Evening star., 1949-05-06
Commissioners
Approximation
MarshaIIHeights
Young Urges Grant
To Have Project
Certified immediately

N
The Commissioners today ap-
proved the Marshall Heights re-
development plan and urged the
National Capital Parks and Plan
ming Commission to certify 1t to
the Redevelopment Land Agency
Immediately.
In a letter to Mai. Gen. U. s
Grant III, chairman of the plan
ming commission, Commissioner
John Russell Young asked that
the city heads be notified when
the plan is certified.
He also requested that the plan
ming commission turn its atten-
tion next to one OF the downtown
slum areas.
The Commissioners action paves
the way for the land agency to
make early request to Congress for
funds with which to begin the re-
development of Marshall Heights
Substandard Area.
Marshall Heights is substand-
ard area. inhabited largely by low
income Negroes in the Northeast
section of the city.
The Commissioners told Gen
Grant they were aware of criticism
that the Marshall Heights plan
should provide for additional fam
lilies displaced by future operations
OF redevelopment plans elsewhere.
They pointed out that the plan
ming commissions conception of
Marshall Heights makes no pro-
vision for temporarily displaced
persons, especially those of very
low incomes who might require
public low-rent housing.
This, however. is not necessarily
q defect In the Marshall Heights
plan, the city heads declared.
They pointed out that other out
lying areas exist where such a
reservoir" might be established
to serve persons displaced from
downtown slun1s. 1t also may be
possible to erect reservoirs" with
in those downtown areas, and the
Commissioners said this would
seem to be the ideal solution.
Wise Administration Urged.
Dealing with objections to the
Marshall Heights plan by the area
residents, the Commissioners
pointed out that the home owners
there fear that. If they are bought
out by the land agency at figure
based on actual appraisals, the
amount they receive would not be
enough to permit them to buy
new homes after redevelopment.
1--WE feel that the anticipated
hardship can largely be avoided
by wise administration of the
project by the Redevelopment
Land Agency" the Commissioners
said. 1T would probably be de-
sirable for the agency to acquire
ownership of the entire area
promptly, but the agency would
certainly not proceed to an i'm
mediate and simultaneous eviction
of the residents"
The Commissioners. however
declared that many of the existing
owned homes are grossly SUBJ
standard. If codes and regulations
were enforced today. they said
numerous residents would either
have to vacate so that dwellings
could be razed or spend consider.
able money for repairs.
The commissioners said thes
believed a program can be worked
out under which the majority OF
Marshall Heights residents coulc
be left in their present residences
for the time being at reasonable
rentals. Then. the first housing
units built could be offered tc
existing residents before eviction
from their present dwellings il
necessary.
Topographic Survey Due.
When the lano agency is giver
the plan to get it going. the Com
miSsioners said, its first task
evidently will be to make de-
tailed topographic survey which
may point to the need for detailed
revisions in the layout of streets
public facilities and housing areas
The Commissioners said their
approval of the project Is on the
understanding that the planning
commission will give careful con-
sideration to any notifications
which the land agency's detail sur
vey may show to be sound.
Whether and to what extent the
plan should be changed cannot be
determined, the Commissioners
said, until the land agency has re-
cevied a congressional appropria-
ton and starts its detailed studies.
This is the first step toward
converting what is in large part
low-density slum with a pre-
posterous street layout into a de-
sirable residential area" the Com
missioners concluded, ION one of
the finest natural sites in the city
and with no occupancy restric-
tionS as to race or creed"