Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-04
Planners Consider
Consolidated Area
| Development Data

Federal planners are studying
possibilities of a consolidated
report on the economic develop
ment prospects of the District
and of the entire Metropolitan
Area.
Such a survey would pull to-
gether data gathered for indi-
vidual counties and cities in
nearby Maryland and Virginia
and would cover similar studies
for Washington itself.
The National Capital Planning
Commission instructed its tech
nical staff yesterday to investi-
gate the method, scope and
cost" of such a study.
John Nolen, jr., planning COM
mission director, said the study
would use data accumulated by
DR.. Homer Hoyt, Chicago land
economist, in a series of reports
DR.. Hoyt has drawn up under
contract for the suburban juris-
dictions. The latest, revealed
by The Star last week, was a
report on the economic, growth
and development prospects for
Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties.
Findings at Variance.
Mr.. Nolen pointed out that
Dr.. Hoyt's findings varied widely
from growth predictions con-
tanned in the planners 1850 COM
prehensive plan for the city.
Purpose of the study would be
to weigh all the available data
and apply it to the area as a
whole, as well as to the District.
The Washington Board of
Trade has been interested for
long time in having study
similar to the suburban Hoyt
reports made for the District.
A board official said today the
group would "be willing to CO.
operate in any feasible way" with
the planners.
Commission officials said a
limited amount of money was
available for the work, but that
no decisions have been reached
on how it might be carried out.
Bridge Report Studied.
Stats of the commission and
the National Capital Regional
Planning Council will investi-
gate the possibilities and come
up with recommendations.
Meanwhile, the planners also
decided to give further study to
new consultants' report on Po-
tomac River bridges, submitted
Friday by the firm of Wilbur
Smith & Associates.
Some points in the report will
be given back to the consultants
for elaboration. The planners
also decided to ask the District
Highway Department to COM
ment on some of the findings.
In one major recommended
ton, the report suggested that
no new Potomac bridge be con-
structed until the city's proposed
innerloop road system is de-
veloped. Commission members
said they were not clear on
whether this meant the entire
road system should be built to
limited access freeway charac-
teristics before a new bridge
is built, or whether the partially
completed loop should serve new
bridge traffic while long-range
and expensive improvements
were under way.
The report also questioned
whether the newly authorized
Constitution avenue bridge, l.
200 feet upriver from Arlington
Memorial Bridge, would serve
traffic as we'll as a new span
across the Three Sisters Islands
upriver from Key Bridge.
Harland Bartholomew, commits
sion chairman. said he did not
anticipate action indorsing or
refuting the new report, but that
its data would be used in future
planning on bridge problems.
The commission and District
highway officials have agreed on
tentative plans for handling
traffic on the Constitution ave-
nue. span and on the nearby
Arlington Memorial Bridge.
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