Evening star., 1953-09-13
Project
ShiftFrom NV.
To S.W. Sought
Capital Authority's
Plans Hompered by
Congress Cleanup
BV GEORGE Beveridoe


The National Capital Housing
Authority wants to shift a high
priority public housing project
planned for Northwest Washing.
ton to a Southwest location ear
marked for redevelopment, it
was learned last night.
Success of the plans. officials
agreed, might we'll determine
whether any public housing will
be included in the first areas
to be cleared of slums and re-
developed in the Southwest
water-fron> area.
The reason is that Congress
tight clamp on public housing
has thrown a damper on the
NCHA's existing plans for flu
ture building.
This is the situation:
The NCHA program calls for
a 530-dwelling unit project in
the general area bounded by
South Capitol street and I, N
and Fouth streets S.W. This is
just south of the District Re-
development Land Agency's So
called Project B Area, which is
slated to be cleared of slums
and sold to private investor
for rebuilding. It is within boun-
daries recently set by the RIA
for a second redevelopment lroj-
ect.
Plans in Preliminary Stage.
However, NCHA plans are in
a very preliminary stage for the
Southwest public housing prof.
ect. Several other projects are
ahead of the Southwest in the
NCHA program. Thus, especially
with the NCHA limited this year
to only 168 new construction
units, the Southwest project ap-
pears to be far in the future.
Possibly, officials fear, it would
be too tar in the future to fit in
with the redevelopment program
at all.
What the housing agency
wants to do, therefore, is to
switch to the Southwest location
a 455-unit project which now
is planned for an area bounded
roughly by New Jersey avenue
and M, o and Sixth streets NV.
Site appraisals already have
been finished for the Northwest
project. and the NCHA has en-
tered contracts with the Public
Housing Agency for it's compile
ton.
One stumbling block still re-
mains, however, before the
switch can be attempted.
Progress Temporarily Frozen.
The hurdle is that the PHA
also has frozen temporarily any
progress on the Northwest prof.
ect. Because Congress froze all
new construction starts to 10000
units this year. there is no
chance that the Northwest prof.
ect could get to the building
stage. Congress made no de-
clsion, however. on whether such
projects under PHA contract
could progress up to the con-
struction point.
That question now is under
PHA study. An official said he
hoped a policy for local au-
thorities to follow would be
issued within the next few
weeks.
If the policy permits the NCHA
to continue up to the construc-
tion point with the Northwest
project. officials said, it is likely
that they will ask permission to
switch it to the Southwest loca-
ton. It then would be in line
for construction at such time
as Congress permits more public
housing units to be built.
General Planning Continuing.
James Ring, NCHA executive
secretary, said the switch would
not be a serious disruption be-
cause the National Capital Plan.
ming Commission has not fin
ished general planning for slum
clearance and redevelopment in
the Northwest, anyway. Mr..
Ring said the Coordination Of
public housing and redevelop-
ment in the Southwest already
has been discussed at length
with the RIA.
The 1856 units the NCHA can
put under construction this year
all will be taken up by a second
section of the East Capitol Street
Dwellings. Fifty-eighth and East
Capitol streets. Another project
in the same status as the North
west location calls for 612 units
in a general area bounded by
Virginia avenue and Second,
Seventh and M streets Sc.