Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-09

0OIIl SUES dOIIllL IIIC CAIollkl
inadequate But. in general. thu
substantial changes in the way
city. Opponents lean more to pre-
serving development trends as
they are.
Skirmishing has been going on
for nearly a year, as the consul
Itants have made public various
revision reports. But the real
fight is just shaping up.
Hearings Are Planned
The form it will take, most
likely. will be in arguments over
the way the consultant. Harold
M. Lewis. of New York, proposes
to zone specific parcels of land
on new coming maps soon to be
given the public in a series of in
formal public hearings.
But in back Of these argu-
ments are series Of studies,
plans and policy determine
Itions" which the consultant staff
has made to guide the new
coming.
BY far the most controversial
Iof these policy" aims is to
spread out new residential and
business growth throughout the
city. rather than to let 1t con-
icentrate in a few spots.
Mr.. Lewis proposes to do this
in two ways:
| /. BY changing the zoninq
"use" of specific parcels of land
In one area. for example, the
future population could be con-
trolled by requiring that some
land now zoned for new apart
ments be changed to permit only
| single family houses.
2. BY reducing the size of new
buildings through direct controls
, over the total floor space Of Office
. buildings and apartments. This
. of course. controls those build
/ iingS' "density"-the number OF
, people who can work or live in
, them.
Traffic Congestion Cited
The consultants propose these
new restrictions for at least two
major reasons:
/. To try to reduce the traffic
: congestion now mounting in thu
downtown area by limiting thu
; number of additional peopl,
who can work there.
The conSultants figure that IL
the next is years. at the presen
rate of employment growth. tht
] number Of cars would far exceed
the capacity OF streets. The.
] propose that only 5000 new EN-
ployes. of the $4,000 employment
? increase they estimate for thu
! District by 1870. be concentrated
! downtown.
? 2. In residential neighbor.
hoods, to hold down excessive
new population which woulc
overcrowd the public facilities
available or planned - such al
schools, shopping. sewers anc
Fairgrounds. This "imbalance
between facilities and popula
ton. the consultants believe, il
one Of the principal reasons
neighborhoods turn to slums.
Called "Unrealistic"
Businessmen who oppose thii
line OF thinking say these aim
are "laudable" But they con-
tend that they are ideals
which can be unrealistic wher
, applied to specific properties.
The stormiest battle-ground OF
the new coming maps will be thu
downtown business area.
Not many of Washington
/ newer Office buildings are bull
; up to the maximum population
4, density now possible under exist
: ing rules. But some are. anC
: Mr.. Lewis proposals would Gu
that maximum nearly in half
There is only about 38 acres O
vacant land left for development
.. in the central area, But the new
coming has a much wider appli
cation than this. because man!
of the buildings are old and vii
be rebuilt.
Losses Seen
4 George S. Cater, chief OF Mr.
> Lewis Washington staff, admits
that the new coming proposals
= could hit some downtown land
: owners in the pocketbook.
But as he sees it the alterna
5 tive is sacrificing the welfare
: Of the rest of the city"
Mr.. Cater argues that there