Evening star., 1944-11-28
Petition for Rezoninq
Letter Mansion Site
Is Denied by Board

The District Zoning Commission
yesterday denied application for re-
hZoning the Letter mansion at 1890
New Hampshire avenue NV. to
lpermit the building of a larger
apartment-hotel on the site thar
would be allowed under present zon.
ing regulations.
The petition for rezoning was Wig.
orously opposed at q public hearing
several weeks ago by Maj. Gen. U. S
Grant III, chairman Of the Nationa
Park and Planning Commission, anc
several residents of the area, includ.
ing Mrs. Eleanor Patterson, Is Du.
pont Circle: Miss Mabel T. Board.
man, 1901 p street NV, and Mrs
S. r. Hit, 1901 New Hampshire ave.
nue NV.
Eight Stories Permissible.
At the time of the hearing, James
C. wilkes, attorney for the builder
of the proposed apartment-hotel
pointed out that under present zon-
ing regulations an eight-story build
ing could be constructed on the site
The change sought would eliminate
side-yard requirements and permit
80 more units than could be built
now.
The commission postponed actor
until Thursday on proposed amend.
ments which would tighten the law,
on heights of buildings and ban da,
care centers from restricted resi-
Dental areas. -
The commission acted favorably
on the petition of Fred S. Kogod fol
rezoning from semirestricted resi-.
Dental to commercial land or
South Capitol street, running south
from Atlantic street, for q $75O, ,O0t
commercial development. It wa.
stated at the hearing that the de.
velopment would include a theater
department store, restaurant anc
drugstore.
Makes Other Decisions.
Other decisions of the commission
were:
Agreed to extend the first com.
mercial area at the southwest corner
Of South Capitol and Elpira street.
S.W>
Denied change from residential te
first commercial on land at South
Capitol and Atlantic streets.
Agreed to change from residential
to first commercial property north
Of F street on Benning road Sc.
Agreed to change land in area
bounded by Forty-second street
Benning road and Central avenue
Forty ninth street and Watts
Branch Parkway NV. so that multi.
family dwellings canont be built In
the section between Forty fourth
and Forty-ninth streets.
Rezoninx Approved.
Agreed to change from commercial
to semirestricted residential prop
erty at Sixty-first and East Capitol
streets NE. and Sc. and to rezone
from residential to semiresidential
land bounded by Forty ninth, Gen.
tral avenue, Southern avenue and
Blaine street and Washington place
NE, and Sc.
Denied rezoning from commercial
to residential land in the $500 block
of Ordway street NV.
Agreed to extend commercial area
on Alabama avenue at the junction
Of Naylor and Good Hope roads Sc
Voted not be change from restrict
ed residential to merely residential
land bounded by Bladensburg road
South Dakota avenue and the rail-
road tracks north Of New York ave-
nue NE. Denied a similar zoning
change on Twenty-fourth street be-
tween Douglas and Franklin streets
NE, and on Rhode Island avenue
between Twenty fourth and Newton
streets NV.
On land bounded on the east by
Wisconsin avenue, on the north by
Van Ness street, on the west by Ari-
zona avenue and on the south by
Mclean Gardens, which petitioners
wished rezoned for commercial and
apartment house use, the commits
sion denied the commercial applica-
ton. It rezoned the rest of the land
SO apartments could be built on part
Of the land and group houses on
the rest Of it.