Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-27

Urban Renewal Commissioner
David M. Walker to look INTO
the failure to build middle
income housing in Southwest
Washington.
I'VE are interested in tie
fact that the promise of SIT.
a-room rents is not being full
filled" he said. Mr.. Walkers
report is expected in several
days.
Generally speaking, Mr..
Mason said. he believes rede-
veloped areas should contain
housing for persons of all
economic levels, not just high
and low-income families.
RIA Called Captive
| The Rev. Robert G. Howes. .
graduate student in city and
regional planning at Massachu.
sets Institute of Technology
and author of the report. said
in a separate interview that
the RIA had inadvertently be-
come a captive of Webb &
Knapp.
Since the plans for redevelop.
ing Southwest Washington
were drawn up by Webb q
Knapp. he said, RIA officials
were forced to bow to its wishes
or face the prospect of start.
ing anew with different plans
and a different redeveloper.
Concession after concession
has been made to the redevel.
oper Of Southwest Washing
ton," the report states. THE
record . has been punctuated
literally with ultimate az
yelled threats of withdrawal II
. such and such a point is not
agreed to-"
1t was the use of such threats.
said the report, which forced
, RIA to eliminate middle.
, income housing. considered less
profitable than high-incoms
housing.
Sees Subsidy Required
Mr.. Remon, recuperating in
Miami, Fla, from an auto acci-
: dent, admitted that the original
plans for redeveloping South.
west washington had called for
housing with rents limited to
SIT per room.
However, he said, housing
cannot be built profitably at
such a figure without public
subsidy.
There is no subsidy any.
where for middle income hous.
ing" Mr.. Remon said. IF
there's no public subsidy. who's
going to pay the difference?"
He added that Father HoweS
was not "a practical business
man."
Mr.. Remon said he wanted
to read the report before com.
menting further.
The report also:
1. Recommended that large
profits from high income hous-
ing in one part of a redeveloped
area be balanced by relatively
! little profit in the construction
! of low-income housing in an
, other part.
2. Asked that redevelopment
in Northwest Washington be
: halted until middle income
: housing is insured in the
S Southwest's Area B.
3. Said RIA and the Wash.
: ington press had on occasion
= failed to give due attention tc
opposition to urban renewal
plans.
4. Hit what it called "mis-
= leading statements and official
: double talk" by urban renewal
!, officials.
= Relocation Praised
> But the report was not en-
tirely critical.
It praised the RLA'S reloca-
y ton efforts. specifically COM
mending James G. Banks who
! handled the job of relocating
the Southwest's 1000 families.
! From a three-month survey
Of relocated Southwest resi-.
dents it concluded:
Among those families who
actually utilized RLA's relo-
: cation services. majority, but
. not all, of those who were dis.
placed. we found almost uni
5 versal appreciation for the
fairness and integrity of the
relocation staff"
W0rsening Feared
r When urban renewal takes
3 place in Northwest Washington,
! the report said, the number of
: displaced families may put such
: a strain on low-income housing
that an actual worsening of
physical living conditions may
: result.
The report, the first com.
= prehensive non governmental
! evaluation of redevelopment in
r Southwest Washington, raised
several questions about urban
! removal in general.
: Because of Webb & KnappS
) actions in Southwest, the re-
port said, "the role Of private
capital in renewal needs sober
: study and careful analysis"
; The report agreed that urban
renewal should be left to pri-
vate enterprise. However, il
said, private enterprise enter
. ing the public effort with imA
! Iportant public subsidies must