Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-02
Housing IS Code
Revision Seen
After Protests
Foes BIust Plan
From All Sides
At Hearing

HlOnLnS Oh compromise nGgOL1a~
tons, today faced further re-
working after a public hearing
at which it drew bitter fire from
both sides.
Abraham Chaifetz, counsel for
the District Property Owners
Association of America, branded
it as arbitrary" and confisca-
tory. The proposed regulations
are too drastic and go too far"
he declared.
The code was also opposed
but for opposite reasons-by a
stream of public health officials
and representatives of civic or
CARNATIONS. They argued the
regulations were too lenient.
In the middle were supporters
of the proposed code-large1y
drawn from the 43-member citi-
zens' committee that helped re-
wise the original draft of last
June. They called it a fair COM
promise and a workable pro-
gram"
Review Promised.
However, after a day-long
hearing before the Commission
ers in the board room of the
District Building, the Housing
Code Review Committee, headed
by Charles B. Dulcan, ST., PROM
Used to review the days recon-
mendations and report back to
the city heads.
The middle position was epito-
mized by Everett L. Edmond,
chairman of the Housing and
Stun Clearance Committee of
the Federation of Civic Asso-
Citations and a member of the
Dulcan committee. OF the code,
he said frankly: "It is a COM
promise code, and as such it is
not the ideal of any one group
of persons. But we have to start
somewhere and sometime"
Joseph A. Kaufman, for the
Federation of Citizens Associa-
tons Endorsed this code or
something close to it" and urged
united support for it by citizens
of Washington.
The present draft of the code
also drew support from Walter
D. Jarvis, for the Building Own
ers and Managers Association.
He called it a workable, and
disable CODE" but urged restora-
ton to the codes preamble of
q grandfather clause"
Warning on Enforcement.
The clause would have
exempted from new regulations
old buildings which conformed
to regulations in effect when
they were built. if they we're
legally and properly maintained.
The code was drafted to help
clean up Washington slums and
prevent development of new
ones. Also, it is intended to quail
ify the city for Federal funds
under the urban redevelopment
program of the 1854 Housing
Act.
> Another warning on enforce
ment of the code came from
Charles j. Bauer, executive Sec
rotary Of the Building Owners
and Managers Association and
secretary of the Building Code
Advisory Committee.
If present space and occu-
pancy provisions are enforced,
he cautioned, children would be
barred or limited in many exist
ing buildings.
The regulations, in a section
designed to prohibit overcrowd-
ing, require 1870 square feet OF
floor space for the first occupant
and 80 square feet for each ad-
ditional one.
Among changes under consid-
Grafton by the steering commit
tee of the Dulcan group is one
which would require only rs
square feet for each occupant
in addition to the first four.
Mr.. Chaifetz, attacking the
proposed code as confiscatory
declared that, Gin many cases, i
would require repairs costing
more than the value of thu
property"
And, he said, the people OF
the other side are not property
owners. They have no interest o.
stake in the regulations, but arr
young or inexperienced idealists
or perhaps socialists would b.
a better word"
Robert F. Kneipp, assistan
corporation counsel, who drafte'
the regulations. analysed tn
objections as centering on /
provisions.
''It would appear that disap
proval revolves around the fea
that the code will not do ava
with tenements." he declared
Under District regulations
'tenements" are housing unit
that lack either a kitchen o
bathroom, and only legal defini
ton saves modern "bachelo
apartments" from that classi
flcation.
Commenting on suggestion
that a proposed housing cod
review board be composed O
other than District employees, MI
Kneipp said he had intende'
the group as a "three-heade,
super Inspector to 'even out
any differences in inspection
technique among the 40 or 5
inspectors who will be enforcin
the code. Appeals, he declared
could be directed to some othe
board.
Mr.. Kneipp disagreed wit
other objections that housin
code regulations should be highe
than tenement house regulations
The tenements are licensed bust
nesses. he said, and should hav
greater space-occupancy require
mentS.
Additional objections centere
an a1a11coc nvoy1ayNfiy@n nlSe