Evening star., 1946-03-22
Planners Weigh
MoyetobIock
Shopping Center
Moy Ask Reheorino
On Approval Of Site
Near Michigan Ave.

The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission today was to
consider the controversial question
OF whether rehearing should be
held on recent rezoning action to
provide shopping center near
Michigan avenue NE. and the Dis
trict line.
Protests have been lodged by
Maryland agencies, civic groups and
private interests seeking commission
help in obtaining a rehearing by
the District Zoning Commission on
the tract. Among these are the
Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, the Adj
visory Board Of the County Com.
missioners of Prince Georges
County, De La Sale College and the
Queens Chapel Road and Michigan
Park Citizens Associations.
The groups have protested that a
shopping center would detract from
high-type building which has been
encouraged in the area and efforts
by Maryland to beautify it's side of
the District line to give a proper
setting to the Fort Drive, which is
proposed to follow Eastern avenue
at this point. A grade separation
is proposed to carry the drive over
Eastern avenue.
Home Sites on Agenda.
Since Fort Drive Is one Of the
planning commissions pet projects,
it was expected to favor rehear-
ing. The property in question, lying
near the intersection of the two ar
teries, recently was zoned first COM
mercial.
Also on the agenda today, the
last day Of the commissions March
meeting, Is proposal to locate some
Of 600 temporary veterans homes,
which the Federal Public Housing
Authority has promised the Dis
trict. on park land.
The District Commissioners have
called on the Secretary of the In
terror to permit this use of park
land temporarily. A survey has
been conducted and a list of pros
pective park sites has been COM
piled. The list has not been ap-
proved by the Interior Secretary
however, and has not been made
public. -
Yesterday afternoon the commits
sion gave its approval to legisla-
ticn authorizing the Secretary of
the Navy to erect a permanent Two
Jima Statue at an appropriate site
In Washington. A plaster model of
the statue is now on public view
across Constitution avenue from
the Navy Department.
Site Under Discussion.
One site which has figured promi-
nently in discussions is that planned
for a permanent Navy Department.
building in the area west of the
old Naval Hospital bounded by
Twenty-third street, Virginia and
New Hampshire avenues, Constitu-
tion avenue and the Potomac
RFer. s..
The commission took no action
Yesterday on the District Highway
Departments latest plan for stream
lining Barney Circle in Southeast
Washington. However, it discussed
the plan, which calls for putting a
streetcar terminal underground,
abolishing the circle and widening
the : Sousa Memorial Bridge ap-
proaches to permit transfer loading
Of buses at the curb.
The planners approved a Public
Buildings Administration plan for
essending the National Airport ter
minal building to the south to pro-
vide more Office space, mail and bag
gage facilities and additional loading
and unloading stations for planes.
The commission approved chang
ing the name of the following park
ways" in the District to parks:
Blair, Beach, Pinehurst, Klingle VAL
ley, Normanstone, Oxon Run, Watts
Branch, Piney Run, Popes Branch
and Wesley Heights. The agency
pointed out that most of these
areas are stream valley parks with
border roads, but no roads through
the middle, and are hence not true
parkwavs