Evening star., 1946-08-11
Vireinions Found Cool
To Parkway Project
Memorial Drive Plan May Fail
If Funds Are Not Forthcoming

By Rudolph Kaufman II.
The National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission announced recently
that the Fairfax County section of the
George Washington Memorial Parkway
is seriously threatened by:
/. Intentions of property owners to
subdivide and build on land needed for
the right of way
2. A tendency to hold out for inflated
prices.
3. An unwillingness on the part of
land owners to contribute half the
appraised value Of the land due either
to lack Of enlightened self-interest or
because they fear an invasion of their
privacy.
4. Failure of the State and Fairfax
County to provide their share of the
purchase money to take the place of
the contributions of private owners.
Earlier this year the commission re-
vealed that in Arlington County, where
property owners have been cooperative
and county officials have pushed the
project, continuation of the parkway
up the bank of the Potomac from Spout
Run to Chain Bridge is blocked bv
lnslstence on the part of the Smoot
Sand &S Gravel Corp that the prop
erty must be purchased by the cubic
foot, since it is underlain by valuable
quarry rock.
These two situations threaten to de-
lay indefinitely the scenic drive in Viz
ginia at a time when MONTGOMERY
County Is on the threshold of having
its leg of the parkway built. Nearly
all the land needed for the project in
montgomery County has been bought.
Efforts to persuade property owners
In Fairfax County they would regain
their money through a general increase
In land values brought on by mere ex-
stence OF the parkway-it is PLANNED
to run from Mount Vernon to Great
Falls and the Mount Vernon highway
was the first unit to be built-appar-
emily have failed where they have sue
ceeded elsewhere.
Some of this opposition is due to
property owners who purchased their
land to attain privacy and do not want
any sort Of public superroad, no matter
how well handicapped and protected from
unsightly commercial development, near
them.
But the Federal Government has
planned the parkway to conserve the
banks OF the river as a great park for
all the people and feels most property
owners would benefit by the project.
In the case of the Smoot land-a
2-mile strip bordering the river over
which the parkway is planned to run
money is the sole issue.
This failure to negotiate successfully
with land owners for the right of way
in both counties places the full respon-
sibility for bringing the parkway prof.
ect to fruition squarely on the State
OF Virginia and Fairfax and Arlington
Counties.
The State and the counties between
them must match the Federal Govern
ment dollar for dollar before condem-
nation proceedings can be filed ;.ld the
land obtained by right of eminent do
main.
Whether these governments, particu-
larly the State and Fairfax governments,
will see the light before land values are
sent soaring by property improvements
Is uncertain. The planning commission
intends comforting with Gov. Tuck and
onYI1fU Officials in, off - ~,
bill rolling.
But it is curious, even making allow
ances for those property owners who
value their privacy and exclusive access
to the river shore above financial gain,
that more Fairfax County landholders
have not considered the parkway propo-
sition advantageous to themselves.
Assuming, for the sake of argument,
that none Of the Virginians concerned
cares much one way or the other
whether memorial parkway to beau
tify the homeland of their revered fell
low statesman is ever built, 1t seems
strange they do not foresee what the
great roadway would do for their county
and themselves in plain dollars and
cents.
1t has become almost traditional for
Fairfax county to resent Federal in
reference" by the planning agency and
other Government agencies charged with
developing Washington on regional
rather than on purely District of Co.
lumbia basis.
But here is proposition which must
IN the end pay off, perhaps handsomely.