Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-20
I zON|NC PLEAS
ARE GIVEN HEARING
Four Redistribution Petl-
tons Denied in Prince
Georges.
BY GEORGE PORTER.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md, March 70.
Inauguration of its activities as
coming board, approval of a new and
increased assessment against certain
corporations and consideration OF an
important road construction petition
featured the weekly meeting OF the
Prince Georges County Commissioners
in the courthouse here yesterday.
Absence of two members of the board
caused DR.. Harry M. Bowen, VINO pre-
sided in place of George w. Waters. lr,,
president of the board, to postpone maj
decision in the II coming cases nearo'
Four Petitions Rejected.
Irwin owines. chairman of the Mary
d-National Capital Park and Plan
| ming Commission, and Irving G. ROOF,
chief engineer, represented the PARK
body at the hearing and explained the
reasons for their organization dlsap-
proving four of the petitions 1or re-
| classification. In one instance, where
the park commission had gone on rec
ord against the request for reZonlng, MI
Owings asked that the petition DE re-
ferred to them again for turtner con-
sideration. This was the petition OF
| the Harr Zion Congregation cemetery,
| Inc. to establish cemetery IN plock "a
| of Greater Capitol Heights.
The other petitions for reclasslf1ca-
ton. involving residential property which
the owners wish converted into COM
| mercial. and which the Park Commls-
sion has disapproved, are petltlons OF
| Lewis S. Magruder, acreage farm IN
, Huntsville. Kent district, and OF w.
Anderson and Henry Meyer, one lot In
| Berwyn Heights The park body also
opposed the petition of Clayton F. Moore
for Reconsideration of lot /, block SO,
| Riverdale Park, from commercial to
! residential. Moore appeared in his own
behalf and presented the longest argu-
ment of the day in urging his petition
| be granted. The only other person VINO
came before the board to protest the
disapproval of the Park Commission was
| Magruder.
In only one case where the plan
! ming group approved a change was
there civic objection. This involved the
| petition Of Frank R. Lake for reclassl-
fication of lots 81 and 88. Cedarcroft,
Brentwood, from residential to CONNER
cial. Eleven petitioners presented
signed protest against such a change.
Final Disposition Uncertain.
The final disposition of these conten-
| tious cases Is still very uncertain, but
| it is believed the county commissioners
will concur In the Judgment of the Park
Commission in approving the following
petitions:
/ For Redistribution from residential
to commercial: Katie Dyson, four lots
in Cedar Heights; L. G. Gingell, acre.
age on west side of Washington Balt1-
more boulevard, 1l6 feet south OF the
| intersection of Central avenue; A. H.
Gray, lot IT., block "a. Riverdale Park:
John w. C. Brown, acreage on west
side of Washington Baltimore boule-
ward, one and one-half miles south OF
Beltsville, and Samuel Bass, 10 lots in
block ga" Beaver Heights.
For Reconsideration from residential
| to Industrial: The Capitol Heights Ice
&, Fuel Corporation, four lots In Seat
Pleasant: George M Mcleod, part of
the Lee property. Bladensburg, and i've
petitions from the Baltimore & Ohio
| Railroad Co, involving its rights OF
| way, two of which are In Hyattsville,
and the others in Branchville, Bladens-
burg and Beaver Heights.
Read Construction Urged.
Construction OF . State road from
Clinton to WILDWOOD was urged by q
large delegation OF residents from that
section, headed by William E. Penn.
This road, only five and half miles
in length, would form O. much needed
connecting link between the Southern
Maryland and Marlboro pixies, accord
ing to the citizens. At present the road
| Is impossible in wet weather, they
claimed, and James H. Shreve, county
assessor, and member OF the delegation
declared he was forced to daily drive
eight miles further than the Melwood
route In order to reach his Office at
Upper Marlboro in the Winter time.
Other members of the delegation who
spoke in favor of the road, were Rev. j.
E. Horstkamp, pastor of st. Johns
Church, at Clinton; Mrs. Chandler
Hale, widow of Senator Hale of Maine,
who recently purchased the old DAM
gerfield estate on the Melwood road;
| Samuel Sweeney, E. j. Milliken, Secre-
tary of the Public Utilities Commission
of the District of Columbia, and B. K.
Miller.
Although only three members of the
Board of County Commissioners we're
present at the Afternoon session when
the delegation presented their argu-
ments, the county heads are believed to
/
New Assessment Approved.
| The commissioners approved new
assessment against several public utili-
| ties corporations, carrying an increase
| of approximately $500, 900.
| The corporations affected are the
| Chesapeake 81 Potomac Telephone Co.,
| the American Telephone e. Telegraph
| Co., the Western Union and the Postal
telegraph companies and the Console
| dated Gas Electric Light g. Power Co
of Baltimore. All of the companies
waived hearing on the reassessment
as drawn by County Assessor James II.
| Shreve. :,
The new corporation assessment is
against poles, wires, cables and sucn
| equipment. and does not include any
real estate. The increase Is partlally
accounted for by the additional equip.
ment installed since the last assessment!
and partially by new valuation placed
| on the property.
Arthur c. Keefer, corporation counsel
of Mount Rainier, appeared before the
hoard and offered to compromise that
| towns claims for a refund of its road
/ lew based on automobile tax assess
| mentS.
The board decided to hold a special
meeting Friday afternoon to give fnal
consideration to the annual levy which
/ will be signed next Monday.
APPOINTMENT of the district road COM
mittees was made by the three COM
missioners at the meeting, but con-
firmation of all the committees was
withheld until next week, because of the
absence of the other two commissioners.
e