Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-30
ATT Million Loss
Seen for Fairfax
In NewAirport
Report Says Burke Site
Has Potential Value of
$552 Million by 1861

Fairfax County could lose $477
million in potential real estate
value if the proposed Burke air.
port is established. a report to the
Virginia Legislature Advisory
Council said today.
The report, prepared by WASH
ington Attorney Charles F. O'Neall
for the Burke Airport Relocation
Committee, sharply criticizes the
Civil Aeronautics administration
selection of the site.
There is nothing to indicate
that any honest consideration was
in fact given to the problem" Of
what the airport location might do
to the countys development po-
tential, the seven-page report
said.
Mr.. O'Neall, calculating the pos
sible real estate loss by 1861, based
ibis figure on estimates supplied by
Mason Hurst, veteran Northern
Virginia realtor.
Before the high-Speed Shirley
Highway was opened into the
area. land values around the pro-
posed airport site averaged about
$3.50 an acre. Mr.. Hurst estimated.
Now Up to $1,000 an Acre.
Today, he says, the figure APP
proXimates 81 900 an acre.
1.-THE total foreseeable value of
development in the Burke area
would, in 1861, amount to about
1852 million" the report says.
1T is estimated that the total
value. with improvements, of the
Burke area in 1861 would be $75
million if an airport is constructed
at Burke"
The report asserted that "the
Burke area is the last major area
available for planned residential
development to meet the needs
of Washington and Northern Vir-
GINA communities which form a
part of the Greater Washington
metropolitan area"
IF the present CAA proposal
had been made in 1890" Mr..
ONeal confined, "a far different
public response would have been
forthcoming. Today's objections
stem from the fact that the
Burke area has a definite and as
sured future that will be seriously
prejudiced by such a development
as a major airport"
| SCOTS at CAA Policy.
| The report scoffed at CAA's
Ilong-term policy on Burke. "a
review of the CAA report clearly
establishes the fact that it is not
taking into account the probable
needs of the aircraft of tomorrow.
Washington National Airport
is now an admitted blunder. We
/. must hope that CAA can be forced
= to avoid making a similar mistake
J in locating supplementary air.
. port for the District of Column
bia."
| The O'Neall report was another
:, weekend phase of the contro-
versy. From Annapolis, Gov.
McKeldin of Maryland addressed
a letter to President Truman, urg-
ing abandonment of the Burke
proposal and asking the use Of
Baltimore's vast Friendship In
!, ternational Airport.
:. Chairman Protests Timing.
i On the heels of this action came
a protest from Walter F. Perkins,
chairman of Baltimore's Airport
Board, over the timing" of the
McKeldin letter to the President.
Mr.. Perkins said the letter ap-
peared ito be ill-timed" because
of announced possibility of use Of
the Friendship airport by the
military Air Transport Service.
In reply Gov. McKeldin declared
: he has mo objection to the
=, temporary use by the Air Force
of a part of Friendship for the
: best purposes of national defense,
but I am opposed to using that
possibility for the purchase of our
silence and tacit or expressed ap-
; proval of the proposed unneces-
sary new airport at Burke, through
! which the Government would de-
iiberately enter into direct COM
petition with our airport"