Evening star., 1961-03-23
Renewal Is Pushed
For Boiling Area
Urban Project
Seen as Biggest
In D. c. History
By GEORGE WILSON
Star staff Writer


If trade exposition at Boiling
Field promises to launch the
biggest urban renewal project
n the Districts history.
District Commissioners pom
Tered this possibility today as
several city planners grew
enthusiastic about using urban
renewal to develop $50 acres at
Boiling and the Anacostia Naval
Air Station for the trade ex-
public and private
and possibly light in
dustry. The entire Southwest
urban renewal project is 551
acres.
A Bureau of the Budget
spokesman confirmed that Of
ficals there we're studying the
urban renewal approach for
developing Boiling after the Air
Force and Navy move out this
The idea is to have President
Kennedy employ a seldom used
section of the Housing Act to
the surplus portion of
Boiling and Anacostia to the
Housing and Home Finance
Agency which, in turn, would
sell the land to the District Re-
development Land Agency.
Part to Be Leased
sUnder current plans, the RIA
would then lease about $50
acres to the nonprofit corpora
ton trying to build the trade
exposition at Boiling. The re-
210 acres would be
used for housing or light in
dustry, according to what the
National Capitol Planning
commission recommends.
Mr.. Kennedy yesterday
strengthened the hand of those
backing the approach by de-
claring in letter to Com
meree Secretary Hodges that
the effort to put a trade and
science exposition at Boiling
deserves encouragement of
the Federal Government"
Although the President did
not refer to the urban renewal
scheme. his Endorsement en-
ables District officials to set
the planning machinery in mo-
tion. William E. Finley, direc-
tor of the National Capital
Planning Commission, said that
he would submit the urban re-
rewal proposal for Boiling to
his board within so days.
d. C. to Hold Reins
Mr.. Finley maintained that
the urban renewal approach
would enable a nonprofit group,
such as the trade exposition,
to- build at Boiling and give
District officials tighter con-
troll over the structures there.
Ordinarily, the General Serv-
ices Administration sells sur
plus Federal land to the highest
bidder. Therefore, unless the
President directs the land to be
decided over to the Housing and
Home Finance Agency the
trade exposition project may 60
a-glimmering since the non
profit corporation behind it
could not match bids of pri-
vate developers.
John r. Searles, jr., execu-
tive director of the Redevelop-
ment Land Agency, said de-
veloping Boiling under urban
renewal presented "an op-
portunity which should not be
missed"
He said there was little
public investment involved
since the Boiling and Ana
costa property would be sold
for about the same price it was
purchased. Also the Govern
ment would not have to pay
for buying and razing slum
houses.
Mr.. Searles said it was up to
the planning commission to
decide what should be built at
Boiling, but added it looked
like an ideal place for a varied
income housing development.
Must Mark Boundaries
The first step in the urban
renewal process is for the plan
ming commission to mark out
the boundaries of the project.
The District Commissioners
must approve these as well as
the final plan for using the
land.
The offhand reaction of the
District Commissioners to the
Boiling venture ranged from
cool to warm today, although
IL of the Commissioners stressed
that they wanted to study the
matter.
Engineer Commissioner Fred
erick j. Clarke questioned
whether the conventional COM
bination of private enterprise
and coming regulations would
not be preferable to undertak-
ing another huge urban re-
newal project. Walter N. To-
briner, District Board presi-
dent, took a wait-and-see at
titude, while Robert E. Nc
Laughlin leaned toward the
urban renewal approach.
Mr., Mclaughlin is board
chairman of the corporation
trying to build the exposition
at Boiling.