Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-15

Area Reported
.Undeveloped
Lond Use Study to
Guide Master Plan
For Montgomery


Despite Montgomery County's
tremendous population growth
OF the post war years, less than 8
per cent of its $40 square miles
is being used for residential, in.
.dustrial and commercial pur-
poses.
Those are the findings of a
Land Use Report, submitted to
the County Council yesterday by
the Upper Montgomery County
Planning Commission.
In the Upper County, con-
sisting of $50 square miles, there
are some 195,800 acres of farm
land, devoted to crops, woods
and pastures.
The Upper County has only
2,243 acres occupied by resi-
dences. 400 acres of industrial
land, including airports, and IS
acres of commercial develop
rnent.
4S Basis for Master Plan.
The land use report will be
used i'll preparing compre-
hensive master plan and ulti.
mately coming plan for the rural
areas, the commission said.
Commission Chairman Thomas
c. Kelley made it clear the
planners intend to preserve the
rural aspect of the Upper Coun-
ty district.
lit has also assumed the re-
sponsibility of directing that
(master) plan toward the uses
for which the citizens already
have shown their preference"
he said.
Release of the plan came just
nine days before a scheduled
hearing on a proposed Tempo
rary zoning ordinance for the
Upper County, which would put
a freeze on new developments
but would permit present in
dustrial, commercial and resi-
Dental areas to expand.
6 Per Cent Vacant Land.
Planning Engineer Harold
Taubin. in presenting the report
to the Council, said 80 per cent
OF the rural area is being used
for agricultural purposes. An
other 6 per cent is vacant land.
he said.
"The areas opportunities for
planning are indescribable," he
said. THE mistakes just have
not been made yet"
Mr.. Kelley said the commits
sion is aware that the orderly
growth pf residential, cons,
merciaf ana Industrial uses
Ought not be deferred, only
guided"
The 77-page report, printed
and bound in the county build
ing, was prepored under the
direction. of Miss Nancy Setright,
assistant planning engineer.
The survey is the result of two
years of work, which began with
field studies in 1852.
Vast Area Still Open.
Two-thirds of the suburban
area, under jurisdiction of the
Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, is
still open, the rural planners
noted.
The upper county commission
often has said it believes the
farm land of its district should
be protected against residential
and commercial encroachment.
Since 1910 the commission
said, the percentage of farms
having more than SO acres has
steadily increased. Only 80 per
cent are smaller than so acres.
The average size in 1850 was
1873 acres.
More Cattle Raising.
Urbanization in the lower
county has created competition
for land and priced many farm
erS out of the land market, the
commission said. 1t also has
drained labor away from the
farms with better job oppor-
tunitieS, it added.
The acreage devoted to crops
has been on the downgrade since
about 1900. Cattle-raising, how
ever, has climbed, especially dur
ing the last Is years, primarily
because it produces a higher net
return per acre, the commission
said.
Copies of the land use report
are available at the commission
Office at the county building,
Rockville. Some 1000 copies
/,