Evening star., 1953-02-15
Park Planning
Referendum Is
Under Study
Lofstrund Considers
Public Vote on Issue
OfAboIishing Agency
fHE SUNDAY STAR
= Washington, q. c.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY is, 1853
By Gene Goodwin
Star Sfoff Correspondent

ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 14.-Sena-
tor Anders r. Lofstrand, Re-
publican. Of Montgomery Coun-
ty, is seriously weighing" a
referendum on whether the
Maryland-National Capital Park
and Planning Commission should
be abolished.
The question. he suggested,
should be whether to kill the
planning agency and transfer
its functions to the County
Council, or retain it and extend
its jurisdiction throughout the
entire county.
The first of the Senator's al
ternatives is the aim of a bill
introduced in the General As
Sembly by the joint Montgom-
cry and Prince Georges dele
cations. A hearing on that
measure, scheduled to be held
in the State House at 4 pm.
Thursday. is expected to draw
q capacity crowd.
Revealed at Press Farley.
Senator Lofstrand, who has
held back support Of the bill
put in by his area colleagues,
tossed out his referendum idea
in a statement to reporters
today.
He said he believes that what
ever the General Assembly does
with the planning commission
bill there will be great dis
satisfaction on both Sides"
At the same time, the Senator
released two documents sup
porting his tentative opposition
to the controversial legislation.
One was a letter from Joseph
D. Lohman, chairman of the
National Capital Planning Com
mission, expressing fear that
abolishing the present planning
agency would jeopardize Fed
eral aid for park lands in the
suburban area.
Says Aid Isn't Involved.
Montgomery County Attorney
David Macdonald, who drafted
the bill, had said previously that
he went into that question and
is convinced that Federal aid
under the 1880 Capper- -Cramton
Act would not be affected.
However, Mr.. Lohman's letter |
states that "any change in the |
status of the commission might |
affect the market value" of the
SIS million in Capper -Cramton
bonds contributed to the plan
ming agency for park lands. and
reduce the security given the
United States for the loans"
Furthermore" the letter says,
"the program for acquisition of
land is currently at a critical
stage which would be made more
critical by the delays of reor-
ganiZation."
Mr.. Lohman also states that
his recently established commits
sion can be more effective. he
believes, with one regional plan
ming group for the entire SUBJ
urban area of Washington.
The planning commission
now has jurisdiction over the
urban area of both Montgomery
and Prince Georges. It is a
State-controlled group, estab-
lished by the Legislature in 1927.
Cites COP Platform.
The second document Senator
Lofstrand showed was a copy of
the 1850 Republican platform for
Montgomery. often cited as one
reason the all-Republican county
delegation should push for aboli-
tion Of the planning commission.
The platform pledges the party
to transfer building and electri-
cal inspection from the commits
sion to the county, which has
been done. and to do the same
for the recreation program, which
is in the process Of being trans
feTTed
But it says nothing about
aboliShing the commission and
transferring all of its functions
to the County Council as is con-
templated in this bill," the Sen
ator declared.