Evening star., 1941-10-22
CountyWeighs
Rockville Pike
Rezoning Case
Property Owners
Soy Move Would
Ruin Areas Beauty
BY Staff Correspondent of The Star.

BY Staff Correspondent of The Star.
ROCKVILLE, Md, Oct. 22.-The
county commissioners yeste lay
heard arguments in opposition to
the proposed rezoning from resi-
dental A to commercial D of
strip of land 800 feet long next to
the Congressional Airport on the
Rockville pike.
The petition. for the coming change
was presented by James H. Pugh,
agent for Peter Wagner, owner Of
the property, located on the west
side of the pike Request for the
rezoning originally was filed last
summer but was withdrawn by Mr.,
Pugh before action was taken py the
commissioners.
Attorney Thomas M. Anderson,
former Juvenile Court judge, ap-
pearing on behalf of Mrs. Joseph H.
Bradley and Miss Mary P. Bradley,
owners of property Immediately ad-
jacent to the land in question, MAIN
tained that the reZoning of the land
for commercial use would tend to
destroy the beauty of the road
Sees Areas Beauty Periled.
IF this request is granted he
said. similar rezoning petitions will
be filed for other property on the
road until its entire beauty is lost
Mr.. Pugh told the commissioners
he would be willing to accept the
designation by them of 150-foot
setback from the center of the road
as residential A with the remaining
$50 feet depth of the land as COM
mercial D.
Mrs. Philander Johnson, owner of
property across the road, was rep
resented by James c. Christopher,
who took practically no part in
the proceedings. The commissioners
postponed action and took the mat
ter under advisement.
The board approved the appoint
ment by Sheriff H. Leslie Carlin Of
H. Windsor Adams, 4704 West Vir-
ginia avenue, Bethesda, as a deputy
sheriff assigned to the Bethesda
Police Court. Mr. Adams will re-
ceive an annual salary of $500.
Apartment Held Logical.
Later during the day, the COM
missioners heard opposition to the
proposed rezoning from residential
A to C of property bounded by Ellis
worth drive. Pershing drive and
Fenton street in Silver Spring. Md.
The hearing was held in the Silver
Spring Dispensary Building.
Phil D. Poston, agent for the
owners of the land, contended that
it is entirely surrounded by apart
ment houses at present and that
erection of an apartment on the lot
rs the only logical use to which 1t
can be put" The land comprises
approximately $4,000 square feet.
Members of the Silver Spring
Citizens Association. however, ap-
pearing in opposition to the re-
zoning, claimed that construction
of an apartment house on the land
would cause financial loss to nearby
residents as we'll as create traffic
hazards in the area.
Home Owners Protest.
DR.. j. NJ. Matson, whose house
is adjacent to the lot, told the COM
missioners he would be forced to
move if the rezoning request were
granted and an apartment were
built on the land.
Claiming that DR. Matson at
tempted to buy the lot from its own
ers and was refused. Stephen Tuhy,
jr., president of the association,
presented a petition signed by home
owners nearby opposing the recon-
ing petition.
Others who spoke against the pc
tition were DR.. C. w. Reese. Milton
Conn. Robert Gaylor and Mrs. H.
j. Toner, all of whom said they live
in the immediate territory of the
lot.
The commissioners took the mat
ter under advisement.