Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-09-14
Scheme Bars
Development,
Planners Told
BY ROBERT ]. LEWIS
Star Staff Writer

The National Capital Plan
ming Commission today heard
a plea that the Government
abandon its time-honored and
much = criticized scheme of
designating certain sections of
Washington in advance as
taking areas" for Federal
building sites.
Once the cold gray hand
OF the taking area has been
clapped on a section of town,
it's very difficult to get any
private redevelopment, and this
does a disservice to the CITY,"
William E. Finley, NCPC execu-
tive director, told the commits
sion.
The proposal came in a dis
cussion of possible sites for
future Government buildings
in which staff members OPP
posed further extension of
Federal office construction in
the Northwest rectangle.
Idea Not Yet Explored
THE larger the Government
area gets, the more impractical
it is" Mr.. Finley said. We've
been wondering whether the
General Services Administra-
ton wouldn't be willing to con-
slider removal from the law of
the taking-area concept"
Wilbur H. Sanders, GSA
deputy assistant commissioner
for space management, repre-
senting the agency on NCPC,
said he was pretty sure this
idea has not yet been explored"
Planning Commission staff
members. said a policy discus
sion was appropriate at this
time because no major sites
were left in taking areas" and
that decisions on a new ap-
proach could be made appro-
priately now.
The taking AREA concept
dates back to 1926 and the de-
velopment of the Federal Tri-
angle, NCPC staff members
explained.
Continuous Review Urged
Inflexibility of the old scheme
could be avoided, Morton Hop
penfeld. NCPC civic designer,
explained. through "continu-
ously reviewing the planning
process in the light of Govern
ment needs"
Members of the planning
commission also heard an ap-
peal from redeveloper William
2eckendorf for permission to
increase the height of four
buildings he proposes to con-
struct in the L'Enfant Plaza
area of Southwest Washington.
After a brief discussion, the
commission postponed making
a decision for the present. :
Chairman A. M. Woodruff
said he thought there would be
an advantage in having time
for reflection"
Under Mr.. Zeckendorf's new
plan. he would like to have a
1,000-room hotel and a large
communications center building
rise 1870 feet above the height of
the plaza.
Since the plaza is elevated
90 feet, this would give the
buildings a height of $50 feet
above the ground.
More Pleasing Design
Araldo Cossuta, an architect
who appeared in Mr.. Zecken-
DORIS behalf, said the build
ings would be made CORE
spondingly shorter and kept
within original space limita-
lions. The change, he said.
would provide only a better
plaza arrangement and a more
pleasing civic design. and would
not increase the total square,
foot area of the building.
The height of two other
buildings in the plaza area
would be increased to 80 feet.
The change is necessary, Mr..
Cossuta said, because of
planning-agency decision to
bring the surface of the ele-
waited plaza to the level of the
buildings first floor. Orig
inally the four structures were
to be reached across bridges"
with lower floors open to nat
ural lighting.
Mr.. Finley, pointing out that
only 20 per cent of the Mall
area would be covered with
buildings, said that an increase
in height would be very much
justified from the standpoint
of appearance"