Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-18
SOUTHWEST ~
Rent Dispute Hits
RedeveIopment Plan
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bidder, but to solicit proposals
that included design plans as
well as money.
10 Proposals Received
To its surprise. RIA got 10
proposals for Area B. The
major competition was be-
tween a syndicate Of Is promi-
nent Washington homebuild-
ers, headed by Alvin l..
Aubinoe, and Norfolk Builder
Ralph Bush. The RIA selected
Mr.. Bush for two reasons; His
bid offered more money. And
1t left available a commercial
area which would permit RIA
10 relocate f1ve businesses
which had been displaced in
Area B.
The land price in Area B was
determined by mutual agree
ment at a level set by FILA in
its consideration Of mortgage
insurance for the developers.
In effect, therefore. the RIA
today reverted to this technique
in order to resolve the contro-
versy raised by the Cafritz bid
on the Town Center.
Subsequently. Mr.. Bush with
drew from the project after a
dispute with the Federal Hous-
ing Administration over his
mortgage insurance applica-
ton. After another proposal
competition" the RIA board
selected a syndicate headed by
Roger L. Stevens and James H.
Scheuer of New York. to sue
coed Mr.. Bush. The Stevens
Scheuer group now has COM
pleted the first 400-u n t
apartment in its project. at
Fourth and H streets S.W.. and
expects to admit tenants next
month.
BY early 1854, there still
were no firm plans for the rest
of the 450-acre Southwest area.
and planners were talking about
chopping the region up into a
number of other small prof.
ectS. like Area B.
ZeckendOrf Arrives
In February. 1854, however.
Mr.. Zeckendorf arrived on the
scene. armed with huge color
drawings of new residential,
business. waterfront and recre-
atlonal facilities for the entire
Notwithstanding Area B.
between the river and indie
pendence avenue.
One of its key features was a
broad, tree-lined South Mall"
along Tenth Street-as a monu-
mental entrance to the new
Southwest. Another was a
Town Center" to meet the en-
tire Southwest's shopping needs
the same 19-acre tract in
volved in the current land-price
haSsle,
Mr.. Zeckendorf said he
wanted to participate in the re-
building If such a plan as he
proposed were formally adopted
by the city as a guide for re-
development. In March. 1854. |
he sat down with the RIA
to talk about it. and the two
signed a memorandum of I'M
Outstanding" which bore these
conditions:
/. Webb g. Knapp would set
up a Washington Office and pro- I
vide a staff to help develop the I
detailed plan and to work for
its adoption by the National
Capital Planning Commission
and the District Commissioners.
2. After the plans formal
adoption. the firm would sub
NIT proposals for rebuilding "at
least" so per cent of the resi-
Dental and commercial areas.
3. RIA. for its part, would
agree not to negotiate sale Of
any of the land until "defini-
tive proposal" was submitted
by Webb & Knapp.
Wide Support
Widespread public and Of
fetal support was voiced for
this course of action.
"At the time zeckendorf
stepped in, there were no other
proposals before us from any
local group" said RIA Director
John r. Searles. jr. THE
Zeckendorf plan added a spark
of Imagination that had been
totally absent. and it looked like
a good deal for everyone.
Here was chance to get a
plan agreed upon for the entire
Southwest. and Zeckendorf
wasn't assured of anything. If
his proposals for half the area
were acceptable later, he would
get those parts and we would
market the rest to other in
vestors. If his proposals
weren't acceptable, he'd get
nothing"
Adoption of the redevelop-
ment plan. however, hit one
Snag after another-mostly at
the Planning Commission level.
The initial l2-month memo
randum of understanding" ex-
pired in April, 1855, and was
extended three times during
the running controversy over
the plan, before it finally ex-
pired for good early in 1857.
Not until December, 1856,
was the plan finally adopted by
the District Commissioners.
Three months earlier, in Au-
gust. Webb & Knapp submitted
a proposal to RIA for develop
ing the l9-acre Town Center,
and the agency agreed to ne
gotiate a contract.
Appraisers Set Value
One of RLA's first steps was
to hire panel OF three prom
inent appraisers to recommend
a value of the land, for pur-