Evening star., 1942-09-09
Board 10 Study
Blanket zoninq
In Alexandra
Protests Heard
Over Mount Vernon
Highway Change

After protests by the Nadonaf !
Capital Park and Planning Com
the Alexandria City Coun-li
Gil has referred request for blanket Il
apartment zoning of block OF theH
Mount Vernon Memorial highway
to a special committee. Il
The request involved both sides OF i
the 200 block of Washington street,
the city name for the highway. It'll
asked that the property be reciassi-
fed to ca residential zone. II
The National Park and Planning
Commission advised the council lastl
night that while it believed that all
of Washington street ultimately
would be occupied by apartments, it
did not feel that such blanket re-
zoning was wise at present. The
commission requested that in event /
the council did pass such rezoning,H /
it make provision that the COM
mission be allowed to pass on all Il
plans before building permits are
issued so that the character OF the
street might be maintained.
Mrs. Robert M, Reese, speaking \
for the older residents of the city, 4
said that she felt that at least two /
houses, the Smoot house and the 4
Carlin house, should be kept as they
are. She termed the Smoot house I
was the finest example of Georgian
architecture in the city. Il
Charleston Plan Mentioned.
City Manager Carl Budwesky sug-
gested that the council adopt pro-
cedure such as in existence in
Charleston, S. c., and set up board
empowered to 60 beyond the matter
of rezoning and to pass on architec-
tural plans in order to maintain the
historical character of the street.
A representative of the District of
Columbia Fine Arts Commission
cited the law existing in Washington
for IL years restricting types of
buildings IN certain public areas and
offered the cooperation of the COM
mission in setting up a board to con-
troll such cases in Alexandria.
Mayor William w. wilkins ex-
pressed opposition to blanket re-
zoning of Washington street, and
upon motion of the council that the
matter be referred to special COM
mittee, he appointed Councilnen
Stump. Matter. Delaney and himself.
Council granted an application of
John Loughran to rezone a tract
on the west side of the Memorial
highway south of Bashford lane to
CO residential after Gardner
Boothe. attorney for Mr.. Loughran,
had assured the council that right
Of way would be granted for the
border road contemplated by the
| National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission.
/ Bellefonte Plea Denied.
The request of Clarence c. Simp-
son to rezone tract on the north
side of Bellefonte avenue between
Leslie and LaGrande avenues to
c. commercial to allow him to
build an apartment was denied after
residents of the neighborhood pre-
sented petition in opposition.
Mayor Wilkins named Council
man John Ewald to fill a vacancy
on the Street Naming Committee.
In executive session the council
discussed a new addition to the
Alexandria Hospital 1t was learned
that property owners on Duke street
were objecting to the new nurses
home being located so near their
houses The matter of using the
steel originally purchased for sewer
construction for the hospital was
also under discussion.
Representatives of j. L. Murphy.
plumbing contractor on the Park
fairfax project, also were to be
heard in executive session with re-
gard to amending the city plumbing
code to allow employment of plumb
ers who have refused to take the
required examination, but the meet
ing adjourned before they could be
heard.
Parkfairfax is being constructed
by Starret Bros. g. Eken for the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
and the firm of j. l.. Murphy, which
mas the plumbing contract, has
asked the city to waive the required
examination which they say their
plumbers have refused to take. If
the city stands by its plumbing
code, the plumbers on the Parkfair-
fax job will be disqualified from
working In Alexandria. It is be-
leved that the men are seeking
such disqualification in order to be
free to apply for jobs on Arlington
County projects, where no examina-
ton is required and where. they re-
celVe more pay, since Parkfairfax
does not work overtime.