Evening star., 1946-03-21
Planners Fight
Move toCIose
Van Ness Street
Commission Engaged
In Third Compoign
To Keep Thorouehfore
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II


By Rudolph Kouffmonn II
Closing of Van Ness street NV.
where it crosses the grounds of the
Bureau of Standards, as planned
in legislation now before the House
District Committee was opposed to-
day by the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission.
The legislation was asked by Sec
retary Of Commerce Wallace and
represents the third attempt in Is
years to close the street. The COM
mission twice before has opposed its
closing, once in 1890 and again in
l941.
The commission, holding it's March
meeting today, asked the National
Park Service, the District Commits
sioners and the Recreation Depart
ment to join with it in making a
thorough survey of alternate sites
for new Washington tourist camp.
The survey comes as a result of a
controversy between the Commits
sioners and the Recreation Board
and the Park Service and Govern
ment Services, Inc, over locating a
new camp in East Potomac Park.
Camp Removal Sought.
The park is the site of the present
tourist camp and recreation officials
desire its removal so that play faci-
tiles for Government workers may
be Installed in accordance with pre-
war plans.
The commission also asked the
House District Committee to favor
the Senate version of the Districts
slum clearance and urban rede-
velopment bill. This would set up a
slum land purchase agency and a
$4,000, 900 revolving fund.
Railroads serving Washington
have been asked to study their pos
sible expansion in the Washington
area to serve local transportation
needs, it was revealed also by the
commission.
The commission, according to
John Nolen, jr., its director of PLAN
ming, has asked the railroads to
reconsider the whole question of To-
cal service to Washington. In the
past, proposals to have commuter
service have been turned down by
the railroads on the ground such
service could only be run at a loss.
Tied in With Traffic.
MIR. Nolen declined to reveal any
specific projects which expansion
would bring about. He did say the
study would be tied in with road
and street railway studies now being
made by the commission, the Dis
trict government, transit companies
and professional and civic groups in
the area.
An example of a commuter study
which likely would come under
scrutiny, he said, would be the pos
sibility of developing Southwest
Washington and Pentagon stops for
trains. Another proposal, one which
has been made in past years, would
be to develop the GEORGETOWN
branch of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad for committing purposes, as
well as Washington's main line to
the West, which runs through Rock
vile, Kensington and Silver SprinD
A number of important projects
were scheduled to be taken up at
the meeting, which will continue
through tomorrow.
Some OF the projects to be con-
sidered include:
l. Plans for adding a southern
extension to the terminal building
at National Airport and the uues-
tion of how best to locate ap-
proaches to. viaduct to carry air.
port entrance roads over the nearby
railroad tracks.
Fourth Street Involved.
2. Land transfers between the
District and Howard University
necessary to permit the District
Highway Department to streamline
Fourth street NV. where it inter-
sects the university campus.
3. Latest plans for eliminating
Barney circle traffic bottleneck in
Southeast Washington.
4. A proposal of the District
Department to streamline
the intersection of Pennsylvania
and Minnesota avenue Sc.
Tomorrow the commission will
consider Public Buildings Admin
istration plans for future buildings
in Washington and will review ac-
tion of the District Zoning Commits
sion creating a commercial shopping
area at Michigan avenue and the
District line.
Also in the agenda is a proposal
to locate some of the 600 temporary
homes for District veterans, which
the Federal Public Housing Au-
thority has offered to build on park
land.