Evening star., 1955-09-22
5O% Cut Urged
For Downtown
Building Size
Expert Asks Change.
To Bring Spread Out
And Ease Congestion
BY HECTOR MCLEAN

BY HECTOR MCLEAN
A cut OF nearly so per cent
in the maximum size permitted
for future buildings in down.
town Washington was recon-
mended today by District coming
consultant Harold M. Lewis.
Making his third report In q
$14l. 900, two-year study Of pro-
posed revision Of the city's 35-
year-old zoning regulations, he
urged the restriction to force o
spread-out Of the business dis
trict and to curb its growing
employe population.
II present trends continue, he
warned, "the conclusion is in
escapable that intolerable traffic
congestion will exist in 1870"
Even allowing for all proposed
street improvements. he said,
only about 10000 more workers
can be moved over downtown
streets without creating undue
traffic jams. This compares to
a potential increase Of 22.500 by
1870.
Floor Area Ratios
To thin out construction and
allow more space around down.
town buildings for air, grass
lands and trees. Mr.. Lewis rec
commended that the District set
fixed ''fioor area ratios" for
various zones in Washington.
In the downtown area, he
urged, the total area Of any
building should not be more than
seven times the area Of the lot
on which it is built. If such a
building covered 100 per cent of
the lot, it could be no more than
seven stories tall. If it covered
only half the lot. it theoretically
could be II stories tall-although
he also proposed that no building
be more than 13 stories tall.
This represents an approxi-
mate SO per cent cut in the maxi
mum size Of future buildings.
Present regulations allow
builders to put as many as IA
stories in a downtown building
under certain conditions. cover
ing slmost 100 per cent of the
lot.
Reporting on height and bulk
of commercial buildings" Mr..
Lewis urged that the maximum
height allowed for any building
be limited to 145 feet, including
penthouses to hold elevator and
air conditioning machinery.
Present regulations generally
allow q maximum Of 100 feet,
with the penthouses on top of
that.
Limit Near Capitol
Within 3,400 feet of the Cap
itol building, however, Mr.. Lewis
suggested that buildings be
limited to 80 feet in height.
which would let them go no
higher that the base of the
Capitol dome.
Between 3,400 feet and 1900
feet (1.3 niles from the Capitol,
he would allow buildings to go
to a height of 115 feet. and be-
yond that to the maximum of
las feet in major business dis
tricts.
Mr.. Lewis also recommended a
change in present regulations
that relate building heights to
the width Of the streets on which
they stand and which specify
exactly how upper stories must
be set back from the main wall
Of the building.
In place Of this method, he
proposed fixing "angles of light
obstruction" for use on buildings
higher than four stories or taller
than so feet. From the center
Of the street. a hypothetical line
would be run in toward the pro-
posed building at either an angle
Of IS or IS degrees, depending
on the specific zone. At no point
could the building break through
this hypothetical line, thus forc-
ing upper stories to be set far
ther and farther back from the
street-providing a clear path
for light to reach the street.
George S. Cater, Mr.. Lewis
Continued on Page Ais, Col. ]