Evening star., 1946-12-19
Residents Fight
Housing Units
At Bannockburn
Zonine Petition Token
Under Advisement at
Montgomery Hearing

Montgomery Hearing
Virtually unanimous opposition
by residents of the Bannockburn.
Fairway Hills-Glen Echo areas to
a petition to rezone parts of the
124-acre Bannockburn Golf Club fol
apartment house and commercial
use featured a two-hour hearing
yesterday before the Montgomery
County commissioners in the Be-
thesda County Building. r
The petition, along with 18 others
affecting property in the Bethesda
Chevy Chase area, was taken under
advisement.
Bannockburn Co-operators, Inc.
owner of the golf club tract, pro-
poses to convert the property into
a community of detached homes,
duplex dwellings, apartment houses
and a shopping center in a gar
den" setting of trees and park land
Opponents centered their argu-
ments on the contention that the
project would reduce the value OF
neighboring homes and result in
increased congestion, thus creating
a traffic hazard.
Would Cost $4,000, 900.
They also claimed that members
of the cooperative could give no
assurances of adequate financial
support to complete the project, the
cost of which was estimated at
s6,000,000 by James w. Gill, attor-
ney for the applicant.
Declaring the county in general
consists of single-family homes,
John r. Reeves, Bethesda attorney
representing residents of adjoining
subdivisions, asserted:
1--WE have no guarantee that this
Ian will be carried through if the
ezoning is approved. In addition,
he petitioner has put no covenants
the deeds TO the property to pro-
5ect homeowners in the area,
Earl S. Draper, Bannockburn, for
mer deputy commissioner of the
Federal Housing Administration,
said the area is too small to serve
as q, site for such an ambitious"
project. He added that favorable
action by the commissioners would
set precedent for the owner of
every 100-acre tract in the county.
Another Site Suggested.
He also said it would be extremely
hazardous" from q financial view
point to open the tract to elevator
apartments in such an "out-of-the-
way" location. He suggested the
River road and Wilson lane area as
a much better" location. The Ban
nockburn Golf Club is at MacArther
boulevard and Wilson lane.
"This project doesn't have very
good chance of financial success" he
said. "And even if the cooperative
goes into bankruptcy, no court will
force the completion of the project.
As result, the land will be sold to
creditors and viii remain blighted
area"
Petitions opposing the application
were presented by Joseph H. Sheehy,
president of the Woodacres Citi-
zens' Association; Cleveland Nor
cross, president of the Bannockburn
Citizens Association, and Howard
Graham, president of the Fairway
Hills Citizens Association. Mr..
Reeves submitted a petition signed
by approximately so Glen Echo resi-
dents.
Mr.. Gill requested that the ap-
plication be amended to reclassify
only 40, instead of the rs acres OF
tthe 124-acre total.
Subdivision Promised.
He said the applicant has agreed
to subdivide land facing Bannock-
burn Heights and Fairway Hills in
a manner similar to lots in the two
DEVELOPMENTS. Homes on the lots,
he said, will be built to "harmonize"
with those in adjoining subdivisions.
1--WE are willing to dedicate a
strip along Wilson lane to provide
for its widening, a 7-acre tract
to provide for the extension Of
Massachusetts, avenue through the
property and we will give to the
Board of Education a 5-acre school
site at no expense" Mr.. Gill
. said. A 30-acre park also will be de-
veloped on the golf course, he as
serted.
Mr.. Gill emphasized that only
about eight of the 40 acres for which
rezoning is requested will be occu-
pied by apartment houses, duplex
homes, driveways and parking sites.
If construction does not begin within
the next three years, Mr.. Gill prom
ised, the petitioner will seek to have
the property rezoned back to resi-
Dental A. @
Would House 500 Families.
Declaring that the average popu-
lation density on the project will be
less than five families per acre, Mr.
Gill said it is planned to build three
large apartment buildings to house
about $50 families and 40 smaller
duplex-type buildings with a shop
ping center in the middle of the
project. The entire area would be
surrounded by fringe of single
family homes. Only about SOC
families would occupy the entire
project, which also would have 9
swimming pool, he haid.
:. 'sThis cooperative is a Maryland
corporation" Mr.. Gill said, (which
is In business for the purpose of pro.
yiding homes for its stockholders
They are all highly placed, we'll
salaried Federal employees who art
just as good as the Federal workers
In the county now who have made
this county great. They have 6
right to come here and build theil
own homes"
An alternative to the proposed
plan, according to Mr.. Gill, would be
the subdividing of the. land into
lots having a 60-foot frontage ano
a 100-foot depth. Such a plan, hi
pointed out, would bring more peo.
pie into the area than the requested
Fezoning.
Hugh Pomeroy, planning director
of Westchester County, N. Y.
termed the plan a Sound one ol
the greatest merit" It also wa.