Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-05
CONTROL OVER SUBDIVISIONS
OUTSIDE CITIES IS GIVEN IN BILL
Five-Mile Radius Proposed to Permit
Supervision In Interest of Orderly
and Beautiful Planning.

Legislation concerning the three
subjects Of subdivision control. map
ped streets and regional planning may
be said to be the trial and error stage,
the departments report points out.
The recommendations of the model act
in the three lines of development now
being worked out experimentally in
American cities are strikingly in &C
cord with the recommendations for
establishment of municipal control Of
subdivision development in the metro
politan areas of cities adopted in Janu.
airy of the present year by the Ma.
tional Association of Real Estate
Boards. The associations action fol-
lowed a two-year study made Jointly
with the American City Planning In
stitute and the National Conference
on City Planning.
Features Bill EmbOdies.
Like the recommendation Of the ma
tional realtor body. the proposed model
bill embodies the following fetures:
a. The making of a master plan for
the expected expansion Of the urban
community; ~ authorization of def
mite control of subdivision develop
ment by the local planning commits
sion; 81 extension of that control
into surrounding non-nunicipal
territory (the recommendation of the
national realtor body was that it
should be for a distance varying with
the size of the city and for the larger
cities much more than 3 miles beyond
the city limits, and "a regulation of
the extent to which street improve
ments. water and sewer provisions
must be made before subdivision plats
will be given official approval.
AS to the scope of control, the
model bill provides as follows:
Whenever a planning commission
shall have adopted a major street plan
of the territory within it's subdivision
jurisdiction or part thereof, and shall
have filed certified copy Of such
plan in the Office of the county re-
corder of the county in which such
territory or part is located. then no
plat of subdivision of land within
such territory or part shall be filed
or recorded until ii shall have been
approved by such planning commission
and such approval entered in writing
on the plat by the chairman or secre.
tary of the commission"
Curb on Arbitrary Power.
1t is the purpose of the act to re-
duce the field of arbitrary discretion
on the part Of the planning commits
SlOIlS, SO lax as LnlS Is ptdClLCdUle 10
do by means of general rules and regu.
lations. The subdivision, in PREPARATION
OF his surveys and plats, may thus
have a general indication of the stand
ards to which he is expected to con-
form.
Subdivision regulations, according to
the model act, may provide for the
proper arrangement OF streets In rela-
ton to other existing and planned
streets and to the master plan, for
adequate and convenient open spaces
for traffic, utilities, access of freight
ing apparatus, recreation, light and
air, and FOR the avoidance of conges-
ton Of population, including minimum
width and area of lots.
''Such regulations may include pro-
visions as to the extent to which
streets and other ways shall be graded
and improved and to which water and
sewer and other utility mains, piping
or other facilities shall be installed as
a condition precedent to the approval
of the plat. The regulations or prac-
tice of the commission may provide for
a tentative approval Of the plat previ-
Gus to such installation; but any such
tentative approval shall be revocable
and shall not be entered on the plat"
Bonds with surety to secure to the
the actual construction
and installation Of Improvements or
utilities at the time and according to
the specifications fixed by the commits
sion may be required by the planning
according to the model
act. The act grants the municipality
the power to enforce such bonds by all
legal and equitable rem
nGies