Evening star., 1955-07-23
RedeveIopnleni
Plans Advance
U. S. Office Building
Proposed for S.W.

Two important developments
have cheered officials handling
Washington's big southwest re-
development program.
In faster than expected action,
the Budget Bureau yesterday ap-
proved and sent to Congress a
proposal for a new $40 million
Federal Office building in the
southwest.
And the District Redevelop-
r1ent Land Agency disclosed that
a third syndicate has bid for
the job. of rebuilding the south
VESTS pilot 76-acre Area B rede-
velopment project.
Area B is the northeast corner
Of the vast southwest AREA to be
redeveloped, and will be handled
as a separate project. The new
Federal building would be built
in a second project, comprising
the rest of the southwest. which
William zecEzendorf. New York
real estate developer, wants tt
rebuild.
Submitted by Local Group
The new Area B proposal was
submitted by a local syndicate
including Stewart Bainum
builder; Ronald S. Senseman
architect; Louis r. Markun, de.
yeloper, and Fred E. Ellrod, jr.
attorney
Two other proposals for the
same project already have been
submitted RIA officials have set
q meeting August 8 to determine
a schedule for detailed consid-
Grafton of the three proposals.
The Bainurn group proposed
to pay the agency an annual
ground rent of $4,000 for the
Area B land higher figure than
proposed by either of the tive
previous bids.
A key provision in plans for
the new Federal Office building
for the larger southwest project,
meanwhile, is that its construc-
ton would require demolition
of an equivalent amount of Of
f1ce space in existing eyesore
tempos scattered over the Cap
itaPs park areas.
Under Leasc-Purchase Plan
The new office building would
be constructed under terms oi
the Federal lease-purchase act
under which the Government,
pays private builders long-term
rents and then takes title to the
structure at the end of the speci-
fed rent period. All such lease.
purchase projects must be
cleared by the House and Sen.
ate Public Works Committees.
As proposed by the Genera
Services Administration, how.
ever, the plan approved by thu
Budget Bureau and sent tt
Capitol Hill leaves a lot of CUES.
tions unanswered. The building,
precise location, for example. il
not determined. Neither is tn,
agency which might occupy tn,
new space.
The questions would De settled
largely by the final redevelop
ment plan city officials viii
adopt. u.s..
To Replace Tempos
The proposal, however, did sa,
the building would replace thre'
tempos--4, 5 and T. It woul,
be a six-story, air-conditionet
structure with a stone exterio
and would contain an estimate,
$4,000 square feet of floor space
The Southwest building is tn
first lease-purchase project TO
Washington to be sent to tn
Capitol by GSA and the Bulge
Bureau. However. at least thre
other lease-purchase projects 70
the Washington area ar
planned. and have been sub
nitted to the Budget Bureau TO
clearance.
These three buildings, as we,
as, the one in the Southwest
were described by GSA official
in recent House testimony Il
support of a SIS million supple
mental appropriation request
This money would be used t
plan, acquire sites and do othe
preliminary work on lease-pur
chase projects here and through
. cut the country.
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