Evening star., 1940-03-21
Land Acquired
To Enlarge
Play Center
Planners Purchase
Row Houses on
Lamont Street

nounced tnaC row houses on. the
north side of Lamont street between
Sixteenth street and Hiatt place
NV, have been acquired for ex-
panding the Columbia Heights
Recreational Center.
Several of the houses remain to
be purchased before a total of 10
buildings involved can be razed to
provide play space, Norman c.
Brown. the commissions associate
land purchasing officer and ap-
praiser, announced. He added that
property adjoining the johnson
School south of Lamont street had
also been purchased to add still
another section to the recreation
center.
Mr.. Brown said the commission
also acted today to purchase land
for a playground in the vicinity of
Thirteenth and Van Buren streets
NV, Immediately south of Walter
Reed Hospital
He revealed that the property was
about to be sold for private building
purposes.
A. ID. A. Projects to Come Up.
Announcement also was made of
Northeast Recreation Center in the
vicinity of Forty-ninth and Wash
ington streets NE. and for the Barry
Farms Playground, on Nichols ave-
hue S. E. Land at the intersection
of Virginia avenue and Rock Greek
and Potomac parkway NV. was
also acquired for developing of land
scaping.
In addition to land purchases, the
commission today was to consider
plans for three District Alley Dwell
ing Authority projects and number
Of zoning problems involving prop
erty abutting on the Mount Vernon
Memorial highway where it traverses
Alexandra, Va, via washington
street.
Most serious of these problems
was taken care of recently when a
court injunction was issued restrain
ing the City of Alexandria from re-
zoning certain abutting property
occupied under a non-conforming
use permit by the Potomac River
Clay Works from residential "a" to
industrial "E" The rezoning, it is
contended, violates an agreement
between Alexandria and the Federal
Government not to zone property
within 200 feet of the memorial drive
anything but residential and COM
mercial
Changes Before Commission.
Zoning problems up for commits
sion consideration today involve
changes permitted under the agree
ment but which customarily are re-
viewed by the commission before
action is taken by the Alexandria
City Council.
Most important of these involves
an application by the Richmond
Fredericksburg and Potomac Rail-
road to have property along the
highway opposite the Potomac River
Clay Works zoned to permit con-
struction of apartment houses and
commercial buildings. The R., F. &
P. also has applied to have a tract
Of land outside the 2OO-foot zone
affected by the zoning agreement
zoned industrial, but there are indi-
cations this application may be re-
vised.
The commission also was to hear
reports from members of its staff
regarding negotiations with private
property owners outside the Alex
andria city limits for the protection
OF the scenic beauty of the drive.
This afternoon the commission
was to consider reports on the pro-
gress its appraisers have made on
tracts slated to be bought for the
first unit of the George Washington
Memorial Parkway in Maryland The
properties now being appraised lie
in the section bounded by the Dis
trict line, the Potomac River and
Conduit road.
Airport Roads to Be Considered.
Other matters which were to be
brought before the commission this
afternoon were plans for entrance
roads and grade separations where
the new National Airport is being
constructed at Gravelly Point and
master plan of Arlington County
which was to be brought before the
commission for advice by the Arling-
ton County Planning Commission
Tomorrow the commission is to
hear a report by Thomas S. Settle, its
secretary and legal representative, on
pending legislation affecting the
commissions work. 1t also was to
hear report by Henry v. Hubbard,
landscape architect member of the
commission, on plans for the first
unit of Fort Drive, just north of
Conduit road, and extension of Ana
costa Parkway north of Benning
Bridge to connect with a proposed
Baltimore Washington Parkway.
The commission tomorrow also was
to consider revisions in its thorough
fare plan, drawn up to relieve traffic
congestion here Future grade sepa-
rations at Scott and Dupont Circle
are key items in the plan. Tomorrow
afternoon commission members are
to make a tour of points of traffic
congestion throughout the city in
connection with revising the plan as
well as the route proposed for Fort