Evening star., 1952-10-23
Planning Group Hope!
To Outline Southwest
Program This Week

The National Capital Planning
Commission hopes to establish
before this week is out. its basic
philosophy as to how Southwest
Washington will be redeveloped
The planning commission began
its monthly meeting today. Up
for consideration were various
plans for the future of the areas
highways and bridges. Tomor-
row it will take up the long
spending question of the redevel-
opment of Southwest Washington
Blair Lee III. executive secre-
tary of the planning commission
said it is hoped the body tomor-
row can determine its views on
how the Southwest program
should be handled.
Two widely divergent plans were
prepared for the planning COM
mission by different consulting
architects and engineers.
Plans Explained.
The plan drawn by Louis Juste-
ment envisioned changing South
west Washington into a top-flight
neighborhood. Another plan, pre-
pared by Ebert PeetS. is much
more conservative and contem-
plates developing the section for
the lower income groups.
Harland Bartholomew, st. Louis
engineering consultant. then made
a study of these two plans for the
commission. His report was a
compromise: his views were that
one was too conservative, and the
other. too extreme.
The planning commission staff
then prepared a final report which
has been circulated to all men,
bers Of the body. This plan,
which has not been made public.
supposedly embodies the main
recommendations of Mr.. Bartho-
lomew's report with some features
Of the Justement plan.
Basically. the planning COM
mission must decide whether the
area is to be developed for low or
high income groups.
The first section of the plan,
Project B. does not arouse much
controversy. Everybody is in
agreement that it should be re-
developed.
But differences still exist on the
overall plan for the area. The
planning commission wants to set
tie the basic philosophy before
sending Project B to the District
Commissioners.
Hearings Necessary.
The Commissioners must hold
public hearings on Project B, then
accept or reject it. The commits
sion thinks the city heads can
not make decision unless they
know how Project B fits into the
whole plan.
Today the commission was to
receive from Mr.. Bartholomew a
new report on future highway de-
velopment for the District. The
Commissioners released their ver-
sion of future highway program
last winter. .
Frederick w. Tummler. director
of planning for the Maryland Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission, will present his re-
port of a master plan for highways
in Maryland affecting the District.
In addition, the planning COM
mission will receive from Conrad
y. Wirth. director of the National
Pal < Service. study on highways
that will affect Federal park areas
here. This study condemns plans
for a new bridge across the Poto-
mac River at E street.
Bridge Report Out.
The District Commissioners al
ready have released a bridge re-
port from their consulting engi-
neers. Their report favored an E
street bridge.
And the planning commission al
ready has released a third bridge
report, also by consulting engi-
neers, which recommends against
the E street bridge.
None of the agencies has taken
an official stand yet. Everything
presumably is still open for con-
sideration and study. Actually, the
various reports represent more or
less the viewpoints of the agencies
concerned. Where new Potomac
River bridges will be constructed
will be threshed out in the COM
Ing months between the agencies.
When the East Capitol Street
Bridge, now under construction,
was being considered the Com
missioners favored that site. The
planning commission wanted it at
Massachusetts avenue. Congress
settled the matter.