Evening star., 1955-01-20
DC. zoners
Weigh Possible
PopuIationCurb
City Development
Questionnuire Going
TO 300 Citizens
BY Hector Mclean

Possibility OF lowering the
Districts population by stricter
coming regulations on habitations
was raised today by planning
consultants hired by the city
government.
A 15-item questionnaire pre-
pared by consultants helping to
revise the city's 30-year -old zon-
ing regulations will be sent to
some 800 members Of various
citizens organizations for their
answers on how Washington
should be developed.
A statement of fact accom-
panying the questionnaire said
that the present population of
the District is 850.000, but said
planning officials have an esti-
mated future population of the
District variously from 10000
to / million.
Prepared by C0nsultant.
The report was prepared by
George Cater, Washington rep
resentative of Harold M. Lewis;
New York planning censultant
hired by the District to do the
technical work involved in the
coming regulations revision.
Pointing out that the Office of
Defense Mobilization "has a dis
persal. policy which has appar-
emily not yet been crystalized so
as to constitute a firm limitation
upon the central area growth of
any public or private agency or
TO effectuate decentralization Of
existing facilities" the question:
aire declared:
ut clearly lies within the de-
fense powers Of the Federal Gov
ernment under the Constitution
to employ all governmental
powers( tax, police. and eminent
domain to reduce urban popula-
tions to the level considered ade-
quate and feasible in the ma
tional interest.
Notable Effect Seen.
eff or when such q policy is
translated into law or regula-
ton, it may be expected to have
Q marked effect upon the popula-
ton Of the District of Columbia.
Meanwhile" the statement
continued, "it would be pre-
surnptious of the consultants to
recommend, or the Commission
ers to enact a regulation under
the xpolice power alone which
would put a prohibitive limita-
tion upon new construction, in
the absence of such a Federal
order.
This is not to say that the
local government does not
clearly have the power to con-
troll density in its own interest"
The statement pointed out
that theoretically, If the Dis
trict were to build UP to the
highest density permitted under
present coming regulations. the
population could be four and
one-half to 5 Million
Strictly Regulated.
Present zoning regulations
prevent the development Of
Washington along Wall Street
type patterns by limiting the
height Of buildings to q maxi
mum of 140 feet in certain down.
town areas. The coming map Of
the city divides Washington into
height and use districts which
restrict building heights to even
lower levels elsewhere. usually
in relation to the width of the
street upon which the building
is constructed.
Other areas are restricted to
construction of single family
residential dwellings only, others
permit semi-detached homes
and still others allow apartment
buildings within the standard
height limitations. Other coming
regulations permit use of GER
tain areas for various types Of
commercial enterprise and, in
some areas, allow development
Of industry.
All Of these controls act to
limit the city's population and
to determine the character Of its
development. Such regulations,
for example, have prevented
fine residential streets from
being lined with stores and
other commercial enterprises.