Evening star., 1960-08-13
D.C.Approves Plan
For Adams-Morgan
New wApprooch
Set in Renewal
In Northwest
By GEORGE WILSON
Star Stan Writer

machinery. somewhat battered
from its assault on Southwest,
starts out on a new road today.
The road is expected to be
less bumpy than the old one
because. for the first time, the
people themselves invited the
urban renewal machinery into
their neighborhood.
But those running the urban
renewal machinery could not
go in until the District Com
missioners approved. This ap-
proval came late yesterday.
Basically, the Commissioners
approval means that the Re-
development Land Agency can
ask the Federal Government
for $465, 900 to plan the renewal
of the Adams-Morgan area of
Northwest.
The real significance, how
ever, is that a brand new
approach to urban renewal can
proceed. City leaders the Nation
over are eager to see what
happens.
Not All Flattened
The novelty is that the
people themselves will be in on
the planning of the project,
and urban renewal agencies, if
all goes we'll, will have a chance
to prove they can rejuvenate
an area without first knocking
it fiat with bulldozers.
In short, urban renewal could
lose some of its fearsomeneSs as
a result of the Adams Morgan
project.
The Federal Government was
interested enuogh in the ap-
proach to spend $125,000 on it.
The Urban Renewal Admin
istration gave that much money
to the District government two
years ago to start the so-called
Adams Morgan Demonstration
Project.
The District Government, in
turn, contracted with Ameri-
can University on October %,
1858, to send a staff into the
neighborhood. Dean Richard
M. Bray became project super
visor. The District also agreed
to supply $7l,000 worth of serv-
ices to the area, such as inten-
sive inspection of buildings.
The first thing Dean Bray
had to do was organize the
neighborhood block by block.
Once this was done, the block
groups started suggesting pre-
scriptions for their ailing
neighborhood.
Many Fingers in Pie
1t was, as Dean Bray said
later, fundamental democ-
racy." The meetings themselves
amounted to hundreds of cooks
trying to make the stew. But
ultimately, objectives and rec
concentrations were agreed
upon.
Last May, the Adams Morgan
Planning Committee put down
on paper the distillation of
thousands of hours of discus
sion. Donald D. Gartenhaus,
planning committee chairman,
submitted the document to the
National Capital Planning
Commission with a covering
letter stating that 81 of 25
block organizations had voted
to have the urban renewal
machinery come into the
neighborhood because there
are a number of problems which
they (the residents) cannot
solve without additional help"
He added that conservation
and rehabilitation-type activ-
tiles are what is primarily
needed to help solve our prob
lens" This set the stage for
the first such project
in Washington.
The National Capital Plan
ming Commission approved the
boundaries and objectives of
the project June Is and for
warded the proposal to the
District Commissioners.
Hearing Held
The Commissioners held a
hearing on the Adams-Morean
concept July %, though the
law did not require it. But
none of the Commissioners at
tended the hearing. Assistant
Engineer Commissioner Thom-
as K. Fullerton ran it.
Emotionalism aside. the KEY
issue was whether the Ka-
lorama Triangle. bounded bv
Connecticut avenue, Calvert
street and Columbia road
be included in the urban
renewal project area. Oppon-
ents said the triangle residents
were renewing the neighbhood
on their own, that entrance of
the Government would be more
OF a hindrance than a help.
Backers of including the trian-
gle argued that only urban re-
neWal powers could insure re-
moval of such blight as run
down and overcrowded room
ing houses.
More Disagreements
IA l.