Evening star., 1947-06-24
By Rudolph Kuuffmonn II

II
Postwar imitation, wartime post
ponement of Government condem.
nation cases and the rezonlng OF
property in the midst Of land pur-
ehase negotiations have forced the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission into a position where
1t must spend at an unprecedented
rate.
The Commission now is paying
$l71 900 for land 1t started out TO
get for $1,000.
ANALYSIS of the sums the Commis-
sion is going to pay for two pieces
of property to complete Glover
Arcflbold PARK and third piece to
/ complete the right-of-way for a
section of the proposed Fort drive
reveals:
+. 1. That the Commission now must
: pay nearly five times both the as
sessed value. and the Governments
now original appraisal for one OF
the Glover -Archbold purchases.
2. That 1t must now pay hall
+; again as much as the Government
original appraisal and Is times the
assessed value of the addition to
the Fort drive.
How It Came About.
This condition came about as
follows.
For 20 years the commission has
had It's eye on buying 81 acres OF
the former Grasslands tract lying
between Nebraska avenue NV. and
! Foundry Branch valley, a short way
northeast of Massachusetts, avenue
The Grasslands tract totals about
10 acres. It's present owners, Larry
j. Helm and G. Willard FurloW
bought 1t for $4,000 from group
who formerly had used it and the
building on it for a private club.
At the time 1t was bought, it was
zoned Residential A Restricted, and
the piece the commission was after
for the park was, and still Is
assessed at $19.461. Government
appraisers valued 1t at $f9,640 as
negotiations started with the new
owners.
While negotiations were going on
. the owners asked the District Zon-
ing Commission, April 18, 1916. to
have the entire tract rezoned
to Residential 40-A. This permits
apartments up to 40 feet and up to
80 feet If enough setbacks are
provided.
Opposed by Gen. Grant.
Knowing the regoning would en-
nance the value considerably, the
planning commission told its chair
man, Maj. Gen. u. s. Grant III,
to oppose the rezoning at a public
hearing on the rezoning request.
This he did, pointing out to the
yoning commission there will be
added to the value Of the property
a very considerable amount which
the Government will have to pay" :"
At and after the hearing, the
owners Dolstered their case by Of
fering to give the Government $50
feet of the property, provided they
would be guaranteed access to the
proposed Arizona avenue express
way that the District hopes to put
through the park.
The offer was not accepted by the
planning commission. In the first
place the $50 feet did not include
all the valley land needed to COM
plete the park. Secondly, it would
have been difficult to defend giving
one property owner access to an
expressway and to deny it to others
A major characteristic of an ex-
pressway or parkway Is that
abutting property Is not given &C.
cess to the road.
Granted in July, 1916.
On July 18, 1946, the zoning COM
mission granted the rezoning with
the knowledge the planning COM
mission was trying to buy part OF
the tract and over the protests Of
; A. E. Demaray, associate director OF
the National Park Service, execu-
tive officer of the National Capt.
tai Park and Planning Commission
and member of the zoning COM
mission.
The minutes of executive sessions
of the zoning commission, where
such decisions are made, are not a
part of the public record. There
fore. it is not known why it did
not postpone favorable action until
negotiations for the park strip were
completed.
The reason given for granting
the rezoning is that the tract is
surrounded by nonresidential prop
erty. The Nays communications
center is on the west and south
west, Mclean Gardens Is on the
southeast and the Washington City
Orphanage is on the northeast. It
also was explained 30-foot right
of-way to Nebraska avenue Is the
only street frontage at present.
Proceedings Filed.
At any rate, this action placed the
planning commission in the position
of standing by and watching the
apartment built and the park prof.
ect left incomplete or asking the
Justice Department to institute con-
demnat ton proceedings.
Justice filed proceedings on July
80. together with a declaration Of
immediate taking. This meant that
the property Immediately became
the Governments, and also that the
Government has no choice but to
A1SN~llYll