Evening star., 1945-01-30
Planners Urge
0ff-Street
Parking Areas
Would Be Set Up
In Silver Spring
And Bethesda

And Bethesda
The Montgomery County Postwar
Planning Committee today was on
record as favoring establishment of
publicly operated off-street parking
facilities in the Silver Spring and
Bethesda business districts.
The proposal, approved by the
committee at its meeting last night
in the Woodside Elementary School,
now goes before the county COM
missioners.
As approved by the committee, the
resolution calls for creation at the
present session of the State Legisla-
ture of two special taxing areas in
the business districts, involved in
which a tax not to exceed 20 per
cent Of the annual real estate levy
would be imposed.
Would Raise $4,000 a Year.
This tax, estimated to produce ap-
proximately $4,000 a year in each
of the two districts, would be used
to liquidate county bonds issued for
the purchase of the necessary land
Only land occupied by existing
commercial or industrial develop
ments in the two districts would be
subject to the full 20 per cent tax
A 10 per cent tax would be levied on
land zoned for commercial or in
dustrial purposes but which is vacant
or otherwise used.
No tax would be imposed on land
zoned for residential purposes or on
commercial and industrial property
within the tax zone if the owner
already has provided adequate park
ing facilities.
In addition, the Maryland-Na-
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission was requested to make
a traffic survey of the two business
districts to determine whether park
ing meters are needed. The results
of the survey would be submitted
to the County commissioners, who
would be authorized to install such
meters where needed. Revenue from
the parking meters would go into
the public parking fund and would
be used to defray expenses of oper-
ating the off-street parking lots.
Ask for Parking Plan.
The committee also requested the
commission to prepare a parking
plan for the two business districts
as part of it's master land use plan
for the county.
Col. Alvin w. Barber, who op-
posed the proposal, contended that
the needs of the two communities
would be better served by proper
of present on-street park
ing and by the establishment of
parking meters. Opposition also
was voiced by Roy Coffman, Silver
Spring real estate dealer.
1t. Col. E. Brooke Lee, chairman
of the committee, whose amend
ment increasing the 10 per cent tax
in the original resolution to 20 per
cent was approved, explained that
the plan would result in an increase
Of approximately 40 cents in the
tax rate for business Adjustments
in the two districts. The present
rate is about 1920 per 500, he said.
Three proposed amendments by
Col. Lee to the county zoning ordi-
nance were referred to the Land
Use Committee. One proposal would
give greater elasticity to apartment
house regulations.
Other Zoning Proposals.
Another would require a larger
lot area for outlying or undeveloped
areas in the suburban district of
the county and the third recon-
mends that at least two types of
commercial zoning be set up.
The Planning Committee ap-
proved a resolution by Col. Lee ex-
tending the boundaries of the Wash
lngton suburban sanitary district
TO include areas which should log
ically be part of the immediate
postwar home construction avail
ability of suburban Montgomery
County"
A resolution by Joseph B. Matre
providing that the county "encour-
age" construction of single-family,
owner-occupied homes and dis
courage" multi-family, tenant-occu-
pied dwellings was referred to the
Land Use Committee.
The next meeting of the Plan
ming Committee will be held at 8
pm, February 6, at the Bethesda
Elementary School