Evening star., 1949-01-23
A Study in Bod Planning

1t is hard 10 imagine plaCe III UAe
District of Columbia better suited Tor
Washington's first urban redevelopment
undertaking than Marshall Heights, the
area chosen by the National Capital PARK
and Planning Commission for preferential
treatment. This 180-acre SubStandard
subdivision is unique among the c1tyS
blighted areas for the reason that it has
always been that way. 1t started out
without intelligent planning and things
have been getting worse with every passing
year. n aji
Marshall Heights, in the extrerne east
corner of the District, on the north side
of East Capitol street and extending to
Benning road and Southern avenue, is an
afflicted island" in generally normal
residential community. 1t was opened as
a subdivision in 1886, before the District
exercised control of subdivision planning
It's small lots apparently were marked off
on a map by some one who gave no
thought to topography of the plot The
streets" make a grid which cannot be
easily integrated with properly planned
streets surrounding the area. If the
District insisted on rebuilding existing
streets to meet logical grade levels some
houses would be left on high banks and
others in deep depressions. The COM
munity Is the despair of District highway
and sanitary engineers. few water and
sewer mains have been run into the area,
but further extensions would involve
perplexing problems as to grade. A few
roads have been scraped and repaired,
but major reconstruction is impracticable
under existing conditions. And the assess
ments for highway and utility improve
ments, in most instances, would far exceed
the value of the property served.
AS for the houses at, Marshall Heights,
they range from shacks to comfortable
buildings of various types, including four
apartment houses. Approximately 480
families occupy these units. But of 391
dwellings surveyed by the Bureau of Public
Health Engineering, only 20 measured
up to recognized minimum standards OF the
Committee on the Hygiene of Housing. In
other words, only per cent of the houses
are considered fit to live in, judged by
widely accepted standards. Even the addi-
ton of water service and sanitary facilities
would not be sufficient to bring some of
them up to minimum standards. Never
theless, the planners promise to save as
many homes as feasible.
In short, here is an area which was so ILL
planned in the beginning and which was
permitted to expand its mistakes over so
long period that only a sweeping recon-
struction program offers any hope of last
ing improvement. Such program has
been outlined in the preliminary plans
presented to the District Commissioners by
the Park and Planning Commission last
week 1t will take lot of money to do
the job. The Redevelopment Land Agency
has asked for $3400,0O0 for the under
taking. Although this sum was not
allowed in the Presidents budget, it was
indicated that the Budget Bureau would
approve such request when final plans
for the Marshall Heights project are ready.
That will not be for some weeks at least.
Interested citizens and organizations
should be given ample time to study the
tentative plans and voice their opinions
in open hearings at the District Building
There have been misunderstanding about
the redevelopment program as whole and
the Marshall Heights project in particular
which should be cleared up before Congress
is asked to appropriate the money needed
to start reconstruction.