Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-18
bethesdaC ofC.
Board Endorses
Land Use Plan
Offers Suggestions
To Provide for Towns
Expected Growth

Lie master plan OF land use Tor
the Bethesda business district as
proposed recently by the Maryland
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission was Endorsed last night
by the Board of Directors of the
Bethesda Chamber of Commerce,
With number of amendments.
The plan is a good one, the board
believed, but does not make ade-
quate provision for the expected
growth of Bethesda over the next
10 years.
The commissions plan proposed
the commercialization of the Wood
mont triangle, between Georgetown
road and Wisconsin avenue, north
to Rugby avenue. The chamber
feels this commercialization should
be extended north and west to Bat
terry lane.
The area designated for apart
ments on the original plan is not
sufficient, the chamber feels. 1t
therefore recommends the rezoning
to residential C of the tract of land
lying between Brooke avenue and
the Woodmont Country Club. A
proposed street between Battery
lane and Auburn avenue Is recon-.
mended for elimination.
Other Recommendations.
The chamber also recommends
the commercialization of that Sec
ton of Edgemoor lying west of
Wisconsin avenue, between Hamp-
den lane and Georgetown road, to
a point halfway between Wisconsin
avenue and Arlington road. The
other half of this tract east of Ar
lington road is recommended for
residential c.
On the east side of Wisconsin
avenue in the two blocks bounded
by East-West highway, Waverly
street and the railroad tracks. COM
liberalization is asked of what is
now residential A property. The
chamber concurreG in the commits
SONS plan to zone for apartments
on both sides of East-West highway
to the parochial school on the north
and one block beyond the parochial
school on the south. Apartment
coming is also recommended for the
south side of Montgomery avenue
to a block beyond the parochial
school,
The present commercial status Of
the Miller tract on Arlington road,
recommended by the park commits
sion for apartment house use, should
be maintained, the chamber feels.
The owner of this land has definite
plans for its commercial develop
ment and change in coming would
effect hardship. it is pointed out.
Parking Lot Stand Reversed.
The shallowness of existing COM
mercial coming on Wisconsin avenue
and Georgetown road is deplored by
the chamber and it is suggested that
this be remedied in future applica-
ton for deeper coming in cases
where large commercial develop
ments make greater depth desir-
able.
Reversing its stand on public park
ing lots the chamber asked a recon-
sideration of the proposal made last
year that public parking lots be
acquired and paid for locally, as is
now the practice in Silver Spring.
The temporary nature of some of
the public parking lots now available
is pointed out as one of the reasons
for the chambers reversal of policy.
1t is recommended that where the
plan, as now constituted, would re-
suit in unreasonable hardships to
individual property owners. such
owners should be given the max
| lmum of consideration and CO.
| operation.
The recommendations for amend
ments to the commissions plan were
brought before the board by Will
liam K. Hodges and Edward L.
Stock, jr.. co-chairmen of the Com
mercial DEVELOPMENT Committee