Evening star., 1955-11-13
Proposed GA Site
At Langley Studied
Planning Unit
Wunts Closer
Look at Area

EuO1ts 70 pin u0Wu CuubkONSk
sial points IN the Central In
teIligence Agency proposal to
build Its SAG million headquarters
at Langley. Va. win get under
way this week in studies BY
Federal and regional planners.
A special three-man committee
win be named by the National
Capital Planning Commission
tomorrow to evaluate CIA Direc-
tor Allen Dulles strong bid for
the Langley location.
Max s. Wehrley. National
Capital Regional Planning Coun-
Gil chairman. said he also would
set up study procedures BY his
group. The council. represent
ing all Washington area jurisdic-
tions, is to give the planning
commission 9 recommendation
on the CIA issue before the COM
missions meeting December
1915.
The CIA, under law. need not
abide BY the planners recon-
fnendations. But q vote Of sup
portor q strong dissent could
have d major effect on the CIA's
hopes for a smooth and early
start to the big project.
Wanted Closer Looks
Planning Commission mem
bers questioned by The Star said
they still have an open mind on
the Langley site. but each wanted
. closer look at issues involved
In Mr.. Dulles selection. The
main questions they raised were:
Whether highways would be
adequate. whether the CIA cen
ter would generate extensive
private Development In the low
population density Langley area
and what the effects Of such de-
velopment would be.
One commission member,
Claude W. Owen, said he wanted
to see more study Of q CIA con-
sultant's finding that highways
would be adequate. The con-
sultant's report relied largely on
extension Of the George Wash
ington Memorial parkway on the
Virginia side Of the Potomac, for
which Congress has authorized
full construction money il the
Langley site Is selected.
Particularly, Mr.. Owen said.
he wanted more datasOn the ade-
quacy Of the two-lane Chain
Bridge to handle trafic gem
Grated by the new center.
] don't so along with the
idea that Montgomery County
people. for example, would want
to 60 all the way down to Key
Bridge and other bridges Ia ret
on the parkway ii Virginia and
then backtrack up the river" he
said.
More Data Wanted
Other members said they also
wanted more specific data about
the construction Of other Vir-
ginia highways serving Langley.
J. N. Robertson, District high-
way director, said his engineers
figure Chain Bridge, without Inn
mediate reconstruction. could
handle additional CIA employees
who would be likely to use Il To
get to Langley. One main reason
Is that the CIA motorists would
be moving counter to the heavy
rush-hour trafI1c flows over the
bridge. with considerable mn
used bridge lane capacity avail
able to them 2 he said.
Entirely apart from the CIA
question, however. Mr.. Robert
son Is requesting $500 900 ii
next years budget for & study
Of the District roads needed To
tie in with Maryland highways
between the Potomac and Rock
Greek Park. The study, be said,
win involve Chain Bridge.
More controversial than traffic
questions. however, win be the
impact the CIA center would
have on the rural Langley area,
Heavy Development Seen
What we could expect to
happen" one planner said. rs
similar to the heavy development
IN Bethesda after the Naval Hos
pital and National Institutes oi
Health were built on Wisconsin
avenue.
What we have To decide ii
whether such d change would
be desirable in Langley and what
the effect would be on water
sewer and pollution programs.
Mr.. WehrIey. an Arlington
planner who previously has op.
posed the Langley location, said
he had not had time fully ia
study the CTA consultants' report
favoring 1t.
But my feeling still Is that Il
Langley Is selected the imp0rtant
thing Is timing TO make certain
M the facilities that are needed
would be available he said.
CIA spokesmen said hi.
agency, under law, Is forbidden
to disclose its size. Most fre.
quently mentioned figure in con.
nections with the new center
however, has been an employ,
iilent force Of about 10000.
5000 Parking Spaces
The CIA consultant's repcr'
said 1000 parking spaces wer,
desired. The customary Govern
ii1ent standard In figuring park
ing is one space for each 2.l
employees, which would figure Ii
10000 employees on the basis d
1000 spaces.
In addition, one planner said
the CIA center has been dis
Cussed as being about 3 thirt
the size Of the Pentagon, which
has about $4,000 employees.
Alexandria officials. mean
1 Z -. I