Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-11
Views Offered
BY Zeckendorf
At Hearing

veloper Of Southwest Redevel.
opment Area c, has predicted
that 1900 housing units in the
area will be, completed in three
years.
This is a new target date foI
the construction under q con-
tract still TO be signed.
Mr.. Zeckendorf Is president
Of Webb a. Knapp. New York
realty company. It Is now ne
gotiating a contract with the
Redevelopment Land Agency to
acquire the Town Center site
In the area for construction OF
q shipping area. A valuation OF
$3.50 q square foot has been
agreed on.
The FIRST part of this Is ex-
pected TO get under way before
any housing construction IN
Area G. The shops win be nec-
eSSary for the Area B project
housing which will be started in
March or April. The Area B
developers are Roger L. Stevens
and James B, Scheuer.
Testify in Subcommittee
Mr.. Zeckendorf and Mr..
Scheuer testified yesterday pe-
fore the House Subcommittee
on Housing. headed by Repre-
sentative Rains. Democrat of
Alabama.
The zeckendorf company's
project in Area c is for half the
housing-the 100 units-to be
erected there. Mr.. Zeckendorf
said the river front commercial
development should also be
completed in SO months.
He said he could give no APP
paiSal Of the time for COM
plotting the projected Tenth
street mall in the area. This is
. Government project.
He estimated completion of
the whole project would take
another i've or six years. Thus,
he added. 10 years will have
elapsed between inception of
the development and its COM
pletion.
StreSSing the length of time
redevelopment projects take in
going through legislative mills,
planning commissions. the de-
tails Of planning and financing,
he asserted that the greatest
experience in waiting has taken
place IN the Nations Capital. "
Unique Reasons
Referring to the l0-year pc
Rod he mentioned he said. 1T
takes longer here than else
where for reasons unique to
Washington. This was a ref
erence to the Capitals govern
mental set up.
Mr.. Scheuer in his teSti-
mony told of the construction
Of the Longwood redevelopment
project in Cleveland of which
he became the sponsor.
within four months after
We we're selected as a rede-
veloper," he related. g. the
local FILA office had issued
q commitment to insure a 80
per cent loan. the project land
had been conveyed to US and
We had started construction.
We moved in our first tenants
Just before Thanksgiving-less
than eight months after we
we're selected as the rede-
veloper"
He added that If the urban
renewal legislation can work
this way in one city. 1t should
be able to work the same way
In any other city"
Chairman Rains Of the sub
committee set up the hearings
on public housing and urban
renewal because he fears the
administration intends to re-
duce those programs.
Mr.. Zeckendorf emphasized
that basic to urban renewal Is
fortnight assurance by the
Federal Government that it
will provide adequate amounts
of money to keep the program
moving. The country will have
urban renewal If the Govern
ment participates. otherwise It
will not"
Expansion Urged
Mr.. Scheuer urged that the
public housing program be
expanded But he pleaded also
for a program to At between
public housing and redevelop-
ment housing to take care Of
the lower middle income group.
AT present the Stun clear
ance and highway programs
alone are displacing several
hundred thousand American
families per year." he said. 1T
seems imperative to create an
adequate program Of relocation
housing IN order to protect the
very basic political acceptability
of the national highway and
slum clearance programs.
Mayors Robert F. Wagner Of
New York and Norris Poulson
OF Los Angeles urged before the
committee the immediate re-
lease by President Eisenhower
Of the full $3.50 million author
ICED by Congress for urban re-
newal. Mayor David l.. Law
renee Of Pittsburgh warned
against dropping such pro-
grams as urban renewal be-
cause Of anticipated increases
in national defense spending.