not
want to be, quoted personally -sug-
gested that to make such off-street
parking arrangements really effec-
tive it might be necessary for the
Commissioners to invoke a ban on
all night parking of cars in the
streets. Such a ban has been sug-
gested number of times in the past
and always has met with determined
opposition from sections OF the
public.
Basement Garages Permissible.
The new move recalls that under
the original zoning regulations of
the District provision of parking
garages in the Easements of apart
ment houses was not permitted,
and these we're amended some years
ago, following a campaign by va
rious groups. to make basement
garages in apartment houses per-
missible.
Presumably the proposed rule as
now drawn would not affect existing
buildings, although there was no
official statement on the point.
Such properties, however, one off,
cial suggested, would become non
conforming"
The commission also is proposing
another amendment to its rules
which would require that applica-
tions for the construction or use of
private stables would have to be ap-
proved by the Board of Zoning
Adjustment. The present rules do
not require such approval if the pri-
vate stable would abllt an allev