Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-12
zoning Board
Sits Protest on
Television Unit
Citizens Threaten
Court Fight; Report
Of Planners Is Read

oayg Lao pcloIc IL HOCly contested
protest against the construction of a
300-foot television tower and trans
hitting station at Thirty ninth and
Fessenden streets NV, by the BAN.
berger Broadcasting Service, Inc.
Residents Of the area bitterly
protested the television plan and
threatened to take the matter to
the courts on the ground that the
was covered by a COW
enart.
Harry S. Wender, attorney for
Bamberger, told the board that the
eyes OF the Nation were ON 1t and
that a denial of the application to
use the land for the tower would
hurt the cause Of television.
Gen. Grants Report Read.
Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant III, chair
man Of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, notified
the board that the commission had
considered the site and that it
seemed to meet the requirements
for television. The report of the
commission pointed out that the
land was 800 feet at the site and
that with the tower there would be
a total elevation of 500 feet.
The commission said that water
towers at Fort Reno Reservoir were
496 and SAT feet above sea level
and the cupolas Of the Alice Deal
and woodrow Wilson Schools were
500 feet.
Thus it will be seen that the pro.
posed television tower will project
above the highest of the towers in
the vicinity less than half ito
height" the report said.
No element of the city plan
would be adversely affected, asstIm-
ing, Of course, that the physical de-
velopment of the site and operation
of the activities are planned and
conducted in such manner as to
recognize the fact that the adjacent
properties are of q restricted resi-
Dental character" Gen. Grants re-
port continued.
TT Is notable that this specific
site is unusually well screened from
nearby single-family detached resi-
Dental areas because of the steep
grades rising to the site and to the
maturity of the street trees IN the
vicinity"
Turney Leads Protest.
Leading the fight against the
tower was John r. Turney of 5100
Thirty-n ninth street NV. He said
the value of property in the area,
exclusive of Government property,
was $1,000, 900, and that while he
was anxious for television he felt
the project would lower the value
Of property, mo matter how 1t
was sweetened with rose bushes"
and other landscaping. 49,. - .
20 Mr.. Turney, who proposed such
alternative sites as the Sears Roe
buck store area and Wisconsin
and Western avenues NV, raised
the question of court action be-
cause of covenant. He contended
that the Court of Appeals has up
held the restrictive covenants Of
the Chevy Chase area.
Pointing out that the appeal for
the use Of the land by the use of
the land by Bemberger had been
sought by the District government,
which owns the land, and had the
land condemned for school pur-
poses, Mr.. Tlrney said the District
should not be party to a CONNER
cial deal and that the land should
be used for public purposes.
Raises New Legal Issue.
Another legal issue was raised by
George c. Gertman, who charged
that the Commissioners, CONSTITUTE
ing majority of the Zoning Com
agreed in May to the change
in the coming regulations allow
ing television towers in residential
areas, SO that they could dispose of
District property.
THE Commissioners Of the Dis
trict are without power or jurisdic-
ton, express or implied, to petition
on behalf of the Bamberger Broad.
casting Service, Inc, for permis-
sion to erect a television trans
mitter building and tower" he
added.
Support of the television tower
came from j. M. Reiser of the Chevy
Chase Businessmen's Association
and the Federation of Business
mems Association, Mrs. Ruth Vanier,
secretary of the Friendship Citi-
zenS' Association, and Mrs. Leslie
B. Wright, secretary of the North
west Council. Mrs. Wright said she
was proud to be part of an effort
to bring television to Washington
and that she would not like to be-
long to any group trying to stop
progress. Gordon Atherholt, presi-
dent of the Macarthur Boulevard
Citizens Association, also backed
the application.
Realty Men Testify.
Mr.. Wender brought several real
estate men, including E. Catesby
Rowzee, appraiser for the National
Savings & Trust Co., and Jasper
Moore, sales manager for Shannon
& Luchs, to testify that real estate
values would not be harmed by the
project and that taxes would not
be affected by the construction OF
the tower.
Mr.. Turney pointed out that
many of the citizen residents who
testified for the Bamberger appli.
cation were those who went to New
York on a television tour last month
sponsored by six radio broadcasting
companies. Mr.. Wender said that
the trip was not sponsored alone by
Bamberger.
Other witnesses for Mr.. Wender
were J. r. Poppele, chief engineer
of the Bamberger Station WOR and
president Of the Television Broad
casters Association, who outlined the
technical necessities for high ground
for television transmission; George
G. Davis, consulting engineer, and
G. B. Plummer, an engineer with
the Federal Communications Com
mission. These witnesses said that
the tower would not interfere with
radio reception from other stations.
Witnesses speaking in opposition
included Undersecretary of the
Treasury Daniel w. Bell, Col. Ed
win J. Mund, U. S. M. c., and DR..