Evening star., 1947-06-20
Formula Fixed
For Measuring
|blighfed Areas
Will Be Used to Pick
City Sections Most
Needing Rebuilding
By Rudolph kouffmonn u

Needing Rebuilding
BY Rudolph Kouffmonn II
A formula for measuring accurate-
" what constitutes q blighted area
was approved by the National Cap
Ital Parks and Planning Commis-
sion today.
The formula win be used in sur.
veys Of the District to determine
what sections Of the city should be
bought and rebuilt by the city,s five-
man Land Redevelopment Agency.
Mai. Gen. U. S. Grant III, plan-
ming commission chairman, said tho
formula Is similar to the housing
scorecard now used by the District
Health Department, which scores
houses according to lack of windows,
toilets, lights, closets, etc, except
that it would aim at answering adj
ditional questions about family com.
position, employment and income.
The commission staff, District
Health Department and Census Bu-
reau would cooperate in making
surveys using the formula, he said.
Survey Is Awaited.
Under the city's Redevelopment
act. passed Iast year, the new land
agency cannot begin It's work until
blighted areas and the lowest 20
per cent income group in the city
are accurately determined.
The act specifies that no public
housing can be sought by the
agency except for this income level.
Gen. Grant said, however, the
surveys cannot be made this year
or next unless the Senate restores
money cut from the Independent
Offices Appropriation Bill by the
House.
The House cut $4,000 from the
commissions 1948 appropriation,
$50, 900 of which would pay for the
blight income survey.
Yesterday Gen. Grant said he
would ask the Senate to restore the
sos, 900 to the bill.
Gen. Grant said he hoped the new
formula would enable the commits
sion to determine the degree to
which a neighborhood is blighted SO
sit would stand up in court If neces-
sary"
Building Extension Approved.
At yesterdays session a new
plan for extending the building at
Twenty first street and Virginia
avenue NV, now occupied by the
State Department, was approved by
the Planning Commission and the
Fine Arts Commission.
Prepared by the Public Buildings
Administration, it was submitted to
the two commissions at joint
meeting by Gilbert Underwood,
PEAS supervising architect.
1T is a departure from prewar
plans for the building formerly
used by the War Department. In
stead of extending westward from
the present unit in a series Of wings
and inclosed courts, the building
now Is planned in block form.
Gen. Grant told reporters, follow
ing the meeting, the building would
house 9,700 Office workers.
He said the building could bs
built more cheaply than that under
the old plan. One floor of the CEN
tral block of the building will con-
tain an auditorium, he said.
$52,750 Paid for Acre.
Gen. Grant said he also would
ask the Senate to reinstate $780,
900 in Federal aid to Montgomery
and Prince Georges County for
county parkways. One-third of this
money would be spent as a grant
and the other two-thirds as an
eight-year advance covered by
bonds to extend parkways like Oxon
Run, Paint Branch and Little Falls
Branch.
Meanwhile, 1t was revealed the
commission paid $52,750 for slightly
less than an acre Of land at Bladens-
burg road and Eastern avenue NE,
.reportedly owned by Jimmy La
Fontaine, Washington gambler. The
site was needed to complete land
acquisitions in that area for the
controversial Fort Drive project.
The joint meeting also approved
a National Park Service plan to re-
locate the Potomac Park rose gar
dens just south Of Independence
avenue where wartime residence
halls now stand. Construction Of
the new twin bridges to replace the
Highway Bridge forced the rose
garden from its old location.
On Agenda Today.
The commission today was to-:
/. Review differences between its
own highway plans and those Of
the District.
2. Discuss Civil Aeronautics Ad-
ministration proposals to locate an
airport for private planes within
the District.
3. Review plans to rename Dis
trict Fairgrounds after the schools
near which they are located.
4. Study the District Motor We
hicle Parking Agency's recently an
nornced long range plans for cas-
ing District parking problems.