Evening star., 1947-12-19
Board Weighs
Silver Spring
zoning Problem
Opponents See Fight
Over Business Area
As Bottle of Bulge

spring business district should be
extended to Cedar street, Pershine
drive and Ellsworth drive, north OF
Fenton street, was being studied
today by the Montgomery County
Commissioners.
Seventeen petitions for commercial
classification of property. along the
three streets were among 29 zoning
applications on which hearings were
held yesterday before the commits
sioners in the Silver Spring Liquor
Dlspensary Building All were
taken under advisement.
The attempt to extend the busi-
ness district from its northern
boundary at Fenton street was
termed the battle of the bulge" BY
opponents. who presented a petition
signed by $50 area residents object
ing to rezoning.
Spearheading the fight was DR.
c. w. Rees, 8613 Cedar street, who
argued that favorabel action by the
commissioners would materially re-
duce the value of homes in the area. ;
Owners of the properties claimed
they are in an "unenviable position
because of their proximity to the
Hecht Co. parking lot between Fen
ton and Cedar streets.
Other speakers. including o. E
Megby, 7l6 Pershing drive. and
Milton Conn, 8615 Cedar street
said the parking lot is a great
improvement over the '-bramble'
patch which they said was there
before.
Clergyman Approves Move.
Another opponent, the Rev.
Joseph Deppe. representing St.
Michae's Church on Wayne avenue
and the Academy of the Holy
Names on Pershing drive. said
children attending the church
school and academy ARE entitled
to protection from the hazards
which will follow commercializa-
tion of the section"
Other opponents included sRalph
I. Boyd, chairman of the Zoning
Committee of the Allied Civic
Group of Silver Spring; Howard
Kline, chairman of the Citizens
Zoning Committee, and Joseph A
TouSsalnt, 8605 Cedar street.
The applicants, however, charged
that the master zoning plan which
places the business districts north.
ern boundry at Fenton street is moi
realistic" and that the commun.
tty's commercial area is bursting
at the seams"
One of the petitioners. Stepher
Tuhy, jr., 1906 Cedar street, as.
serted:
We worked hard to protect oul
homes. but after the Hecht CO
store was built. we realized we hac
lost our fight and that the residen
tia character, Of our area has beer
my children out OF the house be.
cause the stores parking lot is
right up against my back yard"
Another Petition Opposed.
Another petition opposed by near
by residents was the application OF
H. w. Stoehr and M G.. Hunteman
who sought the reclassif1cation from
residential A to commercial D OF
property at Luzerne and Georgia
avenues. Silver Spring The appel
ants said they planned to use the
house on the property as a. funeral
home.
James w. Gill. representing the
North Woodside- Montgomery Hill
Citizens Association, presented a
petition bearing the signatures OF
PIT home owners in opposition tc
the proposal. An additional IS op-
ponents appeared.
Sidney Lust, owner of a chain OF
theaters in Washington and nearby
Maryland. criticised the commits
sioners for approving an ordinance
last week regulating county open
air theaters without giving me an
opportunity to appear"
Mr.. Lust made his charges in ap-
pearing before the board on pc
tition seeking commercial zoning OF
10 acres at Wheaton He said he
had planned to build a drive-i
theater on the tract before the com
missioners passed the ordinance.
wv A~oe"Vu. hc says.
Mr.. Lust said he had not been
notified of the hearing at which
the ordinance was approved and
had not been given an opportunity
to reply to opposition arguments.
At the hearing last week, Juvenile
Court Judge Alfred D. Noyes said
open-air theaters were a contribut-
ing factor to juvenile delinquency.
The II petitions seeking CONNER
cial zoning in the Cedar street and
Pershing and Ellsworth drives area
were filed by:
j. S. and B. l. Cole. S. D. and H.R,
. Cole. j. w. and E. r. Kern. w. E.
and R. C. Marvel, Lillian A. and
Carl w, Humphries. jr, all of whom
own property facing Ellsworth drive
north of Fentcn street: T. J. and
E. M. McGrath. 900 Spring street,
and Mr.. and Mrs. Humphries, who
also own property at $50 Roeder
road.
Also J. A. and H F. Moloney, 1908
Cedar street; Irving C. and Gertrude
L. Gessford, 1910 Cedar street: Mr..
and Mrs. Tuhy. C. R. and D. L. Lam
dis. 1904 Cedar street: H. F. and
Nancy Canning. 1902 Cedar street.
Also William j. and L. M. Turner,
807 Pershing drive: Mrs. Tia M. Nc
Candlish, 809 Pershing drive; H. w.
and E. F. Silsby, 803 Pershing drive.
and Rosa c. Clark. 805 Pershing
drive.
Other Petitions Heard.
Other petitions heard were:
Raymond M. Scoville. residential A to
CONNIE rcial D of about one acre on the
west Branch ~
=, Former County Commissioner Richard
n. Lansdale, commercial D to industrial e
OF lano on the south side of the Ashton-
sandy Spring road at Sandy Spring
K. s. and Lucy Avadikian. residential A
TO commercial D of land at Price and
Georgia avenues, Wheaton
cara A, Carr, residential to CONNER
elal d of property on the south side of
the tsurel-Sandy Spring road at Spencer
Springbrook Forest. Inc, residential
to commercial D of about three acres at
the intersection Of the Glenmont- Coles
Charles scheffres, agent for Montgom-
cry Arms: Inc; residential c to CONNER
cial D of land at Fenton and Cameron