Evening star., 1954-12-08
DR.. Hoyt Puts
Area Population
AT 100000
Estimates Guin of
Yeor at sc, 900 in
Trade Bourd Tulk
By Georoe Beveridqe

Area population has increased
by 10000 persons this year to
q "conservatively estimated" De-
cember / population of 1.840. 900.
according to DR.. Homer Hoyt.
DR.. Hoyt. a land economist
who has just completed several
years of basic development
studies for individual suburban
areas here, disclosed the new
figures at the Washington Board
of Trade annual membership
meeting in the Willard Hotel
last night.
His up-to-date population es-
Inmates were just $4,000 above
those cited by the Washington
Board of Trade last week for the
area population as of last jan
uary l..
Breakdown by Jurisdictions.
He said 985,000 of the 1.840,.
600 persons or 53.5 per cent. now :
live in the suburbs. His break
down:
District Of Columbia, 855.000:
Montgomery County, 26i 900:
Prince Georges County. 300,000:.
Arlington County, 168. 900: Fair,
fax County. 100000: Alexandria,
$1,000, and Falls Church, 5000.
The new figures, showing q
gain of $4,000 persons since,
the 1850 census, make his pre-
vious forecast of 2.5 million
population by 1880 appear quite
conservative" DR.. Hoyt said.
The rate Of growth also would
exceed his 1860 estimate Of g.
040. 900, he said.
I'VE are not changing our
area forecasts now" he De-
clared. But they must be re-
garded as conservative in the
light of our national rate Of
growth, which, with sustained
higher birth rates, is rushing
forward to-a 200 million figure
by 1870"
Estimates Housing.
The economist told the trade
board he expects building per-
mits to be issued for more than
| $4,000 new area dwelling units
before this year is finished
the highest figure since 1850.
For the last four years, he
added, this area is second only
to Los Angeles among metro
politan areas with populations
exceeding / million in the con.
struction of new dwellings.
AS in his detailed study re-
ports, DR.. Hoyt encouraged
"non-nuisance type" industrial
expansion in the counties. pro-
posed better transportation ia.
cilities, including use of rail-
roads for commuter traffic. and
called on counties to provide
more adequate shopping centers.
He said this lack of suSarhan
centers offering wide varieties
of merchandise "gives the Wash.
ington downtown business dis.
trict its chief opportunity"
Last year, for example. he
estimated Montgomery County
residents spent $88 million in
department, apparel and furni.
ture stores, but spent only $43
million of 1t In Montgomery
stores, giving the majority Of
business tax revenues to other
Jurisdictions. He cited similar
losses for other counties.
Calls for Land-use Study.
He also urged strongly that,
in planning the areas growth
as a whole, the area must be
treated as an integrated unit and
not as separate parts" The first
step, he said, should be land.
use study that would pin-point
slum areas that must be rebuilt,
Conservation" areas of middle
aged homes. new areas and those
not yet developed.
The trade board also heard Q
brief talk by w. e. Reynolds.
retired Public Buildings Com
missioner. who has been retained
by the New York firm of Webb
& Knapp as a consultant for its
proposed Southwest Washington
redevelopment program.
Mr.. Reynolds. who in the Gov
ernment post he held for 20
years administered major Fed
eral construction here, said the
Southwest project holds major
promise for Kidding "a national
disgrace" - the eyesore tempo.
rary buildings in downtown
Washington.
Mr.. Reynolds recalled that
former President Roosevelt told
| him, during World War II. to
''build the new tempos so they'll
fall down in five year." But
time, he added, has shown that
"the most permanent thing on
earth Is a temporary building In
Washington.
The New Workers. hope Of GET
ting new Federal buildings au-
thorized within the rebuilt
Southwest area, Mr.. Reynolds
said, could take care of q sub
stantial portion Of one Of the
great eyesores to people here-f
refer to those near the Lincoln
Memorial rejecting pool
Would Start There. T,
IT have always felt we should
just start with the tempos at
the Lincoln Memorial and Just
roll them up like carpet" he
added.
Mr.. Reynolds said it s'seems
fair" to ask Congress to author-
ize removal Of the tempos. a step
Congress loves to the people Of
the United States"
Among other talks at the
meeting:
3. A. Tompkins, jr., in charge
Of the Southwest nrniect for