Evening star., 1946-04-19
|P| tanners Back
Studyon Shifting
ID. T.. Institutions
Case Bill Provides
For Transfer
To Nearby Areas
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II

By Rudolph Kouffmann II
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission approved in
principle today the Case bill, which
would set up Capital Clearance
Committee to determine if institu-
tions in the District should be moved
to nearby areas to insure better use
Of the lands they now occupy.
The bill, a House joint resolution,
would place on the committee the
Planning Commission chairman, the
president of the District Board of
Commissioners and the Federal
Works administrator.
Institutions the committee would
investigate would be the National
Training School for Boys, National
Training School for Girls, St. Eliza
beth's Hospital farm, the Soldiers
Home, the Columbia Institution for
the Deaf, the Home for the Aged and
Inflrm, the Industrial Home School,
the Industrial Home School for Col
ored Children and that part of the
old Arlington Experimental Farm
and old Washington Hoover Airport
not essential to the needs of the
War Department.
Linked to Slum Clearance.
The committee would erdeavor to
see If such lands would be better
used for slum clearance projects,
parks, parking areas, streets and
highways, building projects and 9TH
er public purposes.
The planners today called for
early passage of the District re-
development bill, Patman emergency
housing bill and Ellender-
Taft bill to solve the veterans hous-
ing situation in Washington.
Thomas S. Settle, commission
secretary, said that only passage of
these measures would take care of
the thousands of veterans in need
of homes. He said the commission
feels that temporary dwelling will
not go far toward easing home
shortages.
The commission approved plans
now being made by the United
States Army District engineer for
the Washington area to streamline
the upper reaches of the Anacostia
River near Bladensburg.
Col. White Offers Plan.
Col. Donald G. Whites district
engineer, and Fred w. Tuemmler,
director of planning for the Mary
land National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, presented
the plans. Mr.. Settle said they call
for new roads, a new bridge in the
Peace Cross area, flood control
dikes and dredging of the Anacostia
as far as Bladensburg to a depth of
6 to 8 feet.
The commission declined to re-
veal what sites for the 750-bed
veterans hospital proposed for
Washington were discussed at the
meeting today. The commission
has suggested Is sites to the Vet
Grams Administration and Col. F.. H.
Dryden, assistant veterans admin
istrator for construction and sup
ply, was present for the discussion.
Following the first day of its
monthly meeting yesterday the COM
mission firmly declined to reveal
what park land it has recommended
to Secretary of the Interior J. A.
Krug as suitable for use as veterans
sites for temporary veterans homes.
The commissions advice on the park
site question had been sought by
Mr.. Krug. according to Thomas S.
Settle. commission secretary, after
the District Commissioners had
asked for the use of five tracts of
park land to accommodate about
400 of the $50 temporary dwellings
offered the District by the Federal
Public Housing Authority.
Back Rezoning Fight.
The commission yesterday threw
its weight behind District residents
of the Pinehurst Circle area in the
Northwest section in their fight to
prevent the Montgomery County
commissioners from rezoning land
on the west side of Western avenue
between Winnet road and East
Greenvale parkway to permit a
shopping center.
At the same time the commission
announced it would recommend to
Maryland authorities that a Joint
zoning advisory board be set up to
consider rezoning proposals near the
District line which are protested bv
residents living nearby on the other
side of the line.
Inc recommendation was prompted,
Mr.. Settle said, by the fact that only
last month the commission was
called on to help Maryland resi-
dents quash a similar proposal in
volving District property in the
vicinity of Michigan and Eastern
avenue NE.
The commission yesterday adopted
report by its landscape architect
and recreation land planner, Thomas
G. Jef1ers, recommending that
future land acquisition for play
space in nine areas of the District
be expanded beyond present plans.
Commission staff members declined
to describe the nine areas.
The commission announced it in
tended to ask for an amendment to
the Pepper-Randolph bill, which
would authorize a Washington audi
torium as a memorial to the dead of
the two World Wars, so that the site
for the building would have to be
approved by the Planning Commits
sion and the design approved by the
Fine Arts Commission.
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