Evening star., 1952-11-13
Residents Ask
Explanation Of
Southwest Plan
City Heads Favor
Meeting With Citizen.
And NCPC Members

DAY agreed to cooperate with q
request by Southwest residents
that the city heads and repre-
sentatives of the National Capital
Planning Commission explain the
recently released southwest re-
development program to them.
The request was made by both
the Southwest Citizens and Civic
Associations through John
Searles, director of the Redevelop-
ment Land Agency, which will
handle the proposed Slum clear
ance program when it actually
gets under way.
Engineer Commissioner Bernard
L. Robinson, who is also men,
ber of the NCPC, said he would
take up the matter with the plan
ming body. Gen. Robinson said
he favors such a joint meeting
with the citizens groups, but
added that he would like to have
an official of the District Highway
Department on hand for the dis
cussion as well.
Misrepresentation Charged.
At the same time, Gen. Robin
son accused the planning COM
mission Of ''misrepresenting" part
of a tentative highway plan for
Southwest Washington in the re-
development report.
Gen. Robinson took exception
to maps published with the re-
port showing Tenth street over
passing the proposed Southwest
expressway.
The general made his charge
despite the planning commission s
repeated emphasis in the rede-
velopment report that the overall
plan for Southwest will be SUBJ
ject to change for sometime to
come.
Another section of the report,
on the other hand, lists specific
slum clearance plans for a linn
tied section of the Southwest.
Basis of Gen. Robinson's COM
plant was that the planning COM
mission had agreed before releas-
ing the report to leave the street
areas in question blank on the
maps, since no agreement had
been reached between the COM
mission and the District Highway
Department.
This agreement was reached, he
said. to avoid leaving that aspect
of the overall redeyeloplnent plan
open to controversy at the public
hearing scheduled Tor December
II. At that time, all interested
citizens will consider the NCPC
program.
Section Left Blank.
Gen. Robinson pointed out that
on one of two maps released by
the commission, the Tenth street.
expressway section is, in fact, left
blank. Another map, as we'll as
an artists sketch. shows a Tenth
street overpaSs. City highway Of
f1cials strongly oppose this treat
ment Of the intersection and a
solution is far from being reached
the Commissioner said.
Commissioner F. Joseph Dono.
hue declared that the resident!
whose area stands ultimately tt
be rehabilitated are entitled tt
all the information they can get.
The commissioners agreed thai
such a briefing session would moi
interfere with the December Il
public hearing.
The commissioners, meanwhile
are studying the Southwest pro.
gram which was handed then
yesterday by the planning com.
mission.
To Be Cleared of Slums.
NCPC submitted its proposals
to the city heads yesterday. One
part of the recommendations ap-
piled to specific project area
This section, bounded by the
Pennsylvania Railroad, Eye. South
Capitol and Fourth streets. will
be the first to be cleared of Slums
and rebuilt.
Redevelopment plans for the
project are precise, and if ap-
proved by the District Commis-
SionerS after their hearing, will
be carried out to the letter.
The second part of the report
prepared by NCPC gives the COM
MISSIONS conception of how the
overall Southwest rehabilitation
may be carried out. This con.
cept, however, is to serve merely
as a guide to future project plan.
ming. and will be subject to modi.
fication.
The suggested program contem,
plates housing for wide range O
income groups. NCPC recon-
mends that about one-fourth o
the structures be in the low-cos
category. Buildings will rang
from row houses to five-to-eight
story apartments.
While q commission spokesman
emphasized that the NCPC pro
gram is not a compromise, earle
recommendations made to tn
planning body by consulting archi
tectS called variously for more o
less low-cost housing. There /
little apparent disagreement owe
the details of the specific prof
ect area.
Commercial Issue.
The degree of emphasis on com
mercial development in the South
west also has been a point o
disagreement that may be ex
pected to be raised in the publ
hearing. NCPC favors converting
virtually the entire Southwest are
north of the railroad tracks T.
light industrial property. TIL
commission would also encourag
commercial development along tn
Is wharves.
In the 30 days that the publ
BEARING is hein0 advertised comic