Evening star., 1950-07-27
Easing Of County
Rooniing-House
Rulings Urged
Blair Lee Repeats
Plea for Relaxing
Of Zoning Law

For the second time in week
Montgomery County officials have
been urged to ease up on prose-
cutting single-family homeowners
having one or two roomerS in vio-
lation of the zoning law.
The request, made originally last
Friday in a letter to the County
Council from Blair Lee, III, vice
chairman of the Maryland-Na-
t;onal Capital Park and Planning
Commission, was repeated by him
yesterday.
He also recommended again
that strict enforcement of the law
in such cases be held in abey-
ance" pending completion by the
commission of a revised zoning
ordinance.
Stand of Council Head.
Last Tuesday, Council President
Frederic P. Lee served notice that
as far as he was concerned, the ban
on roomers in a residential zone
will continue to be enforced.
He also accused the planning
commission of being Inconsistent"
in the question of zoning enforce
ment because it was that agency
which drafted the law.
In a two-page statement, the
commission vice chairman pointed
out that both his agency and its
Citizens Advisory Committee have
approved a provision in the pro-
posed new ordinance that would
permit homeowners in all resi-
dental zones to take in at least
two roomers as a home occupa-
tion."
Houses containing a larger
number of roomers would be
classified as commercial rooming
houses and would not be per-
mitted in single-family. detached
home zones, he said.
Sees No Reason for Change.
1--WE fail to see," he declared,
"why it would not be reasonable
for the county government to
suspend it's prosecution of home
owners with one. or two roomers
until the new ordinance is en-
acted"
At the same time, the planning
commission official denied the
charge last Tuesday by Council
man j. Douglas Bradshaw that
the planning agency has COM
pleted a master zoning plan for
Takoma Park but is withholding
its release because of the Novem-
Der election.
Such charge, he said, ''is conl-
pletely without substance in ad-
dition to being silly on the face
of it."
obviously. the Takona Park
coming plan cannot be prepared
until the new zoning ordinance
is enacted by the council" Mr.
Lee declared.
He added the commission hopes
to submit the final draft of it's
recommended. ordinance to the
council within a month.
Refers To Violations
Referring to reports of zoning
violations in Takoma Park, he
said the practice of converting
many of the city's homes into
apartments was "winked at" dur
ing the war by the county, the
planning commission and the mu-
nicipality itself.
eff these big, old houses were
suddenly to be forced into simon
pure conformity with the zoning
ordinance" he said, "the housing
and economic dislocation would
be terrific.
"On the other hand, if they
were to be blanketed into an apart
ment zone, it would mean that
persons who have observed the
zoning law in Takoma Park would
be penalized, while those who
have violated it would be bene-
f1ted."
In the meantime, he said, the
commission staff has been ordered
to stop work on the Takoma Park
zoning plan and all other sectional
zoning plans until the new zon-
ing ordinance is completed.
"I assume the County Council
will preserve the status quo in
Takoma Park in the interim" he
asserted.