Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-27


close-in vacant land for urban
growth in the Washington Met
ropolitan Area. Most Of this
would be within a 80 to As min
ute ride from the White House.
What Shape Will 1t Take?
There is thus the strong eco
nomic potential for growth and
the room for growth in the Wash
ington Metropolitan Area for the
next three decades-but what
form or shape will it take?
We have. to start with. what
many world travellers acclaim as
the most beautiful city in the
world-about the only American
city planned from it's very be-
ginning-with its great vistas Of
the Capitol, Washington Monu-
ment, the White House. Lincoln
Memorial, its National Art Gal
lery, magnificent array of build
ings on Constitution avenue. Lee
Mansion, Mount Vernon, beauti-
full churches. legations, etc.
marred. it is true, by some tenn
porary Government buildings
and by some blighted areas. and
plagued with traffic problems
like all American cities. Any flu
ture growth must be planned to
enhance and bring out in full
perspective WashingtonS exist
ing beautiful buildings.
Plans should conceive Of. a
balanced growth of the entire
Metropolitan region, in which
every function has its proper
place.
In Downtown Areas.
If I may be permitted to in
dulge in wishful thinking. or
rather of portraying this Wash
ington area of the fture. I might
describe it thus:
New hotels, apartments and
office buildings for trade organi-
cations will rise in downtown
Washington areas where they
will be convenient to Govern
ment and private Offices.
Large parking garages and
places for discharging bus pas
sengers will be built in a belt
around F street stores so that
this central shopping area, which
will always offer a greater va
riety of fashion goods than any
outlying regional centers. will
have parking facilities for It's
shoppers.
A convention hall or NUM-
cipal auditorium like the ones
in Kansas City or Atlantic City
will provide space for exhibitions,
indoor sports events and con-
ventionS.
A municipal stadium seating
100000 in central Washington
will attract the Nations leading
football teams and will serve for
pageants and festivals for the
Metropolitan Area.
Central slums and blighted
areas should be cleared away TO
make room for. these improve
ments, as we'll as for apartments
for all income groups.
Outside the Target Areas.
The foregoing are the ex-
banded functions of central
Washington.
In the belt IL to Is miles from
the White House. in Fairfax,
Prince Georges and Montgom-
cry Counties. will be the pre-
ferred locations for industry and
research laboratories. which re-
quire ample space for one-story
buildings and for parking. and
which should be built 10 or more
miles from target areas. New
industrial districts can be plan
ned in suitable areas in this belt
where they do not conflict with
existing residential areas.
In the belt 20 miles from the
White House would be the loca-
ton of any new Government Of
flee buildings
Three new large regional
shopping centers of so to 100
acres each one in Montgomery
County, one in Prince Georges
County and one in either Fair
fax or Arlington County. Each
of these centers should have
large department stores, a COM
plete array of apparel stores. as
we'll as variety stores, drug stores,
super markets. etc. Three such
centers would increase the total
retail sales of the Washington
metropolitan area by expand
ing it's retail trade area farther
toward Richmond and Baltimore
and much greater distance to
the west.
The construction of county,
wide sewer and water system for
Fairfax County and the extern
sion of the Washington Sub
urban Sanitary Commission
facilities in Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties will
open up new suburban areas for
close residential settlement. Be-
yond this zone with 3 to 4 fam
lilies per acre, will be thousands
of acres of land occupied by
urban workers with homesites of
/ to 10 acres each. AS we pointed
out before, the lavish supply OF
land in the Washington Metro
politan area near expressWays
enables thousands of city work.
ers to enjoy the amenities of
rural life if they so desire.
Big Highway Plan.
This expanded Washington
Metropolitan Area will be linked
together by an inter-county belt
highway encircling the District
of Columbia, which will intersect
new radial highways like the
Baltimore Washington Express
way and highways crossing the
Potomac. New bridges will facili-
tate the flow Of people between
all parts of the region.