Evening star., 1942-04-05
Arlington Board
Accuses De|ano
0f|nterference
Request for 60-Foot
Building Limit
Creates Controversy

A conference in the near future
between officials of Arlington County
and Chairman Frederic A. Delano
of the National Park and Planning
Commission was anticipated last
night after Mr.. Delano had replied
to charges of the Arlington County
Board that the commission had in
terfered with building operations in
the county.
Mr.. Delano expressed willingness
to confer with the officials after a
stormy meeting of the board yester-
day at which long-smouldering off
ferences with the planning commits
sion broke into the open.
County Manager Frank c. Han
rahan, Board Member F. Freeland
Chew and Chairman Edmund D.
Campbell attacked the commission
and Mr.. Delano, charging interfer-
ence with building operations in
the county and stopping of priori-
ties for building materials.
The board unanimously adopted
a motion by Basil De Lashmutt to
send committee to the commission
to ascertain the reasons for its re-
cent actions relating to Arlington.
Committee Personnel.
The committee is composed of Mr..
Campbell, Mr.. Hanrahan, Planning
Engineer Frank Dieter and Zoning
Administrator Donald R. Locke.
The entire board complained that
after having complied with COM
mission request to lower the maxi
mum height for buildings from ITO
to 80 feet, Mr.. Delano shortly there
after requested a further reduction
to so feet, for reasons Mr.. Hanrahan
branded as silly"
Mr.. Delanos letter asking the 60
foot restriction, is among correspon-
dence relating to the proposed
county master zoning plan now un-
der consideration by the board. The
letter has not been considered OF
ficially by the board, and following
its stormy session, leaders said they
did not care ito dignity the letter
by making it public"
Mr.. Delano said he did mot feel
Justified in giving out the letter un-
less they ask that do. don't want
to get into a controversy. AS for
their committee, I shall be glad to
see them. I'm always willing to talk
things over"
Reasons Given in Letter.
The chairman said he had written
q courteous letter, giving my rea-
sons for a 60-foot limit. II a polite
letter isn't going to get anywhere
with them, I don't know what will.
We have no authority except the
Park and Planning Act. We are only
an advisory commission. That's all
we are in Washington"
On the matter of priorities, Mr..
Delano said, "If we were asked
whether a certain building were de-
sirable or undesirable, and we felt
it undesirable. we would have to say
so. AS for the Nevius tract, the
Government has planned for years
to take that into Arlington National
Cemetery. The bill to accomplish
that already has been passed by the
Senate but not by the House.
I'VE have had trouble with pri-
critics even in the District" he
continued. War needs come first.
That is not our fault.
Three weeks ago I wrote polite
letter, three pages long, giving rea-
sons for my belief in lower height
standards than they had been talk
ing about. They had been talking
nine-story buildings. We thought
they should be not higher than six.
I don't think there is anything i'm
proper in that letter. 1t would
make the property worth more to
raise the zoning limit. I suppose
some of them are interested in the
value of the property.
Tract Zoned for Homes.
"The real truth is that the Nevius
tarct was zoned for single-family
residences. 1t was changed to 90
foot level apartment houses with
out consulting us at ALL"
Criticism of the Park and Plan
ming Commission developed at the
board meeting after G.. H. Massey,
consulting engineer of the Federal
Works Agency, asked permission to
build a temporary sewer line from
a new housing development in Fair
fax County near Falls Church into
the Falls Church pumping station,
to be used only until Government
constructed sewer lines are COM
pleted.
Mr.. Massey was told the board
could not act on his request for at
least a week, pending study. Sew
eral members, as we'll as Mr.. Han
rahan, complained of tendency to
use Arlington public utilities for
Fairfax developments, while the
Federal Government at the same
time was obstructing expansion Of
Arlington's utilities.
"'I want to be friendly to Fairfax
County" Mr.. Hanrahan said, "but
I never saw a situation like this.
Here we are, not listed officially as
defense area, and yet there is a de-
fense area right behind u.s."
602 Units Under Way.
Mr.. Massey said the Abingdon
Plaza Co. was building 602 units in
the development near Falls Church
and that 125 of them would be
completed in the near future. 1t is
for their use that he requested the
temporary sewer line.
Louis Justement, Washington
architect, representing owners of
the so-called Nevius and Grinder
tracts on Lee boulevard, precipi-
tated the blasts against the park
commission when he told the board
{See ARLINGTON, Page B-l2)