Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-06

schools annual all-Suitland
night.
Montgomery Council
Bans Withdrawal of
White Oak Rezoning
| The Montgomery County
Council has refused to allow
withdrawal of a request for re-
coming of 3.5 acres at White
Oak, Md, for another major
shopping center 4 miles from
Silver Spring.
A scheduled public hearing
proceeded last night after John
R. Reeves, attorney for the Hy-
dena Corp. which has sought
the coming change for several
years, told the council, There
would be considerable doubt as
to the legality of any action you
would take" He asked to with
draw the application until July.
The attorney said the 18
months required by law have not
elapsed since the council turned
down a similar application last
January
Council President Harold F.
Hammond said testimony would
be taken and then the council
would determine whether to de-
eide the case on it's merits or
allow it to be withdrawn, with
or without prejudice"
Appeal by Board Of Trade.
Mr.. Reeves had announced
Saturday he would try to with
draw the request after the Silver
Spring Board of Trade appealed
to businessmen and residents to
oppose the reZoning. About 35
persons showed up last night.
Rezoning of the tract from
residential to general CONNER
cial" could mean a second large
regional shopping area close to
Silver Spring. -.
Mr.. Reeves said the shopping
center would attract customers
from as far away as Laurel and
Howard County communities.
1.-THE most ample parking space
of any shopping area around
would make it the only truly
ideal center in the Washington
area" he said.
John c. Golf, who said he lives
near the proposed center at
Colesville road, Columbia pike
and New Hampshire avenue, de-
clared the area needs such ia
cilities.
Anyhow, he added, II
wouldn't come to Silver Spring
to shop. It's cluttered up mess.
Why, you take your life in your
hands when you try to cross the
street. And the clerks act like
they're doing you favor. There's
no reason why Silver Spring
should have a special competitive
advantage"
Divine Origin Advanced.
Sam Fig, Silver Spring bust
ness leader, on the other hand,
declared, "Silver Spring is an
act of God" He predicted the
White Oak center would "be a
complete failure"
Blair Lee, former Maryland
National Capitol Park and Plan
ming commissioner, now a pri-
vate consultant, told the council
that a request by the Hydena
Corp. for strictly local CONNER
cial use of its property would
not be opposed by Silver Spring
businessmen.
"The prospect of a regional
center in direct competition with
Silver Spring, which admittedly
| hoe fro,1h1oc of i%c o1x,o ;e ,xyLo =
is disturbing" he said.
He cited a land use report on
Arlington County, Va. by Plan
ming Specialist Homer Hoyt,
which said it was a mistake to
locate two large department
stores away from the Clarendon
shopping center. Another Hoyt
report on Montgomery County,
he said calls for at least one
more large shopping area there.
He says Arlington made a
mistake and now appears to
come out and recommend the
same thing here, which is rather
hard to follow" said Mr.. Lee.
Would Locate Farther Away.
Mr.. Lee said any additional
large centers should be farther
away from Silver Spring than
White Oak, and located on
either "the Georgia avenue or
Rockville pike access"
C. Edward Kline and David
Scull, president and past presi-
dent of the trade board, said
another shopping area close by
. would result in business failures
and depreciation of commercial
land values, with a net loss to
the county in taxes.
| Mr.. Reeves said. They say
White Oak will fail, on the one
hand, and in the next breath
they say it will ruin Silver Spring
and make it a ghost town. The
mere fact that they fear this To-
cation indicates there is suf-
f1cient reason to believe it will
|