Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-24
Bootleg Apartments
LegaIization Up 10
Planning Unit
Montgomery County Boord
Recommendation Would
Sanction About 200

Approximately 200 unauthorized
apartments in Montgomery County,
Md, will be legalized if the recon-
mendation of the Board of County
Commissioners to sanction all nom
conforming use of properties being
operated in violation of the present
coming laws is adopted.
The recommendation is now be-
fore the Maryland-National Capt.
tai Park and Planning Commission
for action at its next meeting, De-
cember 2. If adopted, it will legalize
all commercial enterprises or apart
ment houses, most of them in for
mer one-family dwellings, now being
maintained in residential areas in
violation of the coming restrictions.
Theoretically these bootleg"
apartments do not exist. Actually
they can be found in many parts of
the county, at least the suburban
area, and especially in the Takoma
Park section. How many there are
cannot be estimated with any degree
Of accuracy. The figure Of 200 was
a guess by a county official in a
position to know.
Fostered by Depression.
Their origin goes back to depres-
sion days. five or six years ago, when
inexpensive one and two room
apartments were in great demand.
Their number has increased i'm
perceptibly until in some sections,
according to one estimate, four out
of five houses formerly occupied by
one family, and still in areas zoned
for one-family dwellings, accom-
modate two or three, and even four
families.
Feeling the pinch of the depres-
sion, q homeowner may have taken
in a roomer, which is lawful in any
part Of the county. It is only a
step to converting a room into a
kitchen by installing sink, and
renting it with an adjoining bed
room as a two-room apartment. No
building permit is required unless
remodeling is done. A permit must
be secured from the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission to
install plumbing, but with only one
inspector for a whole county, it is
impossible to check up on each ap-
plication. In many cases, plumbing
may have been installed without a
permit at all.
Neighbors Silent.
Neighbors, realizing the home
owner might lose his house unless
he could supplement his income by
renting out part Of it, were reluctant
to complain despite the violation of
the zoning laws Unless a permit
for remodeling was asked, the in
fraction was in little danger Of COM
ing to the official attention of
county officers.
When the Park and Planning
Commission was created in 1928, all
properties then being maintained
not in conformity with the estab-
lished coming were permitted to
continue in "non-conforming" use,
but could not be enlarged or ex-
tended. The county boards new
recommendation would grant the
same grace to apartments or stores
which have come into existence
since that time, in violation Of zon-.
ing restrictions.
Suit Ties Up Funds.
The park and planning commits
sion has been allotted 100000 Of
Federal funds to buy park land,
$500, 900 worth in Montgomery and
$500, 900 In Prince Georges County.
It cannot get the money while a suit
challenging the commissions con-
filed last year by Peter
Fritz, proprietor of the Log Cabin
Inn at Wheaton, Md, is pending.
If the county boards recommends
ton is adopted, the Log Cabin Inn,
which is located in a residential
area, can operate in "non-conform-
ing" use. His suit can be settled
and, with this threat to its existence
disposed of, the commission can get
its money for park land. In sane
tioning the use of the Log Cabin Inn
the commission also will be sanction
ing the ZOO ar more "bootlep" apart-
ments, and any other commercial
enterprises, the whereabouts Of
which to the county omcials may be
unknown.