Evening star., 1961-09-26
Rockville Pact
Settles Row on
Public Housing
Authority's Chief
Quits Over Steep
Salary Reduction

Salary Reduction
A compromise has been
reached in the controversy over
a projected public housing
project in Rockville.
The agreement, which re-
duceS the number of proposed
new housing units, ends a
threat of losing Federal funds
for the project and at the
same time upholds protests of
Negro residents over its loca-
ton.
But it cost the services of
one of the city's housing Off
c1als, who resigned rather than
accept a steep cut in salary
as part of a lowered operation
budget.
City officials announced TO-
day that differences between
the Mayor and City Council
and the Rockville Housing Au-
thority have been resolved to
assure completion of additional
public housing within the mu-
nicipality. The proposed pro-
gram will be less ambitious
than the 125 units planned orig
inally, however.
The revised plans call for
construction of As new stand
ard low-rent housing units, to
be built in an area other than
the Lincoln Park section. Also
called for are 80 units for the
elderly, to be a pilot project in
the city'S urban renewal plan.
Victory for Negro Owners
The compromise, in effect,
represents a victory for Negro
property owners who had vigo-
rously opposed plans to build
the 125 public housing units in
the Negro community of Lin
coin Park.
It also assures continuation
of the Rockville Housing Au-
thority, but on a drastically re-
duced scale and without it's
present full-time executive di-
rector, Thomas F. Carey. Mr..
Garey's resignation was an
nounced along with the COM
promise agreement.
The joint council-authority
announcement said Mr.. Garey's
resignation, effective this Sat-
urday, was accepted with re- =
gret" and was occasioned by
the "rearranging" of salaries of
the authority'S staff consistent
with the reduced project"
Two weeks ago Leslie Cole,
head Of the housing authority'S
five-member board of commits
sionerS, warned that the au-
thority's future was a stake un-
less differences over the 125-
unit proposal could be ironed
out.
Board to Meet {
The board will meet Thurs Z
dey night to draft plans and 1
to determine what can be done
to find a successor to Mr..
Carey at much lower salary. t
The compromise over the
number of units was reached I
principally through mediation I
efforts of Mayor Alexander j. c
Greene, Chairman Cole and +
Walter A. Simon, director for a
the Washington Region of the
Federal Housing Administra- q
ton. F
The city had been in danger S
of losing Federal backing for
the project unless the city re-
solved its differences.
Our investigation of the g
need for public housing led s
us to a position that all we '
could justify was As units"
Mayor Greene said. K
He said it was also deemed I
advisable to provide housing {
for the elderly. This type of
housing would be part Of the
city's urban renewal program {
in the so-called downtown" ]
are of Rockville.
To Pick Site Jointly
Selection of the site for the |
As low-rent units will be a {
joint decision of the council
and the housing authority.
Mayor Greene said the city's
planning and public works ,
staffs have been directed to
consider alternative sites, prob
ably of not more than five
acres in size, for this project. {
The city will have sole re- ,
Sponsibility for picking the site
for the elderly housing. the
Mayor said.
In any event, the proposed ,
developments will not be built >
in Lincoln Park, Mayor Greene !
said. Residents there, led by /;
the Progressive Citizens Asso-
citation, had argued that addi-
tional public housing units l
would turn the community into
a ghetto. There are IS units t
there already. q