Evening star., 1942-01-28
Approval Due
On Bill toC|ear
Housing Project
Favorable Report on
Virginia Legislation
Set for Today
By a Staff Correspondent of The Star.

anu operation OI n Sf,UUU,UUU IlOuS.
ing development in Alexandria for
l,760 families will be reported favor
ably from the House Committee on
Insurance and Banking tomorrow
afternoon.
Favorable sentiment for the meas
ure was expressed by committee
members at a public hearing yester-
day at which no serious opposition
developed because of the national
emergency features of the proposed
Alexandria project to provide mod
crate cost housing facilities for
white collar defense workers.
One high light of the committees
hearing was to bring out into the
open the reported Endorsement of
the Alexandria project by "the high
est authority" At public hearings
by the Alexandria City Council and
in other arguments in behalf of the
housing project there, 1.-The highest
authority" was reported to be be-
hind the enterprise, but no one was
able to develop the source Of the
support.
Somerven Letter Read.
Andrew D. Christian. attorney for
the insurance firm, read TO the COM
mittee a letter from Brig Gen
Brehon Somervell Of the Office of
the quartermaster general of the
War Department, written to Fred
erick H. Ecker, chairman of the
board Of the Metropolitan Life In
surance Co. The letter indicated
President Roosevelt had considered
the Alexandria project as a good in
vestment.
The letter, dated September ;,
from Gen. Somervell, declared:
Il discussed with the President
this morning the state of suitable
housing space in Washington and in
particular in Arlington County, in
proximity to the new War Depart
ment Building. The President
evinced a great deal of interest in
the matter, and I asked his authority
to approach you with the request
that housing development be un-
dertaken by your company. The
President approved the idea.
This Office will stand ready to
assist you in every way possible in
whatever priorities may
be necessary for the completion of
the work." o.
1t was also developed at the hear
ings thaf the legislation. sponsored
by Delegates Robert. F. Baldwin of
Norfolk and c. q. Louderbackg of
Page County. was introduced for the
specific purpose Of legahzing the
Alexandria project.
Mr.. Christian testified that Met
Life proceeded with acqui-
sition of the 187-acre tract and
made Improvements pending passage
Of legislation, on the representation
from the State Corporation Com
that such legislation would
be approved by that body.
Citizens Opposition Withdrawn.
President Glenn Richards of the
North Ridge Citizens Association of
Alexandria, the body which led
opposition to the project when the
question of rezoning was involved
before the City Council, declared
that since the citizens lost their
fight before the City Council they
did not seek to further oppose the
project. which is regarded as a
national defense enterprise. He
warned, however, that projects of
such magnitude would. in postwar
periods when housing vacancies
exist. control the rental standards
of a community in which they are
located.
City Manager Carl Budwesky of
recited the housing prob
lem now encountered by the Fed
eral Government in the Washington
area. He cited the type Of housing
developments undertaken by the
Government in and near Alexandria
Housing is going to be provided
by one agency or another" Mr.. Bud
wesky declared 1--WE would thou
sand, times prefer the type of de-
velopment planned by the Metro
poHtan, which is a we11-planned
community, than the low-cost hous-
ing projects the Federal Govern
ment has already built in Alexan-
dria These Federal projects, very
frankly, are not an asset to the
community"
Mr.. Budwesky suggested only one
amendment: That the local govern
ing bodies be given an opportunity
to be heard before the State Cor
poration Commission before such
nousire projects are approved.
Cites Population Growth.
Mayor William T. wilkins Of Alex
andria declared, THE time has long
since passed when we can afford the
people of Alexandria proper shelter. "
After disclosing the phenomenal
growth" of the Washington Metro
politan Area in recent years, he said
City Council, which approved the
project by 6-to-3 vote, had in mind
convenience and necessity" when it
rezoned the site of the project.
Eugene Simpson, member of City
Council, indorsed the views of Mr..
Budwesky and Mayor Wilkins.
Councilman James Armstrong, who
attended the hearing, did not testify.
Delegate Maurice D. Rosenberg
of Alexandria said he did not wish
to thwart the project in his COM
but warned that some limi-
tation as to size should be placed by
the Legislature. He said exceedingly
large housing projects would exert
a major influence on the life Of q
community. He also criticized the
life insurance firm for not informing
City Council at the time rezoning
hearings were held in Alexandria,
that the enactment of a State law
would be necessary before the
project would be completed. He
asked that the proposed law be
amended so as to limit the size of
such projects to maximum of 1000
living units and suggested another
giving local governing
bodies the power to determine the
desirability of such projects.
Mr.. Baldwin declared, after the
hearing, that he believed the bill
could be amended to meet all ob1ec-