Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-04-19
Planning Group
Asks D. T.. Title
backgrounds
Move Would Hamper
Fight to Abolish
Rociol Segregation
By Nelson M. Shepard

BY Nelson M. Shepard
The Budget Bureau has beer
drawn into the controversy be-
tween the District Recreation
Board and the Interior Depart,
ment over control of the city,
Fairgrounds.
In a surprise policy move re.
vealed yeste, day. the Nationa.
Capital Park and Planning Com.
mission recommended to tn,
Budget Bureau that ownership
title to all local Fairgrounds be
transferred from the United
States to the District Commits.
SionerS.
This would involve the so ex-
listing Fairgrounds as we'll as fu-
ture ones. If approved and
enacted into law. this arrange
ment would have the effect of
pulling the rug from under the
Interior Department IN It's fight
to abolish racial segregation on
all District Fairgrounds.
In another important action.
the planning commission voted to
recommend to the Zoning Com
mission that building regulations
be changed to increase the num-
Der OF stories in commercial and
apartment buildings without
changing the rigid height limit.
The action reverses the plan
ming commissions past policies.
1t also rejects the recommended
lions Of its own planning staff
and principal consultant.
Playground Developments.
In the playground controversy,
TINS is what developed at the
planning commission session:
The commission made a deci-
sion affecting its general policy of
assigning land to the District for
playground purposes. But it did
not make the decision public.
This vote was in reply to a
demand from Secretary of the In.
terror Chapman that assigning
playground land to the District
be discontinued.
1t is understood that the NCPPC
voted to adhere to it's present
policy of assigning land to the
District but did agree to make no
playground assignments this
month.
The commission chairman, John
A. Remon, said he did not want to
make public the commissions let
ter to Mr.. Chapman until he has
conferred with the Secretary. This
he hopes to do next week. He took
the secrecy position, he said, as a
matter OF courtesy to Mr.. Chap
man, personal friend.
Board Backs Segregation.
The Interior Department has
sought control over District play
grounds to enforce non-segrega-
ton. Since 1912, the Recreation
Board has maintained segregation
although some Fairgrounds have
been opened to both white and
Negro residents.
On the long-range playground
acquisition question, the commits
sion revealed that 10 or IL days
ago it had submitted "compro-
mise" proposal to the Budget Bu-
reau. Mr.. Remon said the compro-
mise had been worked out by the
Executive Committee between the
monthly meetings and therefore
had not been made public.
Agreement, it was explained,
was reached in conferences with
Engineer Commissioner Bernard
l.. Robinson. Gen. Robinson had
recommended a drastic change I'M
land acquisition policies as part
OF the pending District reorgan-
ization plan.
Proposed Transfer.
Gen. Robinson had proposed
that all lands bought under the
Capper- Champion Act be trans
ferred from the Federal Govern
ment to the District Commission
ers. This is equivalent to about
half of the National Capital Parks
system as it exists today.
The Engineer Commissioner had
also proposed that the District
Commissioners take over the land
buying job from now on for COM
pletion of the park and play
ground system. The reorganiza-
ton plan would also have deprived
the planning commission of it's
veto" power over disposing of
District property no longer need
ed for public purposes.
Under the compromise the
Planning Commission would con-
tinue to purchase the land but
would transfer title to the Dis
trict over all Fairgrounds.
Mr.. Remon said the compro-
mise had nothing to do with the
Interior Departments attempts to
have the commission stop assign
ing Fairgrounds to the District.
He was asked if the compromise
would not take the Interior De-
partment out of the playground
picture. He countered by saying
it's all up to the Budget Bureau,
and it is not known now whether
it would be embodied in whatever
District reorganization plan goes
to Congress.
Points to Basic Law.
At one point. however, Mr..
Remon said of the segregation
fight that basic law says the Rec
reation Board has the right of
control over Fairgrounds and
should determine policies" He
added that it is not the planning
commissions job to decide how
the Fairgrounds should be man
aged.
The Executive Committee was
not unanimous on the compro-
mise. Its three members include
Mr.. Remon, Gen. Robinson and
NYoA;@~~41 na..1-