Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-08
Sees Attempt
To Gain Control
OfD.c. Projects

Chairman Harland Bartholo-
NEW charged yesterday that
suggestions for a shakeup in the
National Capital Planning Com
mission were clearly intended
Ito permit the District Govern
Iment Ito seize dominance and
control" Of planning here.
Conferring with the District
Citizens Advisory Council on
the adequacy of planning pro-
cedures, Mr.. Bartholome w
turned the attack on commission
critics and defended its present
role in mapping WashinTfon's
development.
The council specifically was
looking into a proposal made by
former Commissioner Samuel
Spencer when he left office last
April that the planning groups
five citizen members (there also
are seven ex-ofIlcio members)
should be appointed by the Dis
ltrict Commissioners rather than
by the President.
Issues Raised
| Queries by council members,
however, opened a long simmer
ling dispute over planning pro-
cedures and raised these issues:
Do the ex-officio members,
representing Federal interests.
pay enough attention to local
community needs? Do out-of-
town citizen members have local
interests enough at heart? Are
there ''inordinate" delays in
planning projects?
Mr.. Bartholomew commended.
in a prepared statement, that
Congress. which reorganized the
planning commission in 1852.
recognized that as the Nations
Capital. Washington needed a
different type of planning agen-
cy than other cities.
There appear to be no COM
polling reasons for further re-
consideration of this matter at
this time he declared. He
added:
Can Be Destroyed
commissioner Snencer,s SIG.
lgestion !. /. is clearly intended to
seize dominance and control Of
the planning function and an
inevitable submergence Of inter-
Jest in the purposes for which the
District Of Columbia was created.
4 IF it is the intent to minimize
or suppress the function of plan
ming by reducing it to the status
of a minor city department.
even in the light of the deep If
not overriding Federal interest
here-then the planning func-
ton in the Nations Capital can
be destroyed"
In answer to questions, Mr..
Bartholomew also:
/. Accused some agencies Of
trying to get the Planning Com
mission to ''rubber-s stamp their
projects. and said this occurs
pretty much in one field: High
ways"
4 2. Deplored as, "calamitous"
efforts to TRY to make distinc-
tons between the local and
Federal interests" in planning
the city. He said he knew Of no
such distinctions made by COM
mission members.
1 3. Denied that District re-
Isidents who are commission
members fail to recognize
municipal interests. and said he
was satisfied" that they are
doing "a good, efficient job"
4. Denied that the commission
causes long delays in the ap.
iproval of projects.
Strong Federal Character
In his lengthy statement, Mr..
Bartholomew conceded that most
cities planning groups have
more citizen than ex-officio
members. But none of them. he
said, have the strong Federal
character of Washington.
/ At the same time, he said no
commission should be loaded
with special interests" and i'm
piled that that would be the
danger in an all-local commits
sion.
Philip p. Dunn. president OF
Garfnckel's. however. said the
commissions large ex-officio
membership appeared to'make It
top-heavy in Federal special-in-
terest.
1.-THE one thing you say we
should not do was done when