Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-26
'Mary|anders Okay
Plans
l5-Yeor Program
Lists Needs of
Two Counties
BY G. O. HERNDON


ners yesterday voted unanimous
approval of a long-range, SIS
million master plan of unprece-
denied proportions, which lists
school, park and recreation re-
quirements in the regional dis
trict for the next Is years.
The Maryland-National Capt..
tai Park g. Planning Commits
sion, meeting in Silver Spring.
Endorsed without dissent the
master plan proposals outlined
in a 54-page report supplemented
with wall-size maps.
The school park recreation
blueprint, submitted for study
last February and aired at public
hearings in April, is based on q
new evaluation of open space
NEEDS"
Prepared under the direction
of John S. Hewins, the commits
sion'S chief research planner. the
plan proposals are drawn to &C
comodate an estimated popula-
ton in 1880 of / million persons
in the 297 square milees of the
commissions regional district in
suburban Prince Georges and
Montgomery counties.
T;stoI
4 Chief recommendations of the
plan are:
/ l. There should be one gross
acre Of open space for each 100
persons in the regional district.
2. Purchase and development
of 10 large regional parks. in
Guiding two outside the boun.
diaries of the regional district.
In the preliminary master plan
studied early this year only three
regional parks-south of Green
belt near Edmonston road, north
of Rockville near Avery road
and south of Palmer Park near
Central avenue-were being con-
slderedO
3. Location of 10 youth GEN.
tiers within the central business
districts within the area.
4. Extension of the commits
sion's territory of jurisdiction to
include the upper reaches Of
Rock Greek Valley in Mont
gomery County and the Henson
Greek and Oxon Run watersheds
in Prince Georges.
Besides setting the goal of one
acre per 100 inhabitants, the
plan aims at a new open-space
standard for neighborhood play
facilities, one developed acre per
600 persons.
2 Surveys Used
Primary tools in drafting the
master plan were two surveys
, finished this year by the COM
, mission-a survey listing present
land uses in the entire bi-county
o. area and a detailed report on
housing and population charac.
teristics in 1873 residential neigh
, borhoodS in the area.
The commission territory was
| divided into 81 planning areas.
, nine in Montgomery, II in Prince
. Georges and one Straddling the
; counties common boundary.
Within these divisions, the plan
ners outlined 81 communities and
! the 1873 neighborhoodS.
, The commissions new plan for
a network of regional parks ex-
| tends, in many cases, its present
, program of parks along stream
valleys in the district. The recon-
mended regional tracts are:
Cabin JOhn-A site of approximately
200 acres in the Cabin John Valley,
alongside the Washington National pike
right-o way near Bells Mill road.
area of about 800 acres between the
proposed Northern parkway and North
, west Branch Park.
wa rfaT1fo1 aRd saS0Tsy seEesn
, acre tract along the Patuxent River
: between Tridelphia and Rocky GORGE
lres"rv cir~
Rock Creek-Listed in the preliminary
plan as 2,OOO-acre park, the tract
was trimmed to approximately 600
acres for an area north OF Rockville
IN the Avery road section AlthouRh
outside the regional district the plan
ners considered this facility a necessary
component of the resional park net
wo-,- in MONTGOMERY
WheatOn-Recommen for commits
sion study only two weeks ago, this tract
OF 300 to 800 acres would be located
somewhere in the greater Wheaton
area"
Department Of Interior Tract-The
tract of loo acres is now controlled
! by the United States Park Service but
IS still undeveloped; located south Of
. lGreenhelt road. near Edmonston road
Palmer Park-A 200 to 200 acre site
is to De used as a combination park
and coli course Just south OF the
! Palmer Park neighborhood
Southwest Branch, Patuxent Valley
Largo
| Henson Creek Stream vaIIey-A site
OF about 800 acres partly outside the
regional district
OxOn HiIl-Piscataway-A 50O-acrs
tract planned for park development
prior to an anticipated building boom
N the area in connection with the
planned Jones Point Bridge.