Evening star., 1925-07-27
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATLEY.

Marylanders have foreseen the pos
slbillty Of developing that part of their
State adjacent to the Capital as
part of the city. and have laid their
plans we'll for welding the two geo
graphical divisions together, so that
as they grow and expand they will
appear as one, though each will have
It's own government. That their keen
foresightedness was not a dream, but
is rapidly becoming an actuality is
indicated by facts and figures which
have been gathered in the course of
The Stars survey in anticipation
of the greater Washington plan
ming. Like movements OF the pop
ulation as shown by the decennial
cenSuses. the greatest movement of
the Capital City into what is to be-
come the great metropolitan district
of Washington is in a northwesterly
direction
The figures complied in the course
of the investigation show that the
territory lying northwest of the city
in the general direction of Chevy
Chase and running along the Rock
vile and Georgetown roads, leads in
the amount of new construction for
the past two years, and those who
are familiar with the situation say
that before this time the growth could
be observed there. Then. too, the
most expensive houses have been and
are being constructed in this direc
ton, and. also, in this territory lie
some of the most beautiful estates,
owned by people of means.
Plans of Maryland.
That Maryland has been making
plans for this reception of an in
creased population, which eventually
will make a city of this area. is
shown by laws passed by the State
within the past three years, and of
vast activities to carry these laws
into effect. so that the developments
will follow a correlated plan in an or
derly way. City planning calls for
the development of streets and high
ways, laying of water and sewer
lines, laying out parkways, provision
for schools lighting systems, etc.
This Is now being done in this
section of Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties. AS the subdivi-
sions expand and eventually meet
into a homogeneous whole streets will
run direct along certain lines, and
there will not be highways running
into building lines. with a maze of
turns to enable one to get about.
Under the law of 1922 the Wash
ington Suburban Sanitary Commits
sion must approve all plats for any
proposed subdivision in this territory
before they can be recorded in the
land offices of these two counties. In
its consideration of such plats the
commission takes into consideration
the development of the metropolitan
area and ascertains that all streets
and highways proposed run in a
line which will eventually connect
ar1i1 nryIth <xfh
visions but with the streets and
highways of the Capital City.
Controls Water System.
Among its other duties the commits
sion has full authority over the area
which naturally drains into the Po-
tomac River and also the water sys-
TENS. Sewer systems have been and
are being constructed, giving city
drainage service, and these are con-
nected with the Washington sewerage
system, all in the effort to prevent
the sewage from these towns being
flowed into the streams which run
through the National Capital. Now the
commission is extending the water sup
ply system of the county, and on
many of the roadways now may be
seen mechanical ditch diggers cutting
into ground where water and sewer
area with water works have been
constructed at Burnt Mills, on the
Colesville Pike, and In Hyattsville, Md.
For these privileges special taxing
areas have been established in the
counties. and the people obtaining
this service pay their assessments,
which are used to retire the bonds
which have been issued.
1t cannot be said that any particu-
lar class is expanding into the subur-
ban sections which are rapidly be-
coming urban, with all the facilities
that great city provides. There
are houses of all types and for all
pocketbooks. but, like all cities, there
are particular sections with high
priced homes and others with mod
erate-priced homes.
The section which has experienced
the greatest development in the past
two years is that lying along the
Rockville and Georgetown roads, and
extending northwesterly from Chevy
Chase Within the last six r7fonths