From the time we started our deliberations, study after study proved conclusively that downtown Washington lacked sufficient parking facilities. In the early 1950's many of the proposals that were rejected called for the purchase of land selling from $5 to $7 per square foot, for the construction of parking garages. This same land is now being marketed at anywhere again from $50 to $100 per square foot.

This is just one measure of the price exacted from the District by the obstructionists on the Motor Vehicle Parking Agency. How much additional damage the years of fruitless inaction will cause the District is a matter of conjecture. I do know, however, that had land been purchased at the going rate of 10 or 15 years ago and proper facilities constructed, the cost of the land and the facilities could have been amortized by this time and the public would have been served during the interim.

It is distressing that a small group of men with personal interest in the parking industry has been able to bring about such a costly delay in the Nation's capital. As nearly as I can determine, everybody wants properly situated well constructed parking garages to facilitate those people actively engaged in the business of automobile storage. I think the time is past due for some bold action to the public sector.

Further delay will only mean additional land costs and perpetuation of a serious negative economic factor in downtown Washington. I am very pleased to note that the subcommittee chairman is exploring the possibility of locating parking facilities beneath public lands. I can think of several areas in the commercial core of the city where underground facilities might be located without detracting from the esthetic beauty of the surface land.

Despite the tremendous increase in land costs since the time my original proposals were rejected by the MVPA, I am convinced that parking facilities can still be profitable, operating under a fair rate structure and efficient management. I sincerely hope that these hearings will help to bring about official action in the field of parking after so many years of neglect and inaction.

It is my personal opinion that it is useless to build more highways without making arrangements for downtown parking.

I have carefully read a copy of your proposed bill and I am highly in favor of same.

I would like to say a few other words about parking. I happen to be a consultant at the State Department, and in our building in the State Department, there is a dire need for space. I would say there are close to a thousand spaces actually needed there at the present time. What it means to the public is this: The employees of the State Department park on the city streets, and they run out every hour or two to change meters. I have seen that done with my own eyes, and there is nothing they can do. The only way they can keep their employees is to let them go out to park their cars, and as I know, practically all the Government buildings require more parking spaces, which means that they are taking lots of spaces on the streets.

Senator TYDINGS. Mr. Kass, let me say this: As I have indicated before, I read your statement last night. I think it gives a great deal of help to our subcommittee. I appeciate the interest you have shown in this great problem, not only by coming down today, but in

the past years, when you served, as you indicated somewhat fruitlessly on the District of Columbia Motor Vehicle Parking Agency Board. We are delighted to have you with us, sir, and we appreciate your coming down.

Mr. KASS. Thank you, sir. I appreciate being here.

Senator TYDINGS. Mr. George Hartzog, Jr., Director, the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Is Mr. Hartzog here? Mr. HARTZOG. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman.

STATEMENT OF MR. GEORGE B.

HARTZOG, JR., DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ACCOMPAINED BY MR. FRANK E. HARRISON, CHIEF, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DIVISION OF LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS; AND MR. T. SUTTON JETT, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Mr. HARTZOG. Mr. Chairman, with your permission, I would like to have Mr. Harrison too, of our Legislative Division, and Mr. T. Sutton Jett, our representative at the National Capital Planning Commission, join me.

Senator TYDINGS. We would be delighted, gentlemen, if you would join Mr. Hartzog at the witness table.

We might ask Mr. Bradley from the Smithsonian Institution if you will come up, too, sir, since you will testify later on the same questions. Thank you. You may proceed, Mr. Hartzog.

Mr. HARTZOG. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We are pleased to have with us this morning the Department's report on this legislation, S. 2769, and copies have been filed with the clerk of the committee.

Senator TYDINGS. That will be included in the record at this point. (The document referred to follows:)

Hon. ALAN BIBLE,

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D.C., January 18, 1966.

Chairman, Committee on the District of Columbia,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR BIBLE: Your committee has requested a report on S. 2769, a bill relating to the establishment of parking facilities in the District of Columbia. We recommend the enactment of the bill.

The bill establishes the District of Columbia Parking Board composed of the three District of Columbia Commissioners. The Board is authorized to acquire such real or personal property in the District of Columbia as it may need to construct, operate, and maintain additional park facilities to meet the needs of the National Capital area.

The Department's primary interest in the bill is in connection with its administration of the Federal park lands of the National Capital area. The bill will authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make subsurface rights in these lands available to the Parking Board without consideration, but under such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe.

The Parking Board is not authorized to sell any parking facilities constructed on land owned by or acquired from the United States, and any lease issued by the Parking Board for the construction of parking facilities on land under the control and jurisdiction of the United States must provide for the facilities to become the property of the United States upon the termination or expiration of the lease. The bill establishes a nine-member Parking Advisory Council to advise and assist the Parking Board in carrying out its functions. The Council will consist of the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of

General Services Administration, the Chairman of the National Capital Planning
Commission, the Administrator of the National Capital Transportation Agency,
or their designees, and four members from private life appointed by the Parking
Board.

We would expect to enter into an agreement with the Parking Board under
which the Board would develop and operate, by itself or by contract, parking
facilities beneath the Federal park lands, such as the Mall. We anticipate that
the agreement will provide, among other things, for (1) the approval of the design
of the facilities by the Secretary, (2) the operation of the facilities to assure space
Similar agree-
for visitors at reasonable rates, and (3) for the facilities to become the property
of the United States upon the amortization of the investment.

ments have been entered into for the development of parking facilities by local governmental authorities at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial at St. Louis, Mo., under the authority of the act of May 17, 1954 (78 Stat. 98), and at Great Falls Park in Virginia under the act of October 10, 1965 (79 Stat. 981). A bill pending before the Congress (H.R. 3582) would also authorize the Secretary to make such an agreement with the city of Philadelphia for the construction and operation of a parking facility for visitors to the Independence National Historical Park.

During the past year the Department has sought to provide better access to the central features of the Capital City by making parking on the roadways of the Mall available only to visitors. Our experience indicates that great benefits can accrue to the more than 15 million visitors to the Nation's Capital each year by providing nearby parking to the places of historical interest and beauty that symbolize our country's heritage. We therefore endorse the objectives of the With proper safeguards visitor parking facility program encompassed in S. 2769. we believe the use of underground rights to develop additional parking facilities for visitors to the National Capital will not impinge on the esthetic qualities of the Federal park lands.

The Bureau of the Budget has advised that there is no objection to the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the administration's program. Sincerely yours,

STANLEY A. CAIN,
Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. HARTZOG. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure and privilege to have the opportunity to represent here at these hearings the Secretary of the Interior on this very important matter affecting the Federal park lands of the Nation's Capital. The Secretary is vitally concerned with the proposed legislation before you today which would authorize the creation and operation of a Parking Board in the District of Columbia.

The Department of the Interior supports the concept of a balanced transportation system for the District of Columbia. A balanced system will serve visitors to this city by providing access to the places of historical interest and beauty that symbolize our country's heritage. A vital component of the solution to Washington's transportation problem is adequate parking, and we commend the sponsors of this legislation for their foresight in proposing this legislation.

There are three general classes of people who will be served by the development of parking facilities: employees, shoppers, and others using the downtown area, and touring visitors. As the agency responsible for the Federal park lands in the District of Columbia it is this last group, composed of visitors from the 50 States and all over the world which concern us. More than 15 million people visit the

Capital City each year.

We believe that a lively concern with providing adequate parking for the visitor is an integral part of our responsibility as a peopleserving agency. In metropolitan areas, the problem is particularly One method that has been acute and requires special measures. used quite successfully at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in

St. Louis is to permit municipal development of parking facilities on park land through cooperative agreements with the city. The agreement provides that the design, rates, and manner of operation, shall be subject to our approval.

In Philadelphia, where the Department administers the great Independence National Historical Park, legislation now before the Congress would provide for a similar arrangement, whereby parking could be developed by the city parking authority.

At Great Falls Park in Virginia, the county operates visitor parking subject to a cooperative agreement with this Department under which we approve the rates to be charged. The legislation that provided the basis for this agreement was enacted in the first session of this Congress.

Here in Washington, we have sought this past year to provide better access for the visitor to the central features of this city by making parking on the roadways on the Mall available for visitors only. This experience has indicated that great benefits can accrue to the visitor by providing nearby parking. We therefore encourage and endorse the objectives of the program encompassed by this legislation. The legislation under consideration today will permit the development of parking facilities beneath park land under terms and conditions similar to those we have worked out for St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Great Falls, and with proper safeguards we believe the use of underground rights to develop parking for visitors will be of great benefit and will not impinge on the esthetic qualities of the park lands.

The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior in his discretion to make available to the Parking Board subsurface rights in park lands, subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems necessary. Under this authority we would expect to enter into an agreement with the Parking Board whereby the Board could develop and operate, by itself or by contract, parking facilities beneath park lands, such as under the Mall.

We would expect the agreement to provide for such details as (1) approval of the design of the facility by the Secretary, (2) operation of the facility so as to assure space for visitors at reasonable rates, and (3) the facility to become the property of the United States upon amortization of the investment.

We endorse the concept of the Advisory Committee and its obligation to concern itself with proper planning for parking. With the construction of great traffic arteries, bringing people straight to the heart of the city, then it is essential that parking be integrated with proper exits, overpasses, and other structures for which the Bureau of Public Roads has a responsibility. Representation from the Department of Commerce is important in order that the parking plan may be effectively coordinated with freeways.

In this connection we note that the bill provides for the establishment of fringe lots outside the central business district of the city and served by shuttle buses or nearby transit routes. We believe this is an important ingredient of the overall parking plan.

For example, such fringe lots could be constructed at the intersection of the Capital Beltway and the major interstate routes, where already clusters of businesses and homesites are springing up. Visitors could park there all day, and take rapid bus or other mass transit into the central city, thereby lessening the demand for parking downtown.

We see in such an arrangement great potential for providing speedy and efficient visitor access to Washington's park lands.

It is a great privilege and pleasure to be here. We shall be pleased to try to answer any questions, Mr. Chairman.

Senator TYDINGS. Thank you, Mr. Hartzog. Has the Park Service developed any plans which would look directly to parking facilities under the Mall?

Mr. HARTZOG. We have been working with the Smithsonian Institution in the development of facilities involving L'Enfant Square and that area of the Mall across from the Smithsonian buildings on the other side a proposed parking facility under the Mall, which would approximate 1,500 spaces, being the amount of surface parking that is generally available in this area now for visitors to the park and to the Smithsonian.

Senator TYDINGS. Have you developed any plans to really take care of the tourists who come into the District of Columbia, in the same fashion that they are cared for, for example, down in Williamsburg, or in any other great tourist center?

That is, have you plans to provide ample parking spaces and a setup where tourists can be briefed on the District of Columbia and its history, and to provide shuttle service or buses around the Mall to the historic shrines?

Have you developed any sort of plans like this?

Mr. HARTZOG. Mr. Chairman, we have had work done on this. We have not developed any plans on it. The providing of a National Visitors Center is one of the most serious needs here in the Nation's Capital, because there is no central orientation facility, and neither is there a central parking facility to accommodate these folks who come to their Nation's Capital, upon their initial transportation into the city.

It is an extremely unsatisfactory arrangement.

Senator TYDINGS. Do you have any estimate of the number of off-street parking spaces you would need to do the job properly, just an estimate?

Mr. HARTZOG. Mr. Chairman, we do not have. We believe, however, that, from the studies that we have made thus far, it is not really possible to provide in the downtown area of Washington all of the parking spaces that the visitors would require.

This is why we are so excited about the provisions of your legislation which would provide for the development of fringe parking lots. This is really the answer to the problem.

Senator TYDINGS. How about the Mall area? You have indicated you have worked with the Smithsonian to provide some 1,500 spaces which will be removed from Mall parking. If you were to establish a tourist center under the Mall, or down in the Mall someplace, what sort of offstreet parking facilities would you have?

Mr. HARTZOG. If you were to develop the entire Mall area, and there were a visitors' center authorized in that general vicinity, we believe that something in the vicinity of 5,000 or more parking spaces would and could be provided in the Mall, underground.

Senator TYDINGS. It would certainly get a great load off many Congressmen's minds, if we had some facilities to take care of our citizens who come to visit Washington.

57-450 0-66