The owner or owners of land over or upon which any highway or reservation shall be projected upon any map filed under §§ 9-103.01 to 9-103.05 shall have the free right to the use and enjoyment of the same for building or any other lawful purpose, and the free right to transfer the title thereof, until proceedings looking to the condemnation of such land shall have been authorized and actually begun. And as to any highway or part of highway which by any such map is to be abandoned neither the right of those occupying or owning land abutting thereon or adjacent thereto, nor the right of the public to use such highway or part of highway, shall be affected by the filing of such map until condemnation proceedings looking to the ascertainment of the damages resulting from such proposed abandonment shall have been authorized and actually begun; nor shall the obligation of the municipal authorities to keep the same in repair be affected until they are rendered useless by the opening and improvement of new highways, to be evidenced by public notice by the Mayor of the District of Columbia.

(June 28, 1898, 30 Stat. 520, ch. 519, § 5.)

1981 Ed., § 7-114.

1973 Ed., § 7-114.

“ Section 9-103.05”, referred to in the first sentence, was repealed by § 711 of D.C. Law 4-201, effective March 10, 1983.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.