Evening star., 1950-09-18
Planning Groups
Move 10 SET Up
Region Council
New Organization to
Work on Dispersal
Problems in Area

were ldu1lCIleQ OIl IIlS JOD VI per
fecting Regional Planning Coun,
Gil to aid in solving the knotty
problems those areas will fact
with the dispersal of Government
agencies.
1t was clear that some of tht
planning authorities of the dis
tricts to which Government Office.
would be transferred had hearc
of the plans with dismay anc
alarm"
This was brought out yesterday
at a meeting of about 80 of the
regions planners. The meeting
held in the Corcoran Gallery Of
Art, adopted a proposal to SCI
up a Washington Regional Plan.
ming Council. In the discussion
these facts became apparent:
/. Dispersal of Government
agencies to a limit of an hours
travel from downtown Washing
ton will mean changes over a
far greater area as many work.
ers will want to live beyond the
new buildings where they will be
employed.
Utilities to Be Needed.
2. Local communities will be
faced with housing problems. with
the need of providing schools and
hospitals and other facilities such
as roads, sewers and other util-
ties. They will have to stretch
their tax revenues to cover these
and consider issuing bonds where
the revenues won't provide enough
Immediately.
8. The Federal Government al
ready has studied dozens of sites
for the four initial dispersal GEN.
ters. None has been definitely
picked but selections could be
made quickly.
Fred w. Tuemmler, director of
planning for the Maryland-Na-
tional Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, said it was logi-
cal that many of the new build
ings would be established in out
lying areas of Prince Georges
County He cited the county's
already extensive highway devel-
opment from the Washington-Bal-
timore parkway now under con-
struction on the north, to the
Indian Head highway running
south from Washington.
Rejected by Congress.
The initial dispersal plan, sty-
mied at least temporarily by con-
greSsional rejection, calls for the
construction of four centerS in
the outlying areas as an atomic
bomb defense measure. They
would make possible moving be-
tween $4,000 and 10000 Govern
ment workers out of the city.
Half To Be in Virginia.
Ultimately, however, the plan
contemplates IL or 13 dispersed
centers with $4,000 to 100000
workers. The total cost is esti-
mated at $3.50 million.
1t is expected that half of the
centers would be in Virginia and
half in Maryland.
Louis Brownlow, former District
commissioner and an authority on
public administration. presided at
yesterdays meeting. The COM
mittee organizing the meeting
was headed by Col. Lathrop E.
Smith. chairman of the Upper
Montgomery County Planning
Commission.
The organization plan calls for
initial operations within the areas
of these agencies: Northern Vir-
ginia Regional Planning Commits
sion, National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, the Mary
land-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, that por-
tion of Prince Georges County
outside the Maryland-NCPPC area
and the Upper Montgomery Coun-
ty Planning Commission.
Additional Agencies.
In addition to the agencies
named, these were represented al
yesterdays meeting: Alexandra
City Planning Commission, Vir-
ginia Division of Planning and
Economic Development, Maryland
State Planning Commission. Plan
ming Division of the Arlington
County Department of Public
Service, Fairfax County Planning
Commission, and three agencies
OF Loudoun County, Va; the Plan
ming Commission, Zoning Com
mission and Board of Supervisors
John Nolen, jr., director of
planning for the NCPPC, said that
commission would foster the new
organization and may provide a
headquarters for it.
Blair Lee III, vice chairman OF
the Maryland NCPPC, said that
the new organization may result
in uniform rules for subdivision
plotting and for building codes.
Raymond V. Long of the Vir-
ginia planning and economic de-
velopment commission pointed
out that if the regional planning
body would take in all the area
within 50-mile radius of Wash
ington five or six additional coun-
ties would be affected. Fifty miles
is set as the ultimate limit fol-
dispersal.
A warning that when you start
moving jobs out of town people
start moving out to them was
given by Frederick Gutheim oi
the Upper Montgomery County
organization. He stressed the neet
Of co-ordinating the work of loca
agencies and better organization
among Federal agencies.