Evening star., 1952-11-21
Architects Call
Southwest Plan
Uninnaginative'
Excessive Low-Income
Housing Is Viewed as
Questionable Asset
By George Beveridoe

BY George Beveridge
Architects Louis Justement ant
Chloethiel w. Smith today accused
the National Capital PLANNING
Commission of "timid, unimag'
inative and defeatist" approach tt
the redevelopment Of Southwes
Washington.
The architects, in a strongly
worded statement, attacked anc
urged revision of plans sub.
mitted to the District Commis.
sioners November IL as genera
guide" to clear slums and rebuilc
a 427-acre residential and com.
mercial area.
The architects conditionally
went along with more specific plans
to begin the slum- clearance pro-
gram in 76-acre tract known
as Project B. This smaller area
containing the Southwest's worst
SlumS. is bounded by Fourth and
South Capitol streets and E and ]
streets. The Commissioners will
hold a public hearing on the 3
area plan December II.
The NCPC stressed that its
general plan for the entire 427-
acre area is only tentative anc
subject to change.
Attacking its basic philosophy
however, MIR. Justement and Mrs
Smith said the proposals are con-
trary to the economic interest Of
the city and provide for excessive
low-income housing which woulC
be "a very questionable asset"
They accused the planners Of
taking an easy out by attempting
to rebuild too many new dwell
ings for the Southwest's present
inhabitants. They questioned also
whether private enterprise will bt
willing to pour money into the
Southwest unless the basic plan.
ming is changed.
They urged, instead, that the
NCPC come up with Q new plan
Its premise. they said, should cal
for drastic improvements in thu
area, sufficient to attract high.
income residents who now art
seeking homes in the suburbs.
Their proposals, creating the
most controversial issue of South
west redevlopment, raise these
basic questions: How much en-
phasis should be put on rebuilding
the Southwest as a high tax-pro-
ducing area? To what degree
should redevelopment money be
used to take full advantage OF
the natural beauty of the water
front? To what extent must the
area provide for needs of it's pres
ent residents?
See Faults in B Plan.
Mr.. Justement and Mrs. Smith
found some faults with the Prof.
ect B plan. But, to avoid further
delays, they urged that the Com
misSioners approve 1t condition
ally.
"Fhe approval Of the proposals
for the Project Area B, however, >
they said, should be made con-
tingent upon the disapproval OF
the planning commission proposals
for the entire Southwest survey
area.
THE planning commission
should be requested to formulate
a new statement of the objectives
sought by the redevelopment and
secure general agreement on these
objeetiveS before preparing or ap-
proving any more plans for the
survey area as a whole"
MFR. Justement and Mrs. Smith
hired by the Redevelopment Lane
Agency, earlier this year drew ur
a Southwest plan which accented
high-income dwellings, amid beau.
tiful surroundings. The NCPC's
own plan generally has been re.
garded as a compromise between
the Justement-Smith proposal
and an earlier plan accenting low.
income dwellings.
The architects, however, denied
even that the new plan is a COM
promise. They said the planners
have geared their thinking to q
low-income, slum-clearance pro.
gram-"despite pious phrases ane
endless statistics which obscure its
meaning to all but the most pa.
tient and attentive reader"
Question of Re- Housing.
The NCPC, in it's general plan
contended that it is completely
unrealistic to propose that tn.
lower-income residents be dis
placed to be housed elsewhere
It said such locations elsewher,
simply are not to be found il
adequate numbers, and added:
"a plan based on the use O.
public money to accomplish ;
public purpose cannot ignore socia
values of such importance
without a reasonable plan fol
replacement"
The architects argued that thu
inf1ationary period in housing i
nearing an end and that tn
housing shortage already is be-
ing converted into a buyers mar
ket."
They said the Southwest cal
attract higher-income RESIDENT
only if:
l. Redevelopment is planned
with this end in view."
2. An attractive entrance Il
the new area is created from tn
Mall"
Modern Shopping Area.
3. A new. modern shopping are,
Is built.
4. The better gade of housing
is built "at an early stage ant
permitted to expand eastward (il
the slum-clearance area) as far a
the demand justif1es."
The architects said the NCP(