Evening star., 1942-02-19
P|annersGfive
Attention 10
transportation
Load Studied for
Possible Curb on
Downtown Buildings

AliC 4NoSAOAAeaA SoPASehA ok ~ esAAN
Planning Commission today facet
the problem of checking the mush
room growth of temporary wal
Office buildings in downtown Wash.
ington, which threatens to put ad
ditional burdens on the alread!
overloaded transportation system.
Questions involving new defense
housing programs also will come
before the commission for actor
at its February meeting that viii
continue tomorrow. Members of tht
commission will make a tour o
temporary building sites this after
noon to study the situation in an
ticipation of the action they expect
to take. They will also view loca.
tions already chosen and proposed
for certain defense housing projects
Acquisition of several small parl
areas, including a strip at tht
Georgetown Public Library, was re-
ported to the commission today BY
Norman c. Brown, land purchasing
officer.
Complete Library Grounds.
To keep a commercial shop from
being built on the edge of the
Georgetown Library grounds, the
commission purchased triangle
facing on Reservoir road. This ad-
dition will round out the holdings oi
the library and playground, it was
explained. 1t will provide a large
triangle facing on Wisconsin ave-
hue, P street and Reservoir road.
Several parcels of land for the ex-
tension OF the Watts Spring park
way: in the Northeast section also
have been acquired. This is COM
bined f1ood-control and park project
The new land is strip extending
from Minnesota avenue to the Dis
trict line and will be useful princi-
paly as Z measure for controlling
the, flood waters of the Anacostia
River in that area.
A Small addition to Anacostia
Park was acquired in the vicinity
of the former Shaw Lily Ponds
which are now owned by the Gov
eminent.
The commission took steps to
acquire another small addition to
the Anacostia Park in the Southeast
section.
New Parkway Approved.
The commission gave its tentative
approval for new parkway running
from the south end of South Capitol
street to Suitland, Md, where 10000
Government workers eventually are
to be housed in Office buildings.
No money is available now for this
proposed parkway, which would ex-
tend ever the new bridge to be
erected across the ArlacoStia. The
driveway would run along the edge
Of Barry Farms.
Secretary Thomas s. Settle re-
ported that the project is still very
much in the proposed" stage.
Before anything can be done
toward perfecting plans, it will be
necessary to confer with the Public
Buildings Administration and other
agencies interested in the develop
ment of Suitland.
Mr.. Brown and John Nolen. jr.
director of planning, reported on a
study made of utility needs for the
growing population of Washington.
Agencies Given Data.
The study involves the availability
OF such utilities as gas, light and
water during mid-January. A great
deal OF factual information was sup
piled to various Government
agencies so as to let them know the
utility resources required to serve
new Government buildings and de-
fense housing. This information
was based on anticipated needs of
an increase of 100000 in the popula-
ton.
Chairman Frederic A. Delano will
present report at tomorrow's ses-
sion on the new Office sites an
nounced recently by the Public
Building Administration. One of
these is to be erected on Pennsyl-
vania avenue between Fourteenth
and Fifteenth streets NV. and three
others on the Mall at the south
east corner of Constitution avenue
and Seventeenth street. A fifth
building, to which no objection is
made, is planned on the National
Airport site.
Calls for Transit Company Data.
The rapid expansion of temporary
buildings is very definitely involved
with the city's transportation prob
lem. For this reason, the commission
has asked the Capital Transit Co.
to make presentation of this
problem In the light of its investi-
cations since last summer.
The commission does not want to
recommend any building sites, it was
explained, that would create new
problems of mass transportation
with which the transit company
would be unable to cope successfully
in the future. Mr.. Nolen is expected
to raise the question of future policy
with respect to new temporary
structures and urge the commission
to reiterate its opposition to locat-
ing any more in the central area
of the city.
A new defense housing program
involving two types of projects will
be studied by the commission. Sev-
eral sites for demountable housing
projects, recommended by the Co.
ordinating Committee, will come
up for approval. These are in
volved in the $18,000,00 program OF
the Alley Dwelling Authority. At
tention also will be directed to the
$50,000,000 housing program pro-
vided in an amendment to the Lam
ham Act, which is now before the
Senate. This provides for defense
homes in and near the District.
Southwest Project on Agenda.
Arthur Goodwillie, director of
conservation service, Home Owners
Loan Corp, has been asked to pre-
sent his final recommendations on
the housing project in Southwest
Washington. Officials said this prob
ably will require legislation.
The Co-ordinating Committee, it
was explained, has approved plans
for street extensions in the subdivi-
sion that will be created on the