Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-12
zoners 10 Consider
Elevator Penthouse
Ban Over 13O Feet

The District Zoning Commits
sion will meet Monday to decide
whether to forbid construction
of elevator penthouses that pro-
ject above the present maximum
130-foot height of downtown
buildings.
Such a proposal was offered
yesterday by Conrad L.. Wirth,
director of the National Park
Service, and a member Of the
coming body. The recommended
ton met with a storm Of dis
approval on the part of local
builders and the city'S Zoning
Advisory Council.
The advisory groups vote was
split two-to-one, however. John
Nolen, jr., dissented. Mr.. Nolen
is planning director Of the Ma
tional Capital Planning Com
mission, which, like Mr.. Wirth's
Is a Federal agency.
Majority members of the coun-
Gil, Robert o. Clouser, planning
director for the Zoning Com
mission, and 1t. Col. Harry F.
Hansen, assistant engineering
commissioner stated the oppoSi-
ton case plainly.
Would Affect Upper Floors.
1.-THE obvious net effect of the
proposed amendment precludes
elevator service to the top one
or two floors of any new build
ing which is erected to or near
the maximum 130-foot height"
the majority pointed out.
1T appears that this might
prevent builders from effectively
utilizing the additional one to
two stories approved by the
commission last Decmember ,16,
(anO if this result can be
proven probable the majority of
the council is fatty and unequi-
vocally opposed to the amend
ment."
The builders, who showed up
in strength before the commits
sion, agreed there is no doubt
that the proposal, in effect,
would deprive them Of up to two
stories of floor space. Organized
and individual spokesman con-
tended that the new regulation
would mean that new buildings
would either:
/. Have to be lower than the
13O-foot limit by two stories if
elevator service for all stories
were to be provided.
Walk-up Alternative.
2. Or, assuming interior ele-
vator machinery housing sur
rounded by otherwise disable floor
space, the latter would have to
be reached by walk-ups.
The December ruling of the
commission, by removing all ref
erence to stories" in the regu-
lations. increased the number of
allowable floors per building in
downtown area to 1.-two over
the former maximum.
Among decisions reached yes
terday by the commission ap-
proved:
A rezoning request that would
permit construction of a little
Mayor clinic" on an acre of prop
erty located in a triangle formed
by the intersection of Military
road and Western avenue NV.
Drs. Joseph F. Bailey and Paul
C. Herman plan to set up the
new clinic.
Decision Affects Awnings.
Installation of awnings over
doors and windows, regardless
of the city's side-yard widths, so
long as the awnings are no wider
than the width of the apertures
or no deeper than 80 inches.
Construction of mezzanine
stories for automobile parking in
40 to 9O-foot height districts,
provided the mezzanine is no
bigger than three-fourths the
building area at that level.
Definition of a "mezzanine"
story as that floor Immediately
above the ground floor of build
ing.
Funeral parlors' petitioning
the Board of Zoning Adjustment
for permission to build or en-
large Establishments in areas
partly residential