Evening star., 1945-11-26
2Groups Differ
On Chevy Chase
Apartment Plan
Businessmen Urge
And Residents Hit
Project at Hearing

the CHEVY Chase Businessmen s
Association today carried to the
Zoning Commission its arguments
favoring construction OF a $4,000, ,00O
apartment and store project on the
east side of Connecticut avenue, be-
tween Oliver and Northampton
streets NV. The site is less thar,
a block from Chevy Chase Circle.
While no official of the Chevy
Chase Citizens Association ap-
peared to testify, opponents of the
plan said that organization had
gone on record against 1t recently
at a special meeting.
j. M. Heiser, president of the
business group, told the commits
sion 1t favored the proposal as "a
business proposition" There is no
space for expansion on the west
side Of the avenue where the pres
ent commercial development is To-
Gated. he said.
Declares Avenue Commercial.
I'VE are not living in the age OF
As years ago." Mr. Heiser said. Con-
necticut avenue is commercial"
Lawrence Koenigsberger, chair
man of the District Board of Tax
Appeals, told the commission that,
as resident of the area, he was
opposed to the plan. He charged
that the proposed site, where the
building is now vacant, had been
kept unoccupied 'for a purpose.
Mr.. Koenigsberger, who lives at
374s Mckinley street NV, charged
that an article appearing in the
Chevy Chase Citizen, apparently
favoring the project. actually was a
paid advertisement by the company
planning to build.
Other citizen opponents called the
move "reprehensible" effort to OBJ
tain rezoning of the residential area
east of the avenue. They said it
would break down covenants run
ming with the land which, among
other items, calls for residential oc-
cupation.
Benefit to Area Cited.
1t also was pointed out by op-
ponents that the area publication is
published by Mr.. Heiser.
Michael j. Keane, counsel for the
applicant, told the commission that
the present population of the area
east of Connecticut avenue requires
expansion of the present commercial
facilities. He said the proposed con-
struction, which would contain six
stores, is public convenience and
necessity. To reject it. he said,
would create monopoly for present
commercial enterprises in Chevy
Chase.
Mr.. Keane said that of the 55
stores now serving the $4,000 per-
sons in the general Chevy Chase
area, all are owned by l6 people and
81 by four persons. He said rents
there are in excess Of those obtained
by G street landlords.
Multiple Apartments Planned.
TA& application for rezoning from
residential 60-foot C to first COM
mercial 6o-foot c Is sought by the
st. Lo Construction Co., which pro-
poses to build an apartment house
Containing 140 multiple-room apart
ments with subterranean garages
providing for drive-in delivery for
the six stores which would be on the
ground floor of the building.
The commission today resumed
hearings begun last Wednesday on
q 25-case docket after covering only
l8 in the last all-day session. Sched-
uled to be heard later today were
the controversial Mclean Gardens
case, in which residents of the $l1,-
100000 housing development are
expected to testify in favor of sew
eral small commercial enterprises
that have grown up in the area in
violation Of zoning regulations, and
testimony on proposed zoning
amendments to extend to December
81, 1916, the wartime privilege of
taking in roomers in residential
areas.