Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-16

commercial coming. With COM
mercial areas for the next rs
years set out on a map, they
feel there will be little occasion
for residents to rally against q
gasoline station going up next
door to them.
A majority of the county'S
civic associations have Endorsed
the McHugh plan in principle.
A county wide organization called
the Citizens Committee for the
Master Plan has campaigned for
its adoption. Seven hundred resi-
dents of one semirural section
Dranesville District-have signed
"a petition supporting the plan.
But rural residents elsewhere
and developers have hoped on
the McHugh proposals with all
the fury they could muster.
DevaluatiOn Feared
Farmers who have seen their
neighborS become prosperous by
selling off land for subdivisions
fear the three-acre restriction
would devaluate their property.
Developers reason that they
would be unreasonably hampered
if their operations were limited
to the urban belt. If they are
willing to put in the necessary
facilities, why not let them
build subdivisions wherever peo-
ple want to buy homes? Besides.
they argue that the plan would
tend to increase property values
so much in the urban belt it
would not be economical to sub
divide such property.
Mr.. Hoyt got into the fight
soon after the McHugh plan was
made known. He had bought
land in Fairfax County with the
idea of establishing independent
suburban communities supported
by their own water and sewer
systems The McHugh plan put
most of his property in the three
acre category.
Offers Own Plan
Mr.. Hoyt came up with a plan
of his own, showing scattered
suburban communities through
out the county. He said most
urban development still would
stay within the urban belt be-
cause of the availability of public
facilities, but argued that de-
velopment should not be stymied
elsewhere.
The McHugh commercial pro-
IposalS also have drawn fire. II
adopted, much property now
zoned commercial would revert
to residential status. The owners
of such parcels don't like to see
their pocketbooks pinched this
way.
The coming amendment that
the supervisors have advertised
for public hearing represents
their attempt to adopt at least
part of the McHugh plan-pend-
ing receipt of master plan rec
ommendation from the planning
commission.
AS proposed, it would establish
Ithree-acre lot minimums
Throughout most of the western
two-thirdS of the county. This
would be known as the Agricul-
ture District.
1 Seven CategOries
Within the eastern third Of
the county seven separate cate
gories would be established as
. follows: Urban Residence Glass I,
,400-square-foot lot minimum.
with multifamily units per-
mitted provided each has a
1900 square foot minimum;
Urban Residence Glass II, 8,400-
square-foot minimum with semi
detached units permitted if each
unit has 0-square-foot
minimum, Suburban Residence
Glass I, 10,000-square-foot min
imum: Suburban Residence Glass
II, 12,500-Square-foot minimum;
Suburban Residence Class III,
. 1900 square foot minimum;
Rural Residence Glass I, 21,780-
square-foot minimum, and Rural
Residence Glass II, 43,560-
/. square-foot Cor / acre. mini
; mum.
This represents sharp change
from the existing three residen-
/, tial zone categories, ranging
from 10000 square feet to a half
, acre.
| The flve-acre category was
dropped from the proposed zon-
ing amendment because of the
erratic boundaries proposed by
Mr.. McHugh. 1t was decided to
drop the commercial aspect of
! the plan at this time in hopes Of
avoiding too stiff a fight at the
, hearing.