Evening star., 1946-06-27
Is Of 20 zoninq
Cases Are Taken
Under Study
Maryland Planners
AssoiIed for Fight
On Shopping Center
BY John Thompson

The Zoning Commission was to
resume its quarterly hearing at
the District Building at 2:3o pm.
today after taking under advise
ment yesterday 13 of 20 cases.
The members recessed late yes
terday after hearing a denunciation
by Attorney Roger Whiteford of
efforts by the Maryland National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission to block construction of a
shopping center on the eastern
side of Michigan avenue at the
District line.
Mr.. Whiteford, representing the
owner, Howard Holmes, Inc, re-
called that only last February the
zoning Commission had approved
his clients request to have the
property changed from residential
to commercial. Now, he said, be
cause of some deathbed repentance
OF the Maryland Park and Planning
Commission" an application is being
heard to put it back to residential.
Maryland Policy Told.
Spokesmen for the MARYLAND
group said the State was anxious
to beautify the one remaining en-
trance from Prince Georges County
to the Capital where there was still
opportunity to do So Maj. Gen.
U. S. Grant, Sd, chairman of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, told the Zoning
Commission there was "an under
standing. between his group and
the Maryland group that border
line questions would be referred to
each other for opinion.
Tommyrot, declared Mr.. White
ford, adding that tour of the en-
frances to the Capital from the
nearby Maryland counties would
reveal no common policy indicating
any such agreement. He said the
action of the Zoning Commission
last February was considered final,
and the owner had gone ahead and
obtained a building permit.
A housing development also is
planned in this area, it was pointed
out, and without the shopping CEN
ter, residents of the new houses
would have to shop in Maryland.
Sees Fear of Competition.
Mr.. Whiteford said he wasn't sure
that. fear of competition wasn't
behind the request to return to
residential zoning.
You never know how long q
snake is until you kill him." he
said.
Among those interested in obtain
ing the rezoning was Representa-
tive, Sasscer, Democrat, of Mary
land.
In an earlier case, Gen. Grant
opposed rezoning of "Grasslands."
tract north and east of the United
States Naval Reservation on the
east side of Nebraska avenue near
Ward Circle, where the present
owners want to build an apartment.
Park Plans Endangered.
Gen. Grant told the zoning body
the project would endanger park
plans for the area. He also objected
that to allow the owner to build
commercially on land he had bought
at residential prices would give him
an 'unearned increment" at the ex-
pense of the owner of commercial
property for sale.
William j. Flather, jr., 1000
Nebraska avenue NV, mortgage
loan executive and one of the former
owners of Grasslands, likewise op-
posed the project as a nearby resi-
dent. He told the zoning group the
recent purchaser of the tract had
bought it with his eyes OPEN"
knowing what the zoning there was.
Robert j. Lynch, attorney for the
applicant, pointed to the large naval
development already there and said
the Navy plans to construct another
building soon. He said he did not
know why the Park and Planning
Commission should fight the plan
when they can't even keep up what
IL, u L. l.