Evening star., 1954-10-01
1Cheyy Chase
Area Rezonings
Stir Fight
400 at Meeting
Protest Intensified
Uses of Lund

More than 4OU BeCneSdas
Chevy Chase area residents
turned out last night to fight
proposals to intensity land uses
in their sections.
Residents Of Chevy Chase Sec
ton and Martins Addition to
Chevy Chase, armed with petit
tions signed by 279 persons. Bit
terly protested proposed COM
rezoning of a now resi-
dentially classified lot occupied
by the Brook Farm Restaurant.
Chevy Chase.
Attorney Kathryn j. Lawlor
told the Montgomery County
Council the rezoning would be
an intrusion into a residential
area and would be a wedge
for further commercial expan-
sion" into the neighborhood.
The restaurant. formerly q
teahouse. wants the rezoning so
it can expand its building size.
according to r. Duncan Clark,
attorney for the applicant, Mrs.
Beverly Davis.
Expansion Forbidden.
The restaurant is located at
Brookville road and Taylor street,
Chevy Chase. It is operated as a
non-conforming use and is not
permitted to expand its facilities.
The Maryland-National Capi-
tai Park and Planning Commits
sion recommended the council
delay a decision until after q
hearing on a proposal that would
permit certain types of restau-
rants in residential areas to make
building alterations.
Fred w. McGhan, chairman Of
the Citizens Committee of Mar
tins Addition. said that, if the
1.3-acre tract were rezoned to
commercial. the owners could use
it for any one of at least 40
business purposes.
Mrs. Lawlor also charged that
the requested area for rezoning
is twice the size of the present
non-conforming restaurant use.
She clashed sharply with Mr..
Clark over the effect a nearby
shopping area should have on the
application.
4 Mr.. Clark said the nearby area
provided grounds for granting
the application. Mrs. Lawlor re-
torted that the rezoning would
provide the wedge for extending
the business area into an all
residential block.
Fears for Values.
Horace E. Stevenson, 7102
Brookville road, said the proposed
rezoning would be a knockout
blow to values" of adjacent resi-
dental homes. M. v. Engelbach.
of 1903 Brookville road, said the
rezoning would increase the seri-
BUSINESS of existing traffic con-
gestion on the narrow streets
in the area.
Also drawing bitter reaction
from residents was a proposal
by Attorney James r. Miller that
the council break the Bethesda
zoning plan and rezone from
commercial to light industrial a
1880 square-foot site on Be-
thesda avenue between Clarendon
and Arlington roads.
Leading the protest by resi-
dents of Edgemoor and Bradley
Village were John j. Beatty and
John A. Singerhoff.
Mr.. Beatty charged the re-
zoning would break the perfect
buffer zone between the indus
trial section east of Arlington
road and Bradley Village. Mr..
Singerhoff said it would change
the present character of the area
and lead to complete industrial-
ization of an area abutting
existing apartment house land.
Old Code Cited.
Mr.. Miller told the council he
was asking only for zoning that
would permit his client. Charles
F. Miller, to use his property as
he did prpr to the new zonins
code.
Mr.. Miller said the old code.
which died on December 81, per-
mitted in commercial zones
nearly all. uses now provided in
the light industrial areas. Most
of a building on the site has
been vacant since the first OF
the year, he said.
The council also heard again
the long fight over zoning Of a
58-acre tract adjoining Garrett
Park.
Mrs. Lawlor asked that pres
ent low-density apartment use
be changed to high density OF
medium density classification.
The tract is part of an 30
acre tract being developed by
Parkside Investment Corp. be-
tween the Rockville pike and
Garrett Park, Mrs. Lawlor said.
Need Held Fictitious.
I Mrs. Lawlor said the new zon-
ing ordinance cut by two-thirds
the number of apartments her
client could put on the tract.
Eward D. Friedman, attorney
for Garrett Park residents, said
the need for apartments in the
area was purely fictitious" He
also charged that If the rezoning
were granted, the applicant could
put up an eight-story apartment
house overlooking Garrett Park.
Mr.. Friedman said he believed
the firm wanted the rezoning
primarily to salvage its "unbuild-
able land" and to permit it to
continue construction in slow
"piece-meal" fashion.
A bid by the Bethesda Medical
Building, Inc, for density
apartment use of 57,466 square
/ feet on Woodmont avenue be-