Evening star., 1955-01-14
Court Is Proposed
To Back Enforcement
OF Modern Standards
By Hector Mclean

day on the District Commits
sioners in the Keith-Rouse re-
port.
Stressing Washfngton's place
as the Nations Capital. the re-
port called for code "at least
as high" in standards as those
adopted by other cities recently.
The report also recommends
establishment Of a housing
court in Washington to handle
all cases, involving places where
people live.
1t also urges that the court
back a three-pronged enforce
inent program to bring up to
modern standards all existing
housing which is not scheduled
to be ripped out by the roots
under more drastic slum clear
-ance techniques.
Urges Area Enforcement.
AS the first prong of the en-
forcement drive, the report rec
ommends AREA" enforcement to
require repair. modernization
and cleanup of all residences in
States areas. The report sug-
gests that a field enforcement
Office be set up in the area,
stated not only by Housing
Division inspectors. but by all
other inspectors who have any
thing to do with buildings
plumbing, electrical and build
ing-who would operate as a
task force.
In such areas, the report
warned, $1,000 to 1000 notices
will be issued involving 10000 to
10000 violations of the various
codes"
Stressing the necessity for
unified. task-force approach, the
report declared any other
method Invites inconsistent
standards of administrative per-
formance by the enforcement
officials. It win confuse and
harass the property owners. 1t
will be extravagantly expensive
in manpower. It will bring dis
credit to the program at its OUT
SET"
Seek to Avert Blight.
AS the second prong Of the
enforcement program. the re-
port called for establishment in
the Housing Division ia special
section to handle preventive
enforcement" This would be
"alert for the initial signs Of
blight in now standard neighbour
hoods, such as exterior evidence
Of deficient maintenance. lit
tered yards and alleys, and symp-
toms of possible over occupancy
like rooms for rem signs In per-
manent residential rleighbor-
hoods. 1t would then institute
thorough inspections to- deter
mine whether violations Of the
housing code exist and enforce
compliance"
The third prong of enforce
ment would handle all routine
complaints Of violations.
Such an attack, the report
warned, would require virtually
doubling the Housing Divisions S
present staff of So inspectors
within about two years and in
volve an increase Of about $780,
600 in the divisions budget.
Urge Ample Time.
The reports also urged that
enforcement OF the code not be
keyed to any certain date. Out
moded housing should not be
declared in violation of the code
until the owners are notified by
the housing superintendent, the
report suggested, and reasonable
time to make repairs should then
be given.
Calling for ian atmosphere Of
reaSonableness" in enforcement
Of the code. the report demanded
that the code mot serve to
perpetuate substandard condi-
tions and thus negate the mani
fold municipal. community and
Federal activities and expend-
itures which will be brought to
bear in the District of Colum-
bias urban renewal effort"
The report recommended
Tightening Of the space-occu-
pancy standards contained in
proposed drafts of a housing
code now being considered by
the District. They should be
at least as stringent as space
standards under the city's
present tenement an dtenement
house regulations, the report
said.
OF plumbing standards which
would be set UP under the code
the report declared of the Dis
trict's tenement" houses, "It
would not be feasible or real
istic to require the installation
Of standard facilities tkitchcn,
private toilet and lavatory basin
and private BATH in all such
units Immediately" Addition of
these facilities to dwelling units
which do not have them should
be required only when an area
cleanup drive is launched, the
report said.
The report urged that all
regulations concerning housing
many contained in the build
ing code. plumbing code and
electrical code should be writ
ten into one single, easy-to-read
housing code. an effort now un-
derway in q pending redraft Of
the code.
Harold Baumes 10 Speak