Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-03
SUBDIVISION CODE
TO CONTROL UNITY
City Planners Aim to Stand
ardize Street, Sewer and
Other Improvements.
BY WILLIAM ]. WHEATLEY,
Staff CORRESPONDENCE of The Star.

SLIGO, Md, December 3-Orderly
development of land subdivisions in the
metropolitan district of Montgomery
County by realty operators, so that as
the residential areas grow to the joining
point, there will be an interlocking
street system, building setback lines,
uniform grades, sewer, water and pub
depth, is to be provided for in a code
now being prepared by Irving C. Root,
chief engineer of the Maryland Nation
al Capitol Park and Planning Commits
sion. These subdivision control regula-
tions are expected to be ready in a
tentative form for presentation to the
full membership of the commission
within the next two weeks, and, if ap-
proved, are expected to be promulgated
within short time thereafter.
Authority for Regulations.
The authority for the establishment
of such regulations is contained in the
organic act of the planning commits
sion which was approved by the 1927
session of the Maryland General As
sembly. Mr.. Root has been working
on the code for about year, he said,
and has amassed large file of data.
He completed the study of the data
yesterday, when he visited the buildings
division of the United States Depart
ment of Commerce and examined the
various codes of this kind from all parts
of the country which are one file there.
He also has at his disposal tentative
subdivision control code which is being
worked out by the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission for the
District of Columbia.
When the new code is completed and
promulgated it will be possible for a
real estate operator to obtain from the
Maryland planning body definite data
as to how he must lay out his sub
division in order to obtain the approval
of the body. And, it was pointed out,
that as the master street and highway
plan will be completed by that time,
no subdivision proposed, no matter
how much 1t may be isolated from
other developments, will be approved
unless and until it is shown that it will
fit in with this scheme.
One of the important questions which is
being studied by Mr.. Root in connection
with the outlining of the code is the
matter of compelling those seeking the
approval of platS to furnish sufficient
bond to guarantee that they will follow
out the commissions directions 1t is
proposed, it was indicated, to have the
subdivider put in the approved street
grades which are sanctioned by the
commission, and thus give the ultimate
purchaser definite information as to
what may be expected when he buys
the property.
Data for Water and Sewer Lines.
In laying out the grades it is planned
to provide for close cooperation with
the washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission to the end that when that
body lays down its water and sewer
lines, it will have definite information
as to the grades, and will be able to
lay them permanently at a uniform
depth. This, it was pointed out. will
result in much saving of money. Much
money has had to be expended in the
past in relaying lines when the grades
of highways were changed, resulting, in
some cases, In exposing the old lines.
An example of this was in Takoma
Park, it was pointed out. The town
originally laid out and installed the
sewer and water distribution lines and
later this system was taken over by the
sanitary commission. When streets
were resurfaced and grades changed
the engineers dug into the old lines,
which we're not known to have been
81 close to the surface until they were
hit by the implements of the workmen.
In many instances, it was said, there
were no plans available as to the loca-
ton of many of the lines. 1t is one of
the. purposes of the proposed new regu-
lattons to obviate any repetition of such
q condition
It also proposed to include in the
regulations provision for the establish
ment of permanent survey monuments,
from which grades in any particular
community can be taken and these will
be made a matter of permanent record
In the commissions headquarters here.
However, one of the most important
ends which it is hoped to accomplish
by the PRONUNCIATION of the new code
is the coordination of the highway
system. Without such a well laid out
plan, it was pointed out, subdivisions
would be plotted promiScuously here
and there, with the result that in later
years they would be lot of disjoined
groups of streets, with many dead ends,
which would cause hopeless tangle.
1t is such a situation which the plan
ners desire to prevent.