DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HELIPORT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1966 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 4200, New Senate Office Building, Senator Stephen M. Young (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Young, Jordan, Inouye, and Murphy. We say good morning to you. Now, the purpose of this hearing is to consider H.R. 15024. This is a bill to amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain. property in the District of Columbia. The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives on August 15, authorizes the Administrator of General Services to lease a parcel of land approximately 200 feet by 450 feet bounded by 12th Street, Maine Avenue, and Maryland Avenue, Southwest, from the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency, the lease not to exceed a period of 3 years, for use as a heliport and improve this land with a landing pad and other appurtenances necessary to the operation of a heliport, at a cost not to exceed $75,000. Thereafter, the Administrator will sublease the heliport to any person who will operate it in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the Federal Aviation Agency, and he will do that for the highest rent obtainable. Now, without objection, I will place in the record at this point a copy of H.R. 15024 and its departmental reports thereon. (The insertions are as follows:) [H.R. 15024, 89th Cong., 2d sess.] AN ACT To amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain property in the District of Columbia Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection: "(d) (1) The Administrator is authorized to lease from the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency, for a period not to exceed three years from the date of enactment of this subsection, a portion (approximately 200 feet by 450 feet) of the property in the District of Columbia bounded by Twelfth Street, Maine Avenue, and Maryland Avenue, Southwest, for use as a heliport. "(2) The Administrator is authorized to sublet all the property leased by him under paragraph (1) of this subsection to any person who will operate such property as a heliport in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency. Such sublease may be entered into by negotiation or otherwise and shall be at the highest obtainable rental for the purpose for which the property is to be used. "(3) The Administrator is authorized to construct all improvements necessary to permit the operation of such property as a heliport at a cost not to exceed $75,000." Passed the House of Representatives August 15, 1966. RALPH R. ROBERTS, Clerk. CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD, Washington, D.C., October 7, 1966. Hon. JENNINGS RANDOLPH, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in further reply to your request of August 19, 1966 for the views of the Board with respect to H. R. 15024, an Act "To amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain property in the District of Columbia.” H.R. 15024 would authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease from the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency, for a period not to exceed three years, a parcel of land located in the vicinity of Maine Avenue and 12th Street, S. W., District of Columbia, for use as a heliport. The Administrator would be authorized to sublet the property to any person who would operate it as a heliport in accordance with rules and regulations of the Federal Aviation Agency, and to make improvements, costing not in excess of $75,000, that would be necessary for operation of the property for such purpose. In this connection, the Board has several applications pending before it for authority to provide scheduled helicopter service in the Washington/Baltimore area on a subsidy-ineligible basis, and on August 29, 1966, instituted an investigation (Order E-24133, copy enclosed) to determine the need for and feasibility of such service. The Board stated that no applicant would be required to secure heliport facilities as a condition for selection if the Board decided there was a need for scheduled helicopter service. The Board also expressed the view that efforts should be made to establish neutral heliport sites at each of the airports involved as well as noncarrier owned and operated heliports in the downtown centers of Washington and Baltimore, and stated that it would cooperate in these efforts to the extent possible. The Board favors the bill to the extent that it will result in the heliport being located on publicly owned property. This tends to assure that the site will be in the overall public interest, rather than turning upon the ability of an individual carrier to obtain a particular location. However, the Board believes that the heliport should also be non-carrier operated. The cost of operating and maintaining the facility could represent the difference between success or failure for s carrier providing helicopter services, particularly since Federal funds are no longer available to subsidize such services. With respect to the desirability of the proposed heliport site, the Board is not in a position to express any views since it has not made a study of locations that would be suitable for such purpose. The Board also does not have any basis for commenting on the size of the heliport, or the funds that would be required for necessary improvements of the land, but defers to the views of the Federal Aviation Agency on these matters. Subject to the foregoing comments, the Board endorses the purposes and objectives of the bill. The Board has been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this report from the standpoint of the Administration's program. Sincerely yours, CHARLES S. MURPHY, Chairman. [Order No. E-24133-Adopted by the Civil Aeronautics Board at its office in Washington, D.C., on the 29th day of August 1966] CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD, WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE HELICOPTER SERVICE INVESTIGATION, DOCKET No. 17665 ORDER INSTITUTING INVESTIGATION In 1963, the Board terminated the Washington, D.C. Helicopter Case, concluding that the public convenience and necessity do not require helicopter service eligible for federal subsidy in the Washington/Baltimore area.1 Developments since 1963 with respect to airline traffic in the Washington/Baltimore area, including the rapid growth of such traffic, the need to make changes in the pattern of flights previously serving the Washington National Airport, as well as the interest shown by trunkline carriers in supporting certificated helicopter service in other areas, appear to warrant a re-examination of the question to ascertain if it is now feasible to provide helicopter service in this area without the support of federal subsidy." Therefore, the Board is instituting an investigation to determine the need for and feasibility of scheduled helicopter service in the Washington/Baltimore area. The service under investigation shall be limited to scheduled helicopter service between the downtown city centers of scheduled helicopter service on a subsidyineligible basis between the downtown city centers of Washington and Baltimore, on the one hand, and Wasbington National Airport, Dulles International Airport and Friendship Airport, on the other hand, as well as between each of the three designated airports; 2. That the applications of U.S. Aviation Corp. (Dockets 15685 and 15686); New York Airways, Inc. (Docket 16099); Washington/Baltimore Helicopter, Inc. (Docket 16113); Loving Chevrolet (Docket 17496); and San Francisco/Oakland Helicopter, Inc. (Docket 17605), insofar as they conform to the scope of the issues defined in ordering paragraph 1, be and hereby are consolidated; 3. That motions to consolidate applications, motions or petitions seeking modification or reconsideration of this order and petitions for leave to intervene be filed no later than 30 days after service date of this order, and answers to such pleading be filed no later than 10 days thereafter; 4. That a copy of this order be served upon Allegheny Airlines, Inc.; American Airlines, Inc.; Braniff Airways, Inc.; Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Eastern Air Lines, Inc.; Lake Central Airlines, Iuc.; Mohawk Airlines, Inc.; National Airlines, Inc.; Northeast Airlines, Inc.; Northwest Airlines, Inc.; Pan American World Airways, Inc.; Piedmont Aviation, Inc.; Trans World Airlines, Inc.; United Air Lines, Inc.; and the Commissioners, District of Columbia and the City of Baltimore, Maryland, which are hereby made parties to the investigation instituted herein; and 5. That this proceeding ordered herein be assigned for hearing before an Examiner of the Board at a time and place hereafter to be designated. This order will be published in the Federal Register. By the Civil Aeronautics Board: HAROLD R. SANDERSON, Secretary. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, Hon. JENNINGS RANDOLPH, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Your letter of August 23, 1966, requested the views of the General Services Administration on H.R. 15024, 89th Congress, as passed by the House of Representatives, a bill "To amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain property in the District of Columbia." 1 Docket 11941, et al., Order E-19956, August 28, 1963. In 1965, the Congress terminated the availability of federal funds to subsidize local helicopter services. The certificated helicopter operations in other metropolitan areas still are not economically self-supporting and are presently being financially aided by one or more trunklines under arrangements approved by the Board. The bill would amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 (73 Stat. 481) to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease from the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency, for a period not exceeding three years from the date of enactment of the bill, a portion (approximately 200 feet by 450 feet) of the land of said agency bounded by Twelfth Street, Maine Avenue, and Maryland Avenue, Southwest, Washington, D.C., for use as a heliport. The Administrator would be authorized to construct all necessary improvements to permit the operation of the property as a heliport at a cost not to exceed $75,000 and to sublet the property at the highest obtainable rental to any person who will operate it as a heliport in accordance with rules and regulations of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency. GSA has no objection to carrying out, in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations of the Federal Aviation Agency, the responsibilities which would be vested in it by the proposed bill. With respect to the need for a heliport in the District of Columbia, the appropriateness of the site, and the adequacy of the authorization for the improvements required, even though temporary, we defer to the views of the aviation agencies of the Federal Government, as well as the views of the District of Columbia Government. GSA has no appropriated funds or other funds available for the purposes of the proposed legislation. The Bureau of the Budget has advised that, from the standpoint of the Administration's program, there is no objection to the submission of this report to your Committee. Sincerely yours, LAWSON B. KNOTT, Jr., Administrator. Hon. JENNINGS RANDOLPH, NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, DEAR SENATOR RANDOLPH: Reference is made to your request for the views of the National Capital Planning Commission on H. R. 15024, a bill "To amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain property in the District of Columbia." H.R. 15024 would authorize the Administrator to lease from the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency and to sublet for not to exceed three years a portion (approximately 200 feet by 450 feet) of the property in the Southwest Urban Renewal Area in the District of Columbia bounded by 12th Street and Maine and Maryland Avenues, S. W., known as the "Portal Site," for use as a heliport. The Administrator would be further authorized to construct improvements for use of the property as a heliport at a cost not to exceed $75,000. The proposed Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital, presently under consideration by the Commission, provides in part: "Like travel by rail, air travel is both local and interregional, and different facilities are required for each. If and when helicopters are improved so as to reduce materially their nuisance effect, they might be considered as a substitute for ground transportation from airports and possibly eventually for trips of intermediate length to and from cities such as Baltimore and Richmond. A downtown terminal (as proposed for the consolidated transportation terminal) for helicopter service would be useful, but care must be exercised to establish routes that will avoid residential areas, schools, parks, and playgrounds." The consolidated transportation terminal, to which reference is made, is proposed to be located at Union Station. The Commission is opposed to legislation establishing a heliport in the Southwest Urban Renewal Area even on a temporary basis as provided in H.R. 15024. Such a use would be incompatible with other land uses permitted under the approved Urban Renewal Plan for the area. Further, the noise ordinarily generated by helicopters ranges from 78 to 108 decibels as compared with maximum permitted noise levels of 72 and 79 decibels in CM (light manufacturing) and M (general industry) Districts, respectively, under the Zoning Regulations of the District of Columbia. Until the noise levels at which helicopters presently operate are substantially reduced it is doubtful that any helicopter landing or service facility should be established in the Nation's Capital. We are advised that, from the standpoint of the Administration's program, the Bureau of the Budget has no objection to the submission of this report to your Committee. Sincerely yours, Mrs. JAMES H. Rowe, Jr., Chairman. GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, EXECUTIVE OFFICE, Washington, D.C., October 10, 1966. Hon. JENNINGS RANDOLPH, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, DEAR SENATOR RANDOLPH: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have for report H.R. 15024, 89th Congress, a bill "To amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain property in the District of Columbia." H.R. 15024 authorizes the Administrator of General Services "to lease from the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency, for a period not to exceed three years from the date of enactment of this subsection, a portion (approximately 200 feet by 450 feet) of the property in the District of Columbia bounded by Twelfth Street, Maine Avenue, and Maryland Avenue, Southwest, for use as a heliport." (Emphasis supplied.) The bill also authorizes the Administrator to sublet the property for operation as a heliport and to construct at a cost not exceeding $75,000 all improvements necessary to permit the operation of such property as a heliport. The Commissioners are informed that the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency is agreeable to leasing to the Administrator of General Services property located within the area specified by the bill, generally referred to as the "Portal Site", at a rental equivalent to the income which is presently derived from the site, or approximately 36 cents per square foot per year. The Commissioners understand that any such lease would only be for such period of time as the property involved is not required for construction in connection with the planned redevelopment of the area, expected to begin within the next two years. Accordingly, while the Commissioners would be opposed to the permanent use of the specified site for the purpose of providing helicopter service for the Washington Metropolitan Area, as being in conflict with the planned redevelopment of the Southwest area of the District of Columbia, they do not object to the temporary use of the property for such purpose until the property is required for construction in accordance with the redevelopment plan for this area of the city. With this understanding, the Commissioners have no objection to the enactment of the bill. The Commissioners have been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that, from the standpoint of the Administration's program, there is no objection to the submission of this report to the Congress. Sincerely yours, JOHN B. DUNCAN, Acting President, Board of Commissioners. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA REDEVELOPMENT LAND AGENCY, Hon. JENNINGS RANDOLPH, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., October 10, 1966. DEAR SENATOR RANDOLPH: The District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency is pleased to submit its comments with regard to HR 15024, a Bill "To amend section 8 of the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to lease certain property in the District of Columbia." The District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency supports HR 15024. The Bill authorizes the Administrator of General Services to lease from the Redevelopment Land Agency, for use as a heliport, a portion of the property bounded by 12th Street, Maine Avenue, and Maryland Avenue, S.W. The subject property is approximately one-half of a parcel of land which has been referred to as the "Portal Site." The land has been acquired and cleared by this Agency and the entire site is presently leased as a temporary parking lot and 70-086-66- -2 |