Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-14
Farley Explores
Building Up Of
County Area
Southern Section OF
Prince Georges Nay
Get Voter, Sewers

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Home builders in Southern
Prince Georges County. an area
within quick committing distance
of Washington but which has
remained relatively undeveloped
because OF a lack Of sewer and
water facilities, were told yes
terday that State and county
health. sanitation and planning
agencies are now interested In
their section.
The neglected area was dis
cussed by officials of the Mary
land Department of Health in
a closed meeting yesterday with
representatives of the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commits
sion. the Maryland National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission, the Prince Georges
County commissioners and the
Interstate Commission on the
Potomac River Basin.
According to Robert M. Brown.
chief of the State Health De-
partment Bureau OF Environ
mental Hygiene. who headed the
conference. the officials discussed
extension Of Washington Subur-
ban Sanitary Commission sewer
and water lines to the area.
Master Plan May Unfold.
Builders representatives and
the press were excluded from
the two-hour meeting in Upper
Marlboro, which was called
merely an exploratory discus
sion" But afterward Mr.. Brown
said the meeting marked the
beginning of talks that may lead
to master plan of development
in the southern end of the
county.
"Out of this may come some
comprehensive plan for that
part of the county" he told
reporters.
The meeting was called by
Mr.. Brown after the announce
ment of plans for privately
financed water and sewer sys-
TENS at the proposed 4,000-lome
Hoffman City project near
Brandywine and two other sub
divisions closer to Washington
where an additional 500 homes
are to be built.
Hoffman City and the two
other projects, Fort Washing
ton Forest and Fort Washington
Estates, are outside the present
jurisdictions of the sanitary and
planning commissions. But the
conferees yesterday conceded
they were talking in terms of
extending the jurisdiction of
the two agencies to include all
OF Prince Georges County and
possibly asking the builders to
hold up their water and sewer
plans until this could be &C.
complished.
Objections Forecast.
The extension would be a con-
troversial one, Spokesman said,
because taxpayers in the heavily
developed areas near the Dis
trict would have to help support
the less densely populated area.
One official Of the sanitary COM
mission. however. said he thought
some plan could be worked out
to overcome that objection. The
proposal will be presented to the
General Assembly next month,
the official said.
The Sanitary Commission will
meet with the legislative delega-
lions of both Prince Georges and
Montgomery Counties at 8 pm.
tomorrow. The extension prob
ably will be discussed then.
AS it stands now, the State
Health Department is the only
agency with control over public
facilities outside the Sanitary
and Planning Commission areas.
Even the Maryland Public Serv-
ice Commission has no author
ity over privately owned sewer
systems. according to Mr..
Brown.
Proposed Bridge . Factor.
The sudden interest of the
agencies in the Prince Georges
area follows the widening OF
Route 5 and announcement OF
the proposed Jones Point bridge
across the Potomac River to
Alexandra.
j. K. Williams, an official OF
Fort Washington Forest, said he
was told last October that q
State Health Department engi-
neer had approved his plans for
a $50. 1000 sewage disposal sys-
TEN and would recommend ap-
prevail by the State Board OF
Health on October 20.
But no inspector has come te
look at the site. he said, and he
Is still waiting to find out
whether the board has approved
Ofncials Of Hoffman City sale
they plan to go ahead s.if they
don't put any more obstacles In
our path"
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