Evening star., 1946-12-19
Planners 0kay
Condemnation
To Get Parks !
z Sites in Northeast !.
Affected; Purchase Of
Other Lond Approved

The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission today author
lied condemnation Of more than
g acres of land needed for play
grounds in sections Of Northeast
Washington already mushrooming
with postwar housing.
It also approved contracts to pur-
chase three small parcels Of land
to round out the borders Of Great
Falls Park in Montgomery County.
Norman G. Brown, the commits
sions' land purchasing officer, told
reporters at the commission s
monthly meeting, which Is tradi-
tionally closed to the public and
the press, that the playground areas
in question are:
One-and-a-fifth acres Of unim-
proved land west Of Montana avenue
near Fifteenth street NE, for
Brentwood Playground - an area
proposed for the children Of nearby
Brentwood Village.
Seven acres of largely unimproved
land for the proposed Riggs Road
Playground near Seventh and
Nicholson streets, NE.
viii Seek Fair Contract Price.
Mr. Brown said, however, that the
commission hoped to get the land
at q fair contract price without hav-
ing to resort to condemnation, and
that its appraisals are more than
100 per cent In excess Of assessed
value.
He added that both pieces of prop
erty are being purchased one jump
ahead of building development. II
sewers had been put in the area be-
fore the war, he said, improved
property prices would have had to
be met.
The Great Falls purchases con-
sist of three small parcels of land
with C. and o. Canal frontage not
far northwest Of the Old Anglers
Inn at Cropley.
Waterfront Report Made.
Their acquisition rounds out a
large tract Of 400 acres bought sew
eral years ago from the Great Falls
Farms Corp. to create major park
in the area.
Col. Byron Bird, chief of the en-
gineering division of the Army en-
gineer Office for the Potomac, Patux-
ent and Rappahannock watersheds,
today laid before the commission a
preliminary report on the develop
ment of Metropolitan Washington S
water. front as one huge rivers-and-
harbors project.
Details of the plan cannot be made
public until the report is approved
by the Middle Atlantic division en-
gineer in New York, but hearings
last spring disclosed the project
would include the Potomac River
from Chain Bridge to Mount YER
non and the Anacostia River from
Bladensburg to Buzzards Point. =
Highway Analysis to Be Studied.
Among other problems yet to be
considered is that of contributing to
the analysis Of the half-century
TRANSPORTATION and highway plan re-
leased last week by Engineer Com
missioner Gordon r. Young. The
commission would like to be ready
with recommendation before public
hearings on the plan are held in
March, but it has no funds or STAN
of its own to make the study.
The commission is working on Its
own transportation and highway
plan as part of the master planning
it must do under the city's new slum
act. but it is not likely to obtain
Federal funds for this work until
well into the coming session OF the
80th Congress.
Some legislation which the plan
ming agency is due to sponsor has
already been made public. Listed al
ready has been initial planning ap-
preparations under the slum act; q
bill setting up special COMMITTEES
to determine If certain large land
holding institutions in the District
could not be moved elsewhere and
bill to settle jurisdiction Of land near
the District armory.
The commission also Is expected
to renew an effort made at the last
session Of Congress to have its
budget transferred from the District
fn Tho Eedero1 Government