Evening star., 1943-02-18
Navy Seeks Old
Polo Field Site
1oHouseWAVES
Planners, Opening
February Meeting,
To Get Request

The Navy Department is seeking
permission to erect temporary WON.
cr's dormitories for an undesignatec
number of WAVES on the site Of
the former polo ground in West Po.
tomac Park, officials of the Nationa
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion revealed as the commission
opened its February meeting today
Naval officials will present the
plan to the commission tomorrow
At present the planning group has
no detailed information from the
Navy regarding the number of dor
mitories involved in the plan. 1t is
possible some alternative site may
lie suggested to the Navy in view OF
the expense involved and for other
reasons
The former polo ground is now
heiHg used as parking lot for auto
mobiles by the Navy Department
The site was turned over jointly to
the Army and Navy and paved at
Government expense at time when
the parking problem was acute. Now
there are relatively few Navy cars
parked on the site during the day
and the space allotted to the Army
is unoccupied.
Other Uses Suggested.
Recently, however, proposals have
heen made to convert the site into
a recreatienal area. 1t has also
been suggested as site for addi-
tional dormitories for war workers.
If it must be used as a dormitory
site, the planning group may ap-
prove such plan to accommodate
the WAVES.
Norman C. Brown, land purchas-
ing officer, announced at today's
meeting the acquisition of 10 acres
Of land In the vicinity of Forty
ninth and Washington streets NE.
for completion of the Miller
Recreation Center. In this same
area, through condemnation, the
District government recently ac-
quired about three acres for new
Junior high school.
The Kelly-Miller project, started
about two years ago, is intended to
serve large colored population. 1t
lies east of Fort Mahan Park and
is readily accessible to De Priest
Village and other colored develop
ments of well-priced properties. Mr.
Brown, said that, as result of joint
planning and land acquisitions for
both a recreational center and
junior high school site, the District
has acquired about three acres and
the commission about 10 acres of
land for the use of this rapidly
growing area.
Construction of the high school
and development of the recreational
area, it was said, is contingent upon
future appropriations.
Projects Antedate War.
The Planning Commission pointed
out that. its land acquisitions in
various parts, of the city consist
Of fprojects approved before the war
and for this reason should not be
construed as entirely new projects
imposed in war time.
Several other minor items were
approved today, including the
transfer to the District government
of "a small Federal triangle which
will make possible the widening of
Independence avenue at Twelfth
street S.W. The Commission also
authorized closing of Twenty-third
street, north of H street NE, in the
Langston Terrace area for extern
sion of its playground
Un6er recent congressional au-
thorization, the Commission signed
a deed exchanging nine acres of
school land located on Massachu-
sets west of Macomb street NV.
for an equal acreage within prop
erty Of the Defense Homes Corp.
al Newark street and Idaho avenue
NV. Final boundary lines of the
two areas were approved and the
deal closed This means that the
school formerly proposed for erec-
ion on Massachusetts, avenue will
be located at the new site which is
TOW, occupied by temporary office
builiing. Schoo; construction, how
eve, would not start until after the
wa
Zoning Question TO Come Up.
An amendment to the zoning
egulations will be proposed today.
the general nature of which is to
prgHeat trade associations being
construed as educational institu-
tions. John A. Nolen, director of
planning, is to submit a report.
Tie corporation counsels office
recently ruled that certain forms Of
trade associations come within the
neaning of education, with result
tlat several buildings have been
erected in residential districts. If
this tend is allowed TO continue
the banning commission fears 1t
will mean a breakdown of restric-
tions that protect residential prop
erty
The commissions o-ordinatlnG
Committee mas worked out a plan
for the improvement of the Queens
Chapel road entrance TO the Dis
t,ict. This was done in cooperation
with The Maryland Park and Plan
ming commission and will be pre-
sented today.
Underpass Plans to Be Taken Up.
It was also expected the plans fol
the Dupont Circle underpaSs woulc
be submitted for approval today
This is ? postwar project, the de-
tails having been worked out bl
Can't. H. c. WhitehurSt. director Of
the District Highway Department
The plan has been under study fol
months.
other phases of a city-wide wal
housing program will come up a
tomorrows meeting.
The commission has prepared
series of three maps for the Ma
tional Housing Agency showing th'
locations of all new housing in thu
Washington Metropolitan Area. An
other map has been prepared indl
eating the locations of new residen
tial construction during the las
three years.
These maps serve to illustrate eX
tsting utility services and also indi