Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-11
Building Plan
Provides for
Razing Tempos
D. c. Priority List
On New Projects
Due on Hill Soon
By GEORGE BEvERIDGE

Federal officials have drawn up
a report which-for the first time
proposes long range plan for
the removal of temporary build
ings and the construction of all
permanent Government buildings
required in the Capital.
The report, The Star learned
yesterday. will be sent to Capitol
Hill this month and probably will
be reviewed at least in part by
the National Capital Planning
Commission at its meeting this
week.
The House Public Works Com
mittee, iritated by the Govern
ment's ''piece-meal approach" to-
Federal construction in Wash
ington, ordered the report last
summer.
Seek New System
Chairman Jones of the Public
Buildings Subcommittee. told the
General Services Administration
he wanted by January the
administration comprehensive
plans and expectations over a
period of years so we can
have some order and system to
planning for Federal buildings
in the District"
Not since 1926, when Congress
authorized a massive construc-i
ton program which resulted in.
the Federal Triangle and other
permanent buildings, has there
been a firm blueprint designed
to pin-point long-planned Fed
eral construction.
Planning Commission maps
and documents show areas ear
marked for new buildings. And
GSA officials have reported vari-
Gus piece-meal construction pro-
grams. The new reports pur-
pose Is to bring all these plans
and ideas up to date in a pat
tern to be followed as each
agency seeks money for new
buildings.
Will Establish Priorities
GSA refused to disclose de-
tails Of the report. But it was
learned from other sources that
its highlights would:
/. List the various permanent
buildings slated for construction.
in some order of priority. with
locations proposed for them. |
2. Relate the new construction
to the removal Of about 8 million
square feet of tempos which
have gained Temperament sta
tus since World Wars I and II.
3. Recommend both a floor
and ceiling on the number of
Federal employees who should bel
housed in downtown Washing
ton. The Planning Commission,
in its 1850 comprehensive plan
for the city's development. pro-
posed a ceiling of 100000 gov
eminent workers in DOWNTOWN
Washington west of the Capitol.
The present number. it was
learned. is slightly in excess of
that. and the recommendation
Is expected to be reasonably
close to the 100000 figure.
4. Specifically review down.
town land earmarked by legisla-
ton as eventual Federal build
ing sites. Some of these Federal
taking areas" have aroused
sharp controversy, with private
developers seeking to build on
tracts the government has ear
marked but never appropriated
money to buy.
S. Consider the Importance of
Federal employment. and its To-
cation, on the District economy
and on traffic, parking and other
municipal problems.
Presumably. the report will re-
feet policies of the Office of De-
tense Mobilization and other
administration agencies. Tradi-I
tionally, they clear such reports
to Congress.
Maj. Gen. j. S. Bragdon, new
Unnamed White House aide for
public works. said he had dis
cussed the Washington situa-
ton" with GSA Director Edmund
F. Mansure, but had played no
major part in the report. Other
sources. however. said he has
showed a particular interest in
the tempo problem.
In addition to Washington,
Continued on Page AS, Col. /