Evening star., 1953-08-07
Planners Asked
To Revise Stand
On Belt Route
Montgomery Groups
Condemn Use of Park
Area for Highway

NbSS W. t'S""S/
Two Maryland citizen groups
today urged the National Capt.
tai Planning Commission to re-
verse its approval of the use Of
Maryland portions of Rock Creek
Park between Wisconsin avenue
and Forest Glen as the route for
an intercounty belt highway.
The park area involved is the
same that the Maryland State
Roads Commission proposes to
use for the controversial path
of the southeast leg of route 240
into Washington.
The planning commission has
approved use of the park stretch
for the belt highway running
across Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties but opposes its
use for the Washington-bound
route 240.
Dead-End at Park.
The Roads Commission pro-
poses to bring a leg of 240
through the park to dead-end
temporarily at the East-West
highway. It's plan is that the
District Highway Department
later should continue the road
through the District part of Rock
Creek Park to downtown WASH
ington.
The Planning Commission pro-
poses that the 240 leg be brought
southwark only to the Maryland
park section and there tie in
with the inter-county belt.
Today, however, the planners
considered requests from the
Rock Greek Hills and Parkwood
Citizens Association asking that
the park stretch be outlawed for
the inter-county as we'll as the
Route 240 highways.
Both the associations represent
citizens living in the area north
of Rock Creek Park between
Forest Glen and Wisconsin ave-
nue..
Say Same Objections Apply.
Both groups contended that
the same reasons which brought
commission opposition to the
Route 240 proposal should also
apply to the belt route.
1.-The position Of the national
commission on the two highways
is inconsistent and we feel that
the decisions should be made to
conform" the Rock Creek Hills
group wrote.
The Parkwood group also
raised a legal question in It's
petition.
It said that part of the pres
ent park section south of Park
wood was sold to the Maryland
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission by the devel-
opers of Parkwood in 1888 with
the understanding that the pur-
chase land would be developed
"as a parkway to be used and
maintained as part Of the Rock
Greek Park system. :"
Urge Reversal.
The Parkwood group said it
did not believe the Federal plan
ners would have approved the
inter-county belt proposal If it
had known Of the contractual
restrictions and urged a reversal
of its approval.
The Parkwood citizens said
they had purchased their home
"for the very reason that they
did join the park, and in reliance
upon the expectation that the
park would ever so remain"
Blair Lee III, executive secre-
tary of the Planning Commits
sion. proposed that the citizen
groups be told that "the only
possible alternative to the pres
ent belt route would be some
thing outside the park which
would go smack through both
their subdivisions"
The commission, however, de-
cided instead to conduct staff
studies and to take no imme-
diate action on the petitions.
Favor Staff ParIeys.
The commission also voted to
press for staff conferences be-
tween all Washington area park,
planning and road-building
agencies in an effort to resolve
differences over the Route 240
! issue.
officials said groups repre-
sented in such conferences should
include the Maryland planners.
the State Roads Commission, the
District Highway Department
and the Office of National Parks.
In another action, the planners
voted to reconsider sites for fu-
ture public housing projects here.
Such review was requested this
week by Chairman Case of the
Senate District Committee. He
suggested that changing condi-
tions since the sites were ap-
proved might make changes de-
Sirable.
James Ring. head of the Ma
tional Capital Housing Authority.
told the planners that six sites.
on which construction has not
yet started, would be involved in
the review. They include pro-
posed downtown projects in
Northwest, Southwest and South
east and three proposed projects
in outlying sections of the city.
Appeals Court UphoIds
Conviction Of Naturopaih
The Municipal Court of APP
=