Evening star., 1955-05-22
Owners of Bad Housing
Foce Prosecution Now
By JOHN w. STEPP

BY JOHN w. STEPP
Moving slowly but surely ahead
in its drive to wipe out bad hous-
ing, the District expects to swing
this week into prosecutions
against owners Of condemned
buildings they have failed to
raze or repair.
The proceedings are scheduled
before Judge Andrew j. Howard
in Municipal Court. At least
two owners served warrants last
week are due for court appear
ance tomorrow. Another showed
up last Friday, posted $100 bond
and was granted postponement.
The weapon being used to
force these people into compli-
ance with decent building stand
ards is the amendment passed
last August by Congress which
put teeth in the 49-year-old
Condemnation Act. 1t is one OF
many weapons being assembled
or used to remove housing rot
from the Nations Capital.
Put into effect after cam
paign by The Star, the Con-
demnation Act amendment en-
ables the Board for Condemna-
ton of Insanitary Buildings to
order the owners of the struc-
lures to fix them up or tear
them down on pain of court
action. Maximum penalties pro-
vided are $l00 fine or 80 days
in Jail for each day "such un-
lawful negligence" continues.
Razing Power Provided
The board, moreover, is en-
powered to raze the buildings
where the owner fails to comply
with its orders within Speci-
fed time. The cost of demolition
would then be levied against the
owner as tax
District officials further have
asked Congress for $4,000 for
demolition work in the year be-
ginning July /. The sum would
permit razing about rs con-
demned structures.
Warrants for the arrest of 10
owners altogether were issued by
the court last week on infcrma-
ton supplied by Richard L. Mat
tingly, executive secretary of the
condemnation board
These are actually "test"
cases under the revamped law,
Mr.. Mattingly said.
"It is a new law after all and
we want to see what, if any, bugs
are in it," he said. The board
also wishes to see how the court
may dispose cases act on cases
In which the defendant has made
some show of repairing his con-
demned properties, the official
added. He pointed out that in
many such instances owners
have used makeshifts or limited
repairs as p stalling device.
459 Condemned in All
The 10 impending court
"tests" are a mere fraction of
the citys total number Of con-
demned buildings. There are
459 of these all told. Of this
figure the board has 100 cases
already prepared for prosecu-
ton, and the remainder pro-
cessed as much as limited cleri-
cal staff will allow.
The board has reset its sights
on a schedule of about 40 new
condemnations a month, now
that the old Act has been
amended and now that 1t has a
permanent staff of five field in
spectors.
OF course. the big problem is
that there are about 5000 con-
demnable buildings in Washing
ton now. and another 10000 to
$4,000 that are slipping toward
slum status.
Other agencies are attacking
this problem on other fronts,
however.
The Redevelopment Lam d
Agency has acquired 94.5 per
cent of the properties in its
Southwest redevelopment prof.
ect area B. The figure represents
875 moldering structures. And all
but about $50 of these have
either been demolished or are
under contract for that work.
Is Builders Show Interest
Malcolm Burrows, deputy di-
rector of RIA, said that the re-
manning Area B properties will
be bought "in very few weeks. u
He added that it is expected
that by midsummer RIA will
begin selling Area B land for
construction of modern homes.
More than Is private builders
have shown a definite interest in
developing the section.
For the rest of Southwest re-
development-the Area c which
the big development firm OF
Webb and Knapp seeks to mod
ernize-Mr. Burrows saw much
for encouragement. Pointing out
the cooperation of public agen-
cies such as the National Capt.
tai Planning Commission as well
"a private interests, he said that
I'VE are over the hump in the
matter of planning concepts.
The whole is coming together
General, if tentative, accord
on the issue of locating the pro-
posed South Mall. is a recent
example of this. he said.