Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-12
Blocked
10 Project
For Housing
City Heuds Reject
Terrace Apartment
Purchase, z to |

StIuSS RpOttUtSut
Purchase, z to I
The District Commissioners
today blocked the proposed
purchase Of the privately owned
Terrace Apartments, Twenty
third and Congress streets Sc,
for conversion to q public
housing development.
The action by q 2-1 vote, was
Immediately labeled q serious
disappointment BY James Ring,
executive director Of the Ma
tional Capital Housing Au-
thority.
Commissioner Robert E. Nc
Laughlin. who also heads the
housing authority and who cast
the losing vote. also expressed
disappointment. and predicted
that the action would impose
higher costs on the taxpayers
for building brand-new public
housing elsewhere.
Mclaughlin Comments
I'm convinced we need more
public housing to allow for the
most rapid program Of urban
renewal, upon which I think
the welfare Of the whole COM
munity depends" Mr.. Nc
Laughlin said.
what this means is that
when we md site space the tax
payers are going to pay twice
as much"
The proposed purchase would
have been the authority's first
for such q conversion. and ac-
cording to Mr.. Ring the first
such purchase for public hous-
ing purposes anywhere in the
country.
NCHA and the owner Of the
l03-unit apartment develop
ment. Norman Bernstein Asso-
ciates. had not agreed on q pur-
chase price. But Mr.. Ring said
the property already had been
inspected by the Federal Public
Housing Administration and
informally approved by that
agency. which backs the local
housing program financially.
Price Was Reduced
The Bernstein firm had orig
inally offered to sell the build
ings for $4,000. Later It re-
duced the price TO t733, 900.
The initial proposal for the sale
repeatedly came from the
apartment owner.
The rundown represented q
victory for real estate interests
which had bitterly opposed the
proposed purchase. The Com
missioner's Urban Renewal
Council also recommended
against the proposal.
Commissioner David B. Kar-
rick. who with Engineer Conn
missioner Alfred c. yelling.
voted against the plan. said his
decision was based 70 Q large
extent on the feeling I'VE should
support the subcommittee Of
the Urban Renewal Council
which studied the matter ex-
haustively and recommended
disapproval."
Council Had Split
The subcommittee split on
the question.
Real estate Spokesman at
tackled the proposed purchase
as a precedent-setting move
which they asserted was UNI
desirable as q matter Of public
policy.
Housing oficials had banked
on the Terrace purchase to
help meet what they say is q
rapidly mushrooming need for
more public housing for WASH
ington low-income families.
Many Of these families are
being displaced by the city's
slum clearance and highway
building programs.
Mr.. Ring predicted that the
rundown would work . hard
ship on such families.
Issue Of Site Space
Mr.. Mclaughlin told re-
porters that in his opinion the
basic question involved is the
availability Of site space. The
housing authority has been
having great difhculty In find
ing suitable locations at prices
it can afford to pay.
The authority for some time
has had authorization from the
Public Housing Administration
for financial backing on l.500
housing units. But so far II
has been able TO launch only
one 1l7-unit project. This Il
1.-THE Morton street area neal
1.-THE Soldiers Home, on which
property acquisition is to start
soon.
Some private real estate In.
lterests also opposed the Morton
street project. but 1t was
nevertheless, approved by the
Commissioners. This project
involves old houses which are