Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-10-24
Roominq Houses

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The acute shortage of moderately
priced rooms and apartments result
ing from the growing influx of de-
tense workers has created serious
problems relating to coming and
safety regulations as they affect
rooming and boarding houses. With
population in fifteen months, apart
ment and rooming house vacancies
have approached the vanishing
point. Early this year the coming
commissioners modified the rooming
house regulations so as to permit as
many as two roomers or boarders in
homes within the A-restricted or A
semi-restricted areas. Despite this
relaxation the demand for rooms has
increased and the shortage has been
attended by numerous complaints
that coming and safety restrictions
are being violated by home owners.
Justifably concerned over zoning
aspects of the situation, the Com
missioners are preparing to ask
Congress for specific authority to
waive during the emergency certain
restrictions respecting house Occu-
pancy in the A-reSidential zones.
While they probably possess ample
power under existing laws to order
the waivers, the Commissioners are
reported to feel that such grave
questions of fundamental Zoning
policy and property rights are in
volved that they should not act
without special approval of Con-
gress. Their attitude is thoroughly
Understandable, for the whole mat
ter Is fraught with serious dangers
for property owners who have de-
pended on the zoning laws to pro-
tect them against encroachment by
depreciating influences.
If the coming laws are to be re-
Taxed further because of the room
shortage, it should be distinctly
understood that such action must in
no wise be considered as altering the
basic coming classification of resi-
Dental A areas and, most important
of all, that the concessions made now
In the interest OF defense workers
must terminate as soon as the hous-
ing shortage is over. Moreover,
stricter and more inclusive licensing
system should be adopted. Under
present regulations, no licenses are
required for houses providing sleep
ing quarters for less than ten ROOM
ers. establishments with larger
clienteles must take out business
licenses and occupancy permits.
If the residential A areas are to be
opened to rooming houses, it also is
obviously desirable to furnish some
protection against what might be
called professional" establishments
Of this kind. Such protection prob
ably could best be afforded by per-
uniting the coming waiver under
legislation carrying a fixed time
limit, as in the case of the pending
rent commission bill. That would
insure a return to strict residential
character and would tend to dis
courage fragrant departures from
such a character during the in
term, thereby affording substantial
protection to permanent home
owners in A areas.
A bill passedby the House Tuesday
proposes to give the Commissioner
wider powers to enforce safety reg
ulations, with special reference to
rooming and boarding houses. Under
present laws, houses with ten or
more roomerS above the first floor
are obliged to have fire escapes, but
the requirement has been evaded by
various devices, including the shift
ing of tenants to the first floor when
inspectors come around. The pro-
posed law would authorize the
Commissioners to require fire escapes
and other safety equipment deemed
necessary to the safety of the occu-
pants. In these days of extraordi-
nary activity in the rooming and
boarding house field and of reported
overcrowding of rented quarters, the
Commissioners have urgent need for
full authority to protect tenants
against fire and structural hazards
wherever possible.