Evening star., 1949-09-25
Ar|ingtonBoa
Pushes Plan for
Apartment Hotel
County to Give Views
To FHA on Project
Opposed by Planners
By John V. Horner

By John v. Horner
Despite objections of the Ma.
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission, Arlington County il
pressing for the construction oil
Arlington Towers. a 2,000-unir
apartment hotel across the Po.
tomac River.
The County Board is solidly be.
hind the $20,0oo,oo0 project ano
will lay its views before the Fed
eral Housing Administration to-
morrow, The Star learned last
night. The FHA is considering
making loan to the builders fol
financing the project.
The apartment hotel, consist.
ing Of four History building.
with penthouses, is planned tx
be built on the Dulaney anc
Grinder tracts by the O'Driscol
Construction Co. of Washington
and New York. The 15-acre site
Is just west of the new Boundary
Channel Bridge. It is across Lee
boulevard from the Nevius tract
which the Government con-
demned for a Veterans Admins.
tration hospital.
Resent Planners Stand.
The Arlington Board decided
at a closed meeting yesterday to
do what it can to help the hotel
project along and to have its
views conveyed to the FILA by
County Manager A. T. Lundberg
and County Planning Engineer
c. L. Kinnier.
The board made no formal
statement of it's decision but
members were plainly resentful
of the planning commission
stand on the matter. The Fed
eral planners were represented
last week as being "up in arms
over the development.
The commission contends Ar
lington Towers would concentrate
too many people on the site. would
complicate rush-hour traffic and
would give it too commanding a
position on the skyline back of
the Lincoln Memorial and The
Mall area
Informed sources said the only
zoning requirements not met by
the builders pertain to parking
space. They said the board is
prepared to amend the ordinance
in this respect.
Zoning Amended.
The board previously made
special provision for Arlington
Towers with zoning ordinance
amendment. In February it eased
requirements on front, rear and
side yards to permit buildings as
high as proposed in this case.
One county official said the
construction Of Arlington Towers
is desirable for several reasons but
particularly as a. revenue pro-
ducer. He said the county has
very little industry and now relies
heavily on real estate taxes for
income. With constantly increas-
ing demands for governmental
service, he said. real estate is in
danger of "prohibitive taxes"
F. Freeland Chew, a member of
the County Board. had a caustic
observation on the Park and Plan
ming Commission objections.
"As far as I am personally con-
cerned," he said, anything we
put on the river front in Airing
ton would be a vast improvement
over the unsightly buildings along
the river front in the Georgetown
area of the Washington side."
Concerned Over Height.
Mr.. Chew also remarked that an
apartment hotel project is to be
constructed on the old site of the
Washington Gas Light Co., on the
Washington side.
The tanning commission
which comedies it is powerless te
do more than register strenuous
objections in a case of this sort
indicated particular concern ovel
the height of the buildings in the
hotel development.
Both Mr.. Kinnier and Donald
H. Drayer, Arlington Towers
architect. said there is a misun-
derstanding about the above.
ground heights of the proposed
buildings. Reports that the struc-
lures would be 212 feet high are
in error, they said.
Mr.. Kinnier said Arlington zon-
ing ordinances limit building
heights to 225 feet above the Poto-
macs high water mark. He
pointed out that the tract on
which the hotel would be built is
about ITO feet above the nigh
water mark.
Designed for Conversion.
Mr.. Drayer said the History
buildings. exclusive of penthouses,
would rise about 110 feet above
ground. or to height of approx
imately 220 feet above the rivers
high water mark. Mr.. Dreyel
said one Of the four buildings is
designed for possible conversion
to transient use at a later date.
In February, the Arlington Plan.
ming Commission split over the
question of the coming revision.
needed before the project coule
be undertaken. BY a 5-to-2 vots
itrecommended 1t the changes, how.
ever, and the County Board con.
CURED.
At that time, the ODriscoll firm
proposed only three buildings fol
the apartment hotel. Subsequent,
the plans were altered and tn,
FILA requested Arlington to stat,
its attitude before the loan re.
quest was processed.
Columbia Pike Citizens
Ask Candidates to ToIk