Evening star., 1950-11-28
ext Of Anal Of Measure Enlarge Planning Boards Powers

The National Capital Park
and Planning Commission has
prepared an analysis OF pending
legislation and amendments
that Mould enlarge its oWn
poiUerS. The tert, submitted to
the House District Committee
today, JolloDS:
To clarity the need and purpose
OF this legislation, the following
analysis and explanation has been
prepared at the request of the
chairman of the House Committee
on the District of Columbia by
representatives of the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission. The statement includes
a section-by-section digest of the
bill as it passed the Senate and ar
explanation of several proposed
amendments designed to meet OBJ.
jections raised by certain loca,
authorities. These are included ir
the Committee Print of S. 1881
dated June %, 1850.
NEED FOR LEGISLATION.
The present commission. which is
charged with the duty of compre-
hensive city and regional planning
for the National Capital and its en-.
virons. has been operating under
basic legislation passed approx.
mately Is years ago. During this
period the scope and character oi
planning required has undergone
many unforeseen changes so that
existing legislation is considered nc
longer adequate for the present job
Even before World War II the need
for Sounder set-up was expressed
by the then retiring chairman. Ar
exhaustive Budget Bureau study in
1914 recommended strengthening the
existing statue. Postwar expansion
and emerging new issues have
further emphasized the now urgent
need for amendatory legislation.
Chief among the new conditions
with which the Planning Commits
sion cannot cope under the 1924-26
acts are the ever widening planning
problems brought about by the
growth of the Federal projects by an
agency of the Federal Government
on the one hand, and coordination
Of plans between Federal construc-
ton agencies and local planning
commissions on the other hand.
Over Score Such Agencies,
. There are now more than a score
such Federal and District agencies
whose construction operations affect
the development of the Washington
region, five local and two SUBJ
regional planning commissions In
the immediate environs. Clearly, a
central planning and co-ordinating
agency is needed to bring Federal
and elocal planning into regional
harmony. Existing legislation is not
explicit enough for the present
commission to provide the guidance
and promote the cooperation which
is essential to secure practical re-
suits.
The necessity for having a Fed.
eral agency do the central planning
and co-ordinating is justified or
three principal grounds:
l. The activities of the Fedora
Government are the basic industr!
Of the region and hence their dis
position is a potent factor IN laying
out all major elements OF the
regional plan.
2. The District of Columbia, a:
the urban center of the region, /!
under Federal jurisdiction.
3. The dominance of the national
defense problem requires the lead
ersi1ip of the Federal Government
in the making of sound plan.
III Work Outside d. G..
In contrast to this underlying
responsibility of the Government to
establish an effective regional plan
ming agency, is the growing Interest
of Maryland and Virginia jurisdic-
tions in the plans of the Fedora
Government for new or expanded
activities within their boundaries
For example, while in 1926 no Fed.
eral activities were located outside
the District of Columbia, now abou
one-fourth of all employees in the
region work in the environs. Undel
these conditions, there is need tt
include in the membership of the
commission representation from tht
States of Maryland and Virginis
and the District of Columbia, 81
as to facilitate coordination of pol
icies and agreement on plans affect
ing regional development.
GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE
LEGISLATURE.
The general purposes OF the legis
lation are therefore three-fold:
/. To make more explicit the roll
of the commission by redefninl
the scope of it's comprehensive
planning function and establishing
the procedures to be followed before
the adoption of the plan by th'
commission.
2. To require early consultation
of Federal and District agencie!
with the commission to determine
conformity of certain proposed prof
ects with the comprehensive plan
3. To include in the citizen mem.
bership of the commission represen.
tatives of Maryland, Virginia ane
the District of Columbia, to bs
nominated by the Governors ane
District Commissioners, respectively
All of these purposes can be ac-
complished most advantageously by
formation of the existing Nationa
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission into a National Capita
Planning Commission. In this way
the working assets and experience
of the present commission and its
staff accumulated during the last
quarter of a century will be made
Immediately available to the new
commission in the most effective
manner.
No Changes in Functions.
The bill does not make any
changes in the basic functions O.
the commission. 1t remains essen.
TALLY an advisory agency excep
that present controls over Fedora
buildings within the District of Co.
lumbia are extended to include botl
Federal and District projects il
the environs. Such projects are no
now subject to any planning con