Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-12
Minister Forward

Inc fleet OF compact, colorful min
buses now carting people around the
shopping area, for the modest price of
nickel, is a distinct asset. This is the
sort OF imaginative enterprise, compile
menting more extensive rehabilitation.
which in time can make downtown
washington not only more rewarding
to visit, but great deal more fun.
The trouble is, however, that by
itself the minibuS is not yet compile
menting very much. A good deal of
renovation and new construction is 60
ing on. But the really dramatic and
attractive changes, of the kind the
Downtown Progress organization has in
mind, are still on paper. And one need
only look at other cities to see what
Washington is missing.
One such city is Rochester, N. Y.
In last weeks issue of Sunday" The
Stars magazine, the cover story de-
ScribeS RocheSter's new Midtown Plaza
"a 40-acre, air-conditioned area con-
tanning two major department stores
and more than 80 retail shops under
a single roof. The area is beautifully
handicapped, and literally equipped with
benches and seats. It contains a post
office and airline ticket counters In
what few years ago was fast-slip-
ping commercial district, the plaza has
become the hub of the city-an exciting
place to visit as well as shop
Someday, we hope, downtown Wash
ington will have just such magnet Of
its own. But it never will until the city
faces up to the few essential problems,
already solved by Rochester, which must
be solved to make this kind of project
a reality. Among the problems are
these:
Access. The Midtown Plaza is served
directly by loop freeway, connecting
with high-speed roads to the suburbs.
In Washington, this function should be
met jointly by the inner-loop freeway
and by high-Speed rail-transit system.
Parking There are underground,
low-priced parking facilities beneath
the Rochester Plaza for 1,843 cars, built
land operated) entirely by the city as
ton. Rochester'S extensive public-park-
ing program, initiated only few years
ago, is paying itself off from revenues.
What a sorry contrast we have in
Washington, where private garages and
lots occupy increasing amounts Of prime
city space, but cannot fill the need.
Height. The absence Of building
height limit in Rochester permitted the
plaza structure to include, among other
things, IS floors Of office space, limited
hotel facilities, an auditorium, and a
penthouse restaurant. Such a structure
would be impossible in Washington. 1t
is high time for Congress and the city
to look closely at the reasons why.
The Rochester plaza was accom-
plished without Federal urban renewal
aid (but with a tremendous degree Of
cooperation from the city, by virtue
of the fact that the project is entirely
owned and was built by the two de-
partment stores which physically anchor
it.
No doubt important downtown prof.
ects also are possible in Washington on
purely private basis. But the greater
size and completely of our downtown
area, plus the more complicated prob
lens of public facilities, make it desir-
able to revitalize the area as a whole
in accordance with an urban renewal
plan.
That is why there is such pressure
behind the bill to authorize the use of
urban renewal in WaShington's COM
mercial areas-and such Illustration at
the failure of Congress to approve it.