Evening star., 1955-09-21
Upper County
zoniing Plans
Hit, Defended
Red Herring and
Distortion Charges
Made at Hearing
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN

BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
Charges of "red herring" /" "de-
liberate distortion" and "gim-
micking" were hurled last
night as the battle Of the five
acres continued in Montgomery
County.
The County Council moved
into the Darnestown Elementary
School for the fourth OF five
community meetings to discuss
the proposed temporary zoning
ordinance for the Upper County
area.
From the Potomac Darnes-
town area, the county's fashion,
able hunt country home OF the
rich and the near rich. comes
the strongest support for the big
lot coming in the ordinance.
Hunter Davidson, Darnestown
real estate man. opposed the
half-acre home site in the agri-
cultural area being promoted by
the directors Of the County Farm
Bureau and the Upper County
Land Owners Association.
Looks Is Years Ahead
Mr.. Davidson said that in the
next Is years $4,000 acres will
be subdivided in the county for
homes for 100000 new residents.
At the same time. he said. the
"city farmer stands ready to buy
100000 acres when and II the
farmer is ready to sell and not
a paltry $4,000 acres in Is years"
The price of Turing the city
farmer-the estate buying inves-
tors to provide him "protec-
tion against helter skelter and
ill-advised development" Mr..
Davidson said.
e. Brooke Lee. leader in the
opposition to the five-acre mini
mum lot size in the agriculture
zone that covers more than 9S
per cent of the area, scored the
proposed zoning as something
new In America"
'Such large acre lot Zoning
has been sustained in only a
couple of swank locations .
small colonies Of very rich per-
sons near Los Angeles and New
York." Mr.. Lee said.
NO man can live on a FIVE
acre farm. What we are talk
ing about is a five-acre home
site." Mr.. Lee said.
Gimmicks Charged
Mr. Lee charged that the PLAN
ners had come up with series
of gimmicks intended to stop
development of new homes" He
said the suburban county existed
from 1927 to 1853 without "the
gimnick Of an artificial agIi-
cultural zone" and since the zone
was established with a minimum
two-acre lot size in the Olney
area no new subdivision had
been established there.
j. Sterling Bowman. Darnes-
town community leader and a
member of the original charter
committee, also assailed the
ordnance and attacked the
failure of the planners to prepare
a coming map and plan other
than the land use map being
submitted as part of the ordi-
nance.
"You have the cart before the
horse" he said.
Attorney James r. Miller of
Rockville agreed and pointed to
County Attorney Charles M. Ire
lan's charts stating "zoning puts
land planning programs into ef-
feet"
There is no planning" Mr..
Miller charged. Under this Or
dinance I could put a pigsty
within SO feet Of Mr.. Davidson'S
home"
Lamborne's Proposal
Donald r. Lamborne of Olney
said the Upper County Land
Owners Association would sup
port the two-acre or five-acre
home site for the hunt country
area or any other area that re-
quests it. In return he asked
for support of the half-acre home
site in the rest Of the rural area.
Arthur j. Kelsey of Fields
road termed such a proposal as
lacking in "law and order" Mr..
Kelsey attacked what he scored
as "red herrings and deliberate
distortions" raised in opposition
to the ordinance. He cited ref
erences to the road code. subdi-
vision regulations and constitu-
tionality of the proposed law.
o. w. Anderson, president of
the Farm Bureau, continued his
attacks on the five-acre agricul-
tural zone lot size and called for
a one-package deal that would
include a master plan. a zoning
map, a zoning ordinance and re-
vision of the subdivision regula-
tions and road code.
Others who spoke included
Preston King, jr.. of Travilah;
Drexel A. Sprecher, attorney. Of
Potomac; Marvin Simmons. de-
veloper. of Glen Hills near Rock
vile, and Herbert Angel, presi-
dent of the West Montgomery
Citizens Association.
The council will go to Damas-
Gus tonight to wind up the Sc
ries of grass roots meetings on
the ordinance.