Evening star., 1941-06-27
Segoe Urged
To Draft County
Master Zones
Cincinnati Expert
Recommended for
Montgomery Post

as the technical expert to draft
master zoning plan for Montgom-
cry County, it was disclosed at a
meeting of the county commission
ers yesterday at which a mora
torium" on certain types of rezoning
vas rescinded.
recommendation of Mr.. Segoe
vas made in letter to the COM
nissioners by Alfred Bettman OF
Cincinnati, legal and procedural eX-
pert on zoning matters. who was
offered a position as advisor In
drafting a master plan.
Mr.. Segoe was educated at the
universities of Budapest and at
Charlottenburg, in Germany. and
Is a member of the American 1nSti-
tute of Planners, the American So
ciety of Civil Engineers, the Insti-
tute and Traffic Engineers and a
score of planning and traffic and
research committees.
Now in Private Practice.
From 1926 to 1928 he initiated
and was first planning engineer of
the Cincinnati City Planning Com
mission. Since 1923 he has been a
consultant in private practice, and
has prepared regional plans, zoning
ordinances, housing studies and
similar projects in many Mid
western communities.
He was born in 1894, is the author
of Local Planning Administration"
text book for the International City
Managers Association, and is
former lecturer at the University
of Cincinnati and Harvard Uni
versity.
The moratorium on certain
types of rezoning in Montgomery
County, Nd. was rescinded today as
the commissioners prepared to pass
on petition to establish an apart
ment house classification in Sligo
Park Hills in Silver Spring tonight.
The commissioners called a special
meeting late yesterday afternoon to
rescind resolutions which had de-
clared the moratorium until after
a master city development plan had
been evolved for the suburban area
Of the county by Mr.. Bettman.
At o'clock tonight an adjourned
hearing is to be held in the Liquor
Control Building. Silver Spring, on
the request of Sligo Park Properties,
Inc, to change from residential A
to c tract adjacent to Sligo park
way.
Yesterdays meeting was called
after an executive conference had
been held between county organiza-
tion Democrats. including members
of the Board of Commissioners and
the Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, and Mr.
Bettman.
"LoOphOleS" in Moratorium.
The executive session is under
stood to have asked Mr Bettman to
attend and to give advice on re-
cent objections to the moratorium
which had been raised by the sub
committee on zoning of the Mont
gomery County Civic Fedora ton
The civic group contended the COM
missioners had left "loopholes" in
the moratorium which permitted
continued zoning action prior to the
adoption of the master plan.
In announcing the results of the
executive session, Thomas E. Hamp-
ton. president of the County Board
of Commissioners. yesterday pre-
sented two resolutions which he said
had been approved by Mr.. Bettman,
One of yesterdays measures re-
scinded the former moratorium res
olutlons which had also provided for
the employment of Mr.. Bettman at
$50 a day plus subsistence and trav-
cling expenses. The second measure
adopted yesterday requested the
services of Mr.. Bettman and a tech
nical assistant, but no provision was
made for the salary to be paid the
Cincinnati expert.
Both measures were adopted
unanimously with Commissioner
Walter Johnson absent, but only
after Commissioner Jone E. OXley
hesitated and asserted: Il don't like
to reverse myself this soon after we
have taken stand
Mr.. Hampton said that Mr.. Bett-
man expressed the opinion at the
conference that a moratorium should
not be adopted.
Experts Advice Sought.
Referring to the executive con-
ference which he did not attend,
Mr.. OXley asked: Don't you think
that this matter should have come
before the entire board rather than
before only a small group when it
is a non-political issue?"
Mr.. Bettman just happened to be
In town and we sought his advice, -
Mr.. Hampton replied He added
that since the adoption Of the
moratorium, some citizens have pro-
tested that they would be subject
to hardships if required to wait a
master plan which might take as
long as 18 months to develop.
A letter was read from Mr.. Bett-
man written June three days be-
fore the moratorium was declared
in which the expert wrote: Il
strongly advise that pending the
work of myself and the planning eX-
pert which it is the intention to
employ, there be a sort of mora
torium on zoning amendments
whether initiated by application or
petition.
The board can simply actually
practice this moratorium without
formally declaring it. If, however,
for policy or strategy reasons you
think it better that there be a
formal declaration of a moratorium
setting forth the reasons. see no
serious objections thereto
The civic federation itself was let
In for severe criticism from the
board, although Mr.. OXley voted no
when a vote was taken on approving
a letter drafted by Mr.. Hampton to
the zoning subcommittee.
Directed to Richard B. Barker.
chairman of the subcommittee, the
letter from the Commissioners said:
"We are in complete disagreement
with" the charge that chaos exists
in the present zoning in the county.
If such a belief is held by the civic
federation, Mr.. Hamptons letter