Evening star., 1954-11-23
Shopping Cenier
Layouts Urged for
Nearby Maryland

NGuiUy TulYiuHu
Nearby Maryland could nearly
double its cash register take by
1860 with sufficient commercial
zoning and proper layout Of new
shopping centers, according to
DR.. Homer Hoyt.
BY 1860 merchants will have
q potential Of $3.50 million an
aually in Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties If they
can lure shoppers from down.
town Washington. he says.
And 20 years later Montgom-
cry sales alone could be 1886
million while Prince Georges
businessmen were ringing up an
other $506 million.
To do this. Montgomery will
need a maximum Of 1850 acres
Of commercially zoned land in
1860 compared with less than 6S5
acres now zoned for business
enterprises. BY 1880 Montgora-
cry will need 1,618 acres or COM
mercial land.
Estimates for Prince Georges.
DR.. Hoyt estimates Prince
Georges would need 881 acres
in 1860 and 1926 In 1880.
DR.. Hoyt's recommendations
are based on the establishment
Of shopping centers with ade-
quate parking provided at al
most the front door Of a store
with auto and pedestrian traffic
separated.
1T is Of vital Importance,
however, that excessive amounts
Of land not be zoned for COM
mercial use. for such overzon-
ing will only encourage false
hopes and lead to keeping land
out OF It's best use," DR.. Hoyt
said. His maximums, however.
were described as guideposts.
He said there was q need for
q new regional shopping center
in both Montgomery and Prince
Georges.
New centers, he warned. must
either obtain their business from
the growth Of population-ex-
pected to continue soaring in
the suburbs--or else by taking
away trade from established
centers.
To Cut Into Trade.
In both counties the popula-
ton growth will provide the
business as we'll as the cutting
into trade now going into the
District, he added.
Prince Georges has no prob
lem in creating regional CEN
ter. he said, because there is
none existing which would be
threatened by it.
But in Montgomery, he
warned there is a problem,
posed chiefly by established CEN
ters which must not be weak
ened.
Silver Spring, which in 1852
repeatedly rang up sales totaling
$84 million, might overcome its
present space limitations by
building large parking garages
and by expanding its business
district.
The Silver Spring center, DR..
Hoyt said, is one of the top
ranking outlying shopping CEN
ters in the country and has
the advantage of possessing
the largest nucleus of depart
ment, shoe, clothing and furni-
ture stores in the suburbs.
DR.. Hoyt reminded both Mont
gomery and Prince Georges
that they still were losing po-
tential sales to the District.
Great Gain Since 1948.
He pointed out that until only
recently the outlying business
centers were entirely subordinate
to the F street business area. In
1948, the District got some $157
million of the total $182 million
spent in Metropolitan Area de-
partment and general merchan-
disc stores. Montgomery got S
per cent and Prince Georges only
a little over a half of per cent.
BY 1858, however. Montgomery
was getting more than half of
the department store purchases
being made by county residents.
In recommending increased
coming, DR.. Hoyt cited Arlington
County's three-way split of its
major shopping centers as an
example not to follow. While
the two major department stores
involved are doing about $40 mil
lion-a-year business, most Of the
smaller stores have a "very low
sales volume" he said. {
Freeway to Foster Buildings.
DR.. Hoyt said that the proposed
inter- county belt freeway will