Evening star., 1947-09-28
City Heads Offer
Suggestions on
RedeveIopnent
Urge Planners Keep
In Mind Economy,
Tox-Exempt Lond

The District Commissioners yes.
terday called on the National Cap
ital Park and Planning Commits
sion TO keep economy. the Districts
huge assortment of tax-exempt
land and the views of city officiaIs
constantly before 1t in drafting the
comprehensive plan that is to
chart the city's course Of future
slum redevelopment and preven-
ton.
Notice was served to this effect
in letter to Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant
III, planning commission chairman.
by John Russell Young, president of
the board of commissioners. The
letter was prepared by Engineer
Commissioner Gordon r. Young, ex-
of1cio member of the planning
commission
Gen. Grant, whose staff is start
ing long-range slum rebuilding
and prevention program under the
authority of the city's Redevelop-
ment Act of 1916, had asked for the
reaction of the city heads to an
outline Of the ground to be covered
in the plan.
Suggestions Listed.
Early last week the planners an
nounced they would retain the
services of Harland Bartholomew,
st. Louis planner, to help them.
The letter offers the help and ad-
vice OF the District Government,
then suggests:
l. That the planners make full
use" of Gen. Young's 11-year plan
for municipal improvements, High
way Director H. c. Whitehurst's
surveys of the city's highway needs,
the expressway and underground
Istreetcar proposals of the highway
departments out-of-town consult
ants, the E. j. Greiner Co. of Balti-
more, and the DeLeuw. Gather Co. of
Chicago, and the long-range re-
concentrations of the District Motor
Vehicle Parking Agency for reducing
parking congestion in downtown
Washington.
z. That they keep in mind that
Washington taxpayers already are
being severly penalized by the fact
that more than so per cent of the
land area of the city is tax exempt
and that they see If there is any way
to get some of the land now exempt
back into circulation or used to
better effect.
Urge Cost Estimates.
8. That they couple their recon-
mendations with cost estimates so
the plan will not prove futile and
academic"
The letter states in connection
with the second point that "sthere
has been no attempt to make q COM
prehensive study of these public
land holdings with the idea of fitting
them intelligently into a civic plan"
Several times legislation has been
introduced calling for q survey Of
such land by three man commit
tee consisting of the president of
the Board of Commissioners, the
chairman of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission and
the Federal Works Administrator.
On the list to be surveyed were
the Soldiers Home, Fort Sims, St.
Elizabeths Hospital farm, Columbia
Institution for the Deaf, National
Training School for Boys and
others.
But the legislation, which was
supported alike by the planners and
the Commissioners, never was
passed.
Must Agree With Act.
The plan the commission is now
starting must be made, according
to the redevelopment act, before de-
tailed plans to rebuild specific
bllghted areas can be started
The act intends that the plan, by
eliminating from the future as
many past mistakes in developing
the city as possible will prevent fu-
ture slums at the same time re-
development attempts to cure areas
now obsolete and decadent.
1t is to cover virtually all phases
OF city development from railroads
to coming and from school sites to
wharves, highways and transporta-
ton.
Actual rebuilding of areas already
decadent will be done by the citys
f1ve-man Redevelopment Agency
which Is authorized to spend a 500
100000 revolving fund over a long
period of years to buy up old Sec
tions of the city and contract the
rebuilding Of it to private firms, or,
In some cases, public housing agen-
cies.