Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-20
Dowdy Will Ask
Careful Review
Of Testimony
BY SAM EASTMAN
Star staff Writer

mitted next week to the Justice
Department.
Subcommittee Chairman
Dowdy will ask Justice officials
to take a careful look at the
sworn statements on the COM
pick background of the planned
high-income apartment devel-
opment in Foggy Bottom.
Our testimony" Represen-
tative Dowdy, Democrat of Tex
as said, has many inconsistent
cies. and evidences of erron-
eous representations
The position of Mr.. Dowdy
and his staff investigators is
that the evidence indicates
there was no legal justification
for setting aside the Foggy Bot
tom property for renewal under
the Federal and District Gov
ernments' redevolpment ma
chinery.
Property Was Re-sOld
AS a acknowledgement
urban renewal area, the prop
erty was acquired by the Dis
trict's Redevelopment Land
Agency and re-Sold to a group
Of businessmen for rebuilding
under a specified plan. The
eight-acre area is bounded by
Virginia avenue, Twenty-fifth,
E and Twenty-third streets
NV.
What the Dowdy subcommit-
tee now is saying, in effect, is
that the investigation shows
glaring conflicts on the hard
and-fast matter of how many
buildings were standing in the
area at key dates.
A basic factor in justifying
an area for redevelopment is
the percentage of substandard
structures existing during the
time the local jurisdiction is
applying for Government aid
and approval of a project.
Whether even the most adj
verse pieces Of evidence before
the subcommittee would call
for notification of the redevel-
opment contract is far from
settled. The basis for the Dis
trict's urban renewal applica-
tons, and the Governments
approval or rejection, is covered
by a complicated combination
of laws and administrative reg
ulations.
The subcommittee chairman
and staff. however. apparently
take the stand that, at the very
least, conflicts in the testimony
carry enough cumulative weight
to warrant cancellation Of the
Columbia Plaza contract.
The buildings are down in
the area. but nothing has been
built.
Complaining the situation
was last weeks announcement
by the Redevelopment Land
Agency that the developers
the Columbia Plaza Corp.-has
defaulted on its contract. RIA
has given the developers so
days to pay or else forfeit the
deposit and down payment on
the land.
Earlier this month, Chair
man Dowdy asked for a Federal
ruling on the eligibility of the
project to receive Government
aid. Mr.. Dowdy, in a letter to
William L. Slayton, said it ap-
pears that the project does not
qualify.
Probe Not Finished
What fails to match up are
statement on buildings in the
area by redevelopment Off
Gals, a real estate appraiser,
the Districts Board of Con-
domination, and aerial photo
graphs supplied by the Navy
and other sources.
One of the two appraisers
who worked with the urban re-
newal project said he welcomed
the Justice Departments in
volvement in the case. The JUS
tice Department will be able to
examine records of the wreck
ing company that show dates
of razing for the buildings,
something that the individual
appraisers cannot do to clear
their names, the appraiser said.
The appraiser expressed con-
fidence that the inquiry by the
Justice Department would
show that nothing was seri-
ously in error in the appraisals.
The subcommittee reports it
is far from completing its probe
of the Columbia Plaza area and
other urban renewal projects
and policies in the city.
Soon to be subpoenaed is
John r. Searles, jr., former
RIA executive director. Mr..
SearleS resigned in 1861 to take
a comparable job with the Sy-
racuse IN. " Metropolitan
Development Association.