Evening star., 1946-06-29
Commission Rejects
Plan 10 Construct
Seap|ane Landing Site
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II


The National Park and Planning
Commission has rejected proposals
for a seaplane landing area on the
: Potomac River between Memorial
and Key Bridges.
This action came toward the close
Of its June meeting yesterday.
1t throws cold water on recent
proposals made to the Army En-
gineer Corps and the National Park
Service that this area be used for
private seaplane to bring business
men and private seaplane owners
within a 10-minute drive of the
Capitol.
Had Proposed Site.
Proponents recommended that the
mole at the mouth of Rock Creek,
part of the Virginia shore of the
river. near Key Bridge, and points
where Georgetown streets dead
end at the river be used for land
Ing and servicing facilities.
The commission announced through
Its secretary, Thomas S. Settle, that
1t opposes the seaplane scheme on
two grounds; that this section of
the river is used extensively byl
canoeists and that landing planes
would interfere with sunset concerts
held at the Lincoln Memorial Water
Gate.
Col. Donald G. White, Army dis
trict engineer for the Potomac.
Rappahannock and Patuxent water
sheds, however, continued today to i
study the Seaplane proposal as part
OF master waterfront plan for
Washington which his office is now
drawing up.
Silent on Young Plan.
The commission closed its meet
Ing without making any comment !
on District of Columbia Engineer
commissioner Gordon R. Young's
S228,0O0. 900 District capital improve
ment plan. Some word of the plan
ming groups attitude toward the
plan, which is critical of some things
the commission has always stood for,
was expected to come from the Dis
trlct Building, which, it is under
stood, has received official word of |
the commissions position.
The commission likewise declined
to express its views on transporta-
ton plans made by j. E. Greiner
and De LeuW, Gather g. Associates, |
out-of-town transportation engi-
neerlng conSultants. Basis of the |
plan is a $56,000,000 underground
streetcar system for the downtown
section.
In his report to the Board of
Commissioners covering the S228,-
100000 improvement plan Brig. Gen.
Young criticized the commission for
being tardy with its view on the
underground proposal.
Proposed Bridge Sped.
The commission yesterday heard
from Maj Gen. U. S. Grant, it's
chairman, that the Virginia State
Highway Department, United States
Public Roads Administration and
District Highway Department are
giving green light to preliminary
plans for an Alexandria Shepherds
Landing Bridge.
The bridge would link the Virginia
City with downtown Washington vial
Souxh Capitol street and would be
jointly financed by the District, the
Federal Government and Virginia.
The planners approved Army En-
eineer plans for widening Cabin
Jthn Bridge from II to 80 feet.
Oppose Area FOR Swimming.
The commission also:
/. Extended the area in which
building height and design are con-
trolled by the Fine Art Commission
under the Shipstead-Luce Act of
1880 to include the site of the pro-
posed new General Accounting,
OEce Building at Fifth and G.
stN Its NV, few small areas along
Rock Greek Park and the Army
War College sites.
2. Approved road plan for the
National Arboretum.
3. Reiterated its opinion that the
Anacostia and Potomac Rivers are
too polluted for swimming.
=. Approved National Park
Service-Civil Aeronautics Admini-
stration agreement on the bound
aries of the Mount Vernon Memorial
highway where it crosses the Ma
tionel Airnort