Evening star., 1955-09-10
|Rockvi||eAsked
For 7 Additions
City Council, Mayor
Hear Two Petitions

Rockville Mayor and Council
last night held hearings on two
petitions for annexation to the
city.
The petitions. which ask in
|clusion in the city limits of
about $50 acres on two sides of
the city. are the first Of their
kind to be considered by a
municipality under provisions of
the home rule" legislation en-
acted by the Maryland General
Assembly this year.
The petition Of Joseph L.
Geeraert, owner of 22l acres
east OF the present city limits,
between Viers Mill road and the
Norbeck road. provides a testing
ground for the thorniest prob
lem Of the annexation petition
since the land is within the
jurisdiction Of both the WASH
Iington Suburban Sanitary Com
mission and the Maryland
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission. The new law
lprovides that such commissions
shall retain their jurisdiction
over land annexed by municipal
titles.
Own Commission
Rockville has its own planning
commission and its own sewer
Iand water systems. Although it
presently buys some water at
retail rates from the WSSC and
lis currently negotiating with the
commission for joint construc-
Ition of trunk line sewer in the
Cabin John valley.
t Citing the advantages to him.
self of the proposed annexation,
Mr.. Geeraert said he intends to
extend his Twinbrook Forest sub
division into the new area and
that one continuous subdivision
without political boundary would
ENABLE the residents to feel more
community spirit.
He said building cost would be
about the same whether his
property was annexed or not.
MIR. Geeraert said he was glad
to be "a guinea pig for the whole
State Of Maryland" because he
felt his petition provided an OPP
portunity to work out dual juris-
dictional problems by co-opera-
Ition between agencies.
The home rule law states that
municipalities may annex by
petition but is not clear as to
whether they must do so.
The second hearing last night
lasted only 10 minutes.
The petitioner was Dawson
Farmland Development Corp,
headed by Donald E. Gingery
The 127 acres which Mr.. Gingery
wishes to add to Rockville are
south of the city, adjoining his
present subdivision, Hungerford
Towne, and is in the jurisdiction
of the Upper Montgomery Coun-
ty Planning Commission.
Easier to Do
City Attorney David L. Cahoon
told the council that action re-
solving a dual Jurisdiction over
the Gingery land could be SIM
Ipler and quicker than any action
taken to resolve the Geeraert
situation. The area covered by
the Upper Montgomery County
Planning Commission could be
changed by ordinance Of the
Montgomery County Council.
Any change in boundaries of a
WSSC or MNCCPC would take
action Of the State Legislature
which does not meet in general
SESSION unJll 1901.
| Mr.. Gingery said he can not
develop the Dawson land with
out municipal sewer and water
Speaking as a member Of
lMNCCPC, Mr.. Gingery asked the
Rockville Council not to put
any legal obstacles in the way
of effective cooperation between
his agency and the city over
the Geeraert land.
| Mayor Dickran Y. Hovsepian
Idirected Mr.. Cahoon and City
Manager John H. MARYLAND to
study minutes of the hearing ano
bring a recommendation fol
Icouncil action on both petitions
; by October 4.