Evening star., 1947-08-26
Plan WouIdBaf
Renewedzoniinq
Pleas for Year
Agreement Reached
On New Policy at
Silver Spring Meeting

under new policy that was shaping
up today in Montgomery County.
At present requests may be renewed
after three months.
A decision to adopt this one-year
plan was agreed to last night by rep
resentatives of the Maryland Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission, the Board of County
Commissioners and County Super
visor I. G. McNayr.
They spoke at a protest meeting
of residents, most of them from the
Silver Spring area, who demanded
an end to the present practice of
having some rezoning requests
denied only to be renewed again
after a 9o-day lapse.
Cooperation Pledged.
Politics apparently was laid aside
as the four Republican members
of the Board of Commissioners, Mr..
McNayr and E. Brooke Lee, Vice
chairman of the planning commits
sion, who is the Democratic leader
of the area, pledged to cooperate
in carrying out the proposed policy.
Brooke Johns, president of the
commissioners, told the gathering IN
st. Michael'S Parish Hall, Silver
Spring, resolution carrying out the
one-year waiting requirement as an
amendment to the zoning code Will
be presented to his group for action.
Mr.. Lee disclosed proposed master
zoning plans for Georgia avenue
from Silver Spring through Brooke
vile, and for Colesville road from
Silver Spring through Ashton, will
be ready for distribution by the
planning commission September 9.
The planning official also revealed
that members of the planning staff
of the commission now are working
on master zoning plans for Mac
Arthur boulevard, White Oak-Laurel
road, and the land adjacent to the
Baltimore g. Ohio Railroad from
Garrett Park to Rockville. The staff
soon will begin work on similar plans
for Old Georgetown road from Be-
thesda to Halpine and the Layhill
pike from Glenmont to Sandy
Spring, he added. In addition, fu-
ture plans call for studies of a por-
ton of the Piney Branch road, east
of Flower avenue, and Old Bladens-
burg road, between Franklin avenue
and the Prince Georges County line.
Master Plans in Effect.
The park commissioner reported
master zoning plans already are in
effect in Silver Spring, Bethesda
Kensington and along the Rockville
pike from Bethesda to the town
limits of Rockville.
No additions are necessary to the
present commercial area in Silver
Spring, an area described as 1900
feet wide and running a mile from
the District line Mr.. Lee asserted.
Plans of the commission, he re-
vealed, call for no apartments north
of Silver Spring About 100 acres
of unimproved land in the COM
munity already is zoned for such
use, along with another so acres
near the vicinity of New Hampshire
avenue and University lane, just
over the Prince Georges County
line, he reported.
Commercial areas are planned, in
order, for Montgomery Hills, Wheat
on, Glenmont, Norbeck, Olney,
Brookeville and at the vicinity of
the intersection of Georgia avenue
with the extension of Connecticut
avenue, between Norbeck and
Brookeville. The rest of the county
would remain as residential or as
1t is al present, Mr.. Lee stated.
Details of some of the proposed
new zoning regulations were out
lined by Mr.. McNayr. They include
provisions that zoning hearings be
held in the vicinity of the place
where the change is sought and for
more advance publicity, including
advertising in county newspapers.
Agrees With Johns Plan.
He said he agreed with Mr.. Johns
plan for the commissioners to con-
tinue to hold zoning hearings every
three months, instead of twice
yearly as suggested by Citizens Zon-
ing Committee speakers.
Mr.. McNayr said the county could
not afford to remain strictly resi-
Dental as many would have it.
You are going to pay and con-
tinue to pay, if you want it strictly
residential" he declared. you've
got to have commercial and apart
ment zoning, or taxes are going to
go higher than the land owners can
afford"
Promising assistance of the COM
missioners, Mr.. Johns told the gath
ering the zoning problems "can be
Strengthened out in jiffy but
we must dismiss, certain political
feelings for the good of the
people in the county" He said he
favored good master zoning plan.
Other officials who spoke included
Commissioners o. w. Youngblood
and Wesley I Sauter, and J. Earnest
Hawkins, clerk to the commissioners.
Commissioner Ace Esworthy also
was present at the hearing.
Victor H. Richter, president of the
Allied Civic Group of Silver Spring,
figures on pending cases, cited
figures on the number of rezoning
cases pending before the commits
sioners which already had been de-
MED. OF the 40 applications now
pending, % previously were rejected,
and II of them less than 80 days
ago, he pointed out.
We've got to do something now
he said. Were not going to get
worn down, but we want to know
we don't have to fight again every
80 days to protect our residential
areas"
Other speakers included Samuel
H. Horne of Woodside Park; w. H.
Simpson, jr., Pinecrest; Roy Schnei-
ter, Seven Oaks Manor; Stephen
James, Linden; Dr. c. NJ Derry
berry, of Woodmore, secretary
treasurer of the citizens committee,
Frank j. Duane of Seven Oaks
Manor, and Donald K. Staley, pres
ident of the Silver Spring Board of
Trade, who, on behalf of merchants
of the community, opposed some of
the views EXPRESSED by other speak