Mr. Cook. They are providing parking spaces, but it will not accommodate all people. Mr. MCMILLAN. I am asking about the garage that has already been built across from it. Do you know whether that garage is being fully used or not? Mr. Cook. It is very likely that as you get into the lower area of the city, just as you have at the Union Station Mr. MCMILLAN. I am asking a question about this particular garage across the street from the new FBI Building Mr. Cook. I am not familiar with that, with the use of that garage, right now. Mr. MCMILLAN. I know about the space in Union Station. I do not know too much about this new space on 9th Street except it is one garage that closes early every evening on account of lawlessness in that section of the city. I know that it was recently built. Mr. AILES. There is a tremendous hole in the ground right next to it that used to be a parking area. Mr. Dowdy. Mr. Broyhill? Mr. BROYHILL. Very often legislation results from give-and-take compromise. On the presumption, and I think this is a reasonable presumption, that the people who do operate the parking industry in Washington are certainly in the business community in Washington. Has there been any effort on the part of the Federal City Council or any of the business community of Washington to sit down with the people who are operating the parking industry to see if there could be some compromise in a legislative approach to this problem? Mr. AILES. Yes, sir, there have been discussions of that character over the last two or three years. It comes back to the question of eminent domain. I know about this, largely second-hand. I believe there were extensive discussions within the Board of Trade a couple of years ago or a year ago, where the Board of Trade took a position on this. I have talked with some of the trustees of the Federal City Council who have engaged in some personal discussions, usually in their capacity as a director of the Board of Trade. My understanding of the problem is that while the parking industry is vitally interested in the downtown business, it becomes a cropper on the issue of whether or not, if this parking agency is created here it should have the power of eminent domain. If you cared to drop that proposition, I think you have no trouble whatsoever in reaching an agreement with the parking industry. If you drop that proposition, you drop the whole ball, so far as I am concerned. The rest is not of any major importance. Mr. MCMILLAN. That is the main reason that this proposal has worried me. This question of eminent domain in one section of the bill could make dictators out of the City Council or the Parking Authority. I think everyone will realize that we create trouble in taking people's property, I think that we should go into this bill thoroughly. We have been trying to do that, in the past year and a half, in an effort to decide whether we should have the eminent domain feature in this bill. Mr. AILES. I think that a study of this situation across the country, as I pointed out earlier, illustrates that this is not any novel doctrine picked up from some long-haired person here in Washington. You have a parking authority with the power of eminent domain. The fact is that you really do not have to use it, if you have the power; you can usually work out the situation like the railroads did in buying land-you can work out some way to solve the problems, but if you have an agency without that power, it is a waste of effort. Mr. BROYHILL. The use of the right of eminent domain within itself does not do it. I recognize that it is essential in some instance, to solve many problems. The things that do concern me, however-and I have discussed this with one of the top officials of the downtown parking industry is that we have here a large number of people in Washington who have a tremendous economic interest in the community, these business people, the parking people, and everyone else, and the problem has developed, and we are going through an age of development that is new, and the City Council is made of people who have not, with all due respect to them as individuals, but by and large have not, made a large contribution to the economic development of Washington and do not have as much at stake in this subject as the people we are talking about, and to solve the problem for them, with no assurance whatsoever that the answers will be really helpful to the business community because a lot of things have developed since this new government has come into existence, since the creation of this new government, and it just seems to me, as this member of the downtown industry stated, that he thought that the business industry should get together with the principal people who are interested in this matter, both in parking and the rest of the business community, and see if they could not reconcile the differences between the groups on this legislation. That is the reason I asked you the question, if there has been any such discussion. Mr. AILES. As I said, I have personally participated in some of these discussions. The representatives of the Downtown Progress Organization are here, and you can interrogate them. It is my firm conviction, from sitting with substantial groups of the business community here, addressing themselves to this specific problem, that the business community is thoroughly in favor of a parking board with the power of eminent domain, with the muscle to do something about the parking problem. The fact that the commercial parking industry would be against that should come as no surprise. That does not mean that I am in favor of having five times as many law firms here in town as there are in other cities. Our clients are the business people, but the success of the business community is of private concern to me. With a parking authority with the power of eminent domain, as to the amount of parking that will be available to this town, to a degree would be a threat to the present situation that exists for the commercial parking industry. They have it very well today. Parking does not have to be where it is needed; parking is where it is available. Parking does not have to be at rates as in most other cities comparable to us in size, because the parking rates reflect the law of supply and demand. Mr. BROYHILL. The only way to solve that is to have an authority created, appointed by the Commissioner of the District of Columbia, to come under that jurisdiction. There may be other alternatives to establish these authorities. Mr. AILES. That is right. What we have recommended is a solution. that worked so well everywhere else and it should also work here. Mr. DowDY. I do not know of any place that parking is not a problem. Mr. AILES. I mean this is a local and not a Federal problem. This is a common problem all over the United States. The issue here is that we have a city here that desperately needs something be done about the parking problem that affects the city itself. I think the business community here is thoroughly convinced there should be a solution as suggested and that it ought to be in effect, that is, a strong functioning effective parking authority with the power of eminent domain; that without such authority it would be helpless. Mr. BROYHILL. We could make a comparison between Washington and other cities, that parking is not going too well. My main concern here is for the business community to place this judgment in the hands of a city council and a city government that has not proven itself to be as responsible as it should be, and they are hesitant to do that. I can give you specific examples. We have a vice chairman of the City Council who is very indifferent about decency and law enforcement in the community, that I would hesitate a long time before I would place myself where he would have anything to do with it. Mr. AILES. H.R. 14053, what we originally recommended, was that the parking authority ought to be with the three District of Columbia Commissioners. This legislation sets up a parking board which consists of the Commissioner or the Mayor, however you wish to call him, the Secretary of the Interior or his designee, and the Administrator of the General Services Administration. This, organized, adequately and properly staffed, could struggle with the parking problem here-and in whom the right of eminent domain would be located. I am positive that the business community would be delighted to see such an organization, in effect, struggling with the parking problem that exists here in the District. Mr. NELSEN. Will you yield? Mr. BROYHILL. I yield. Mr. NELSEN. For example, the city of Minneapolis, as a political entity, would have the authority to proceed with a type of operation under the eminent domain, would they not? Mr. AILES. Yes, sir. Mr. NELSEN. The District of Columbia City Council does not have the authority to proceed, and the only way they can get that authority is through an act of Congress. Mr. AILES. That is precisely so. I presume that in most of these States where these authorities do exist, there has been legislative action in the State legislature or the State constitution provides for it. Mr. NELSEN. Thank you. Mr. BROYHILL. That is all. Thank you. Mr. ABERNETHY. May I say something off the record? Mr. DOWDY. Yes, sir. (Discussion was had outside the record.) Mr. Dowdy. I thank you. Our next witness is Mr. B. B. Burgunder, Jr., chairman, Transportation and Services Committee, National Capital Downtown Committee, Inc. Your prepared statement will be made a part of the record. STATEMENT OF B. BERNEI BURGUNDER, JR., CHAIRMAN, TRANS- Mr. Dowdy. It has been suggested that parking in buildings where you have attendants doing the parking and people leave their cars you would have more congestion than if you had people going into separate buildings. That is one thing I would like for you to direct your remarks to. I notice here a list of businesses that your organization represents. Would they be willing to put money into solving this problem, as they do now where they have branches in the various shopping centers? Mr. BURGUNDER. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, Mr. DoWDY. Your statement is being made a part of the record. We have only 15 minutes left to hear the rest of the witnesses. Mr. SISK. Čould I comment? Mr. DOWDY. We want to get through with these hearings this morning. Mr. ŠISK. I recognize that. We have had hearings on this bill for two years. It is not the fault of us who have been pushing for parking that we are at the end of this session to hear this. I struggled pretty vigorously to have hearings a year ago. Mr. Burgunder is possibly the best expert in this, as he has made a study of this. Mr. DOWDY. I know. Mr. SISK. I would be somewhat concerned about any abrupt cutting off of his right to present a case which we have been seeking to present for a year now. Mr. Dowdy. I am quite willing to sit here all day. He said he wanted to read his statement, and that will take quite some time. Mr. SISK. Can you summarize the statement? Mr. BURGUNDER. Yes. Mr. DOWDY. Go ahead. Mr. BURGUNDER. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, if do not want me to read it, I will skip the statement, and will submit it for the record. (The prepared statement submitted by Mr. Burgunder follows:) DOWNTOWN PROGRESS NATIONAL CAPITAL DOWNTOWN COMMITTEE, INC. My name is B. Bernei Burgunder, Jr., vice president of S. Kann Sons Company, which operates a department store in Downtown Washington. I am appearing today as a representative of Downtown Progress, the National Capital Downtown Committee, Inc., which is a non-profit corporation formed by Washington businessmen to prepare and to help carry out programs for the revitalization of Downtown Washington, between the White House and the Capitol. Downtown Progress has a professional staff that works under the policy guidance of an Executive Committee and a number of standing committees, whose membership is drawn from the business and community leadership of Washington. I am chairman of the standing committee on Transportation and Services. This committee has devoted a great deal of study to the subject of parking, as well as to the study of mass transit and freeways, for Downtown Washington. The other members of the Transportation and Services Committee are: • Robert C. Baker, President, American Security and Trust Company • Edward C. Baltz, Chairman of the Board, Perpetual Building Association • Donald S. Bittinger, President, Washington Gas Light Company • George B. Burrus, President and Chairman of the Board, Peoples Drug Stores, Inc. • Calvin Cafritz, President, The Cafritz Company • Marshall B. Coyne, President, Marshall B. Coyne Corp. • Willard R. Dick, Executive Vice President, Frank R. Jelleff, Inc. • Louis M. Frankel, President, Lansburgh's • Ralph W. Frey, Vice President, The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company • Dwight E. Hahn, Vice President, Commercial Operations, Potomac Electric Power Company • Lawrence M. Nathan, Chairman of the Board, Bruce Hunt, Inc. • Andrew Parker, President, Woodward & Lothrop Incorporated • Edward H. Selonick, President, The Hecht Company • Richard E. Steen, President, Lewis & Thos. Saltz The Transportation and Services Committee and the other committees of Downtown Progress, provided policy guidance for the Action Plan for Downtown Washington, published by our organization in 1962. These committees also have been active in stimulating action on a number of proposals based on the Action Plan: • We were associated with the District of Columbia Government, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission, the Housing and Home Finance Agency (now the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), and D.C. Transit System, Inc., in the creation of the Minibus. The Minibus has been operating with great success since 1963, serving people in the Downtown shopping core. As a result of this demonstration, the Minibus concept has been adopted by 24 other cities. • We worked with the D. C. Department of Highways and Traffic and with the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to create F Street Plaza, which has improved conditions for pedestrians in that section of the Downtown shopping area, and which we expect will stimulate increased business activity. • We assisted the District of Columbia Government in planning for the new Downtown Central Library, soon to be constructed in Downtown Washington. It will be one of the best looking and one of the most efficient libraries in the world. • We worked with the National Park Service, and with other agencies and organizations, to bring the National Visitor Center to within sight of accomplishment. And we have been working very hard, along with many others, to bring the rail rapid transit system for Metropolitan Washington to reality. The Congress of the United States, of course, has been playing major roles in both of these efforts. As a matter of fact, the Congress has played a direct or indirect role in all of these accomplishments. • In addition to these activities, we have been working with literally hundreds of private businessmen to stimulate new development and rehabilitation in Downtown Washington. I am pleased to report that there has been a marked improvement in the development climate in Downtown Washington, due in part to these efforts. For example, thirty eight major private commercial and residential buildings were started in Downtown Washington between the White House and the Capitol, in the seven years from 1961 through 1967, compared with only six major buildings during the previous ten year period, from 1950 through 1960. This represents a ninefold increase in the rate of development since 1960, compared with the decade of the 1950's. These signs of progress are encouraging. Our studies indicate, however, that the rate of private construction that I have described is only a fraction of the development potential of Downtown Washington, between the White House and the Capitol. The full development potential of Downtown Washington, and the resulting benefits to the District of Columbia in terms of increased employment opportunities for residents of the central city, and an increased tax base, cannot be achieved until a number of problems are overcome and major transportation improvements are completed. Two of the most pressing problems are the related issues of inadequate parking and traffic congestion. In interview programs that we have carried out, inadequate parking and traffic congestion have been the problems cited most frequently by people who come Downtown to work, to shop, and to visit. Many of the vehicles on the Downtown streets are "through" trips which add to the traffic loads on local streets. (The percentage of through traffic has been as high as 59% on some north-south streets). Additional congestion is caused by recirculating traffic, that is, people driving around and around the block looking for parking spaces or waiting to pick other people up. The through traffic problem can be solved to a great degree by the completion of an efficient freeway system for the District of Columbia. The circulating traffic problem can be solved by the provision of adequate parking. |