Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-05
Montgomery
Airs zoning
Views Tonight
Five-Acre Lot Plan
Viii Be Discussed q
Rockville Hearing


tonight will give Upper Mont
gomery County residents another
opportunity to voice their opin-
ions on the course coming should
take in the area.
The hearing will be held by
the Upper County Planning
Commission in the County Office
Building auditorium. Rockville.
The subject of the hearing is
a proposed permanent coming
Ordinance for the rural area that
would wipe off the law books a
temporary ordinance before 1t
ever goes into effect.
The big issue still is the s.
acre minimum lot size, although
it is not mentioned in the pro-
posed ordinance. Under pro-
visions of the permanent ordi-
nance. home construction
throughout the greater portion
of the upper county would be
permissible on -acre lots.
Group Divided, 3 to 2
The present ordinance being
considered represents proposals
of the majority Of the planning
commission including Chairman
Ulysses Griffith. w. Charles H
Jamison and Wiley Griffith.
Minority members of the COM
mission. Frederick Gutheim and
Merton F Duvall. favor enforc-
ling the temporery ordinance
with its provision for an asrieul-
Itural zone of minimum lots sizes
of either or 10 acres.
Mr. Gutheim issued a press
statement today. asserting the
Temporary ordinance "still repre-
sents the best approach" to pro-
viding coming protection for the
EIrner county.
/ He also charged that the tenn
porary ordinance has been sub
jected to a planned campaign Of
delays. Misrepresentation and
protests organized by a small
group of self-interested land
SPECTATORS, real estate brokers.
home builders and small-minded
Democratic machine politicians. "
By lame Duck Session
| The temporary ordinance
bitterly attacked in public hear
ings in 1954--was enacted in that
year by the former Republican,
controlled Council in a lame
duck session two days after
Council elections.
The enactment occurred in
spite Of public statements by
four members Of the present all
Democrats Council that they
would repeal 1t.
| Instead Of repeal, the Council
has postponed its enforcement
five times as 1t sought to make
changes that would make the
measure more palatable to upper
county residents.
| Tonight's hearing is no rare
occurrence. The Council held
five public meetings last fall on
its own proposed revision of the
temporary ordinance that drew
some 1000 persons in rural COM
munities. These we're followed
by another public hearing. with
the result that the Council de-
layed action on the amendment
in favor of producing a perma-
nent ordinance.
After the October 10 hearing,
Planning Consultant Irving C.
Root went to work on a perma-
nent ordinance and came up
with his version that closely
resembled provisions of the tenn
porary measure.
The planning commission re-
jected his recommendations that
included an agricultural zone
with the five-acre minimum lot
size.
Mr.. Root. Mr.. Gutheim and
the professional staff of the
planning commission want the
Ifive-acre minimum primarily to
Ipreserve farm land and to limit
subdivision development to areas
around existing communities.
! The ordinance being consid-
erred tonight provides for indus
trial, commercial, multi-family,
estate and residential agricul-
itural zones.
!, The industrial and CONNER
Icial zones provide room for ex-
Ipansion of existing business CEN
tiers and for more industrial sites
along the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad.
| Two separate areas with min
imum lot sizes of two acres are
iproposed-one for the Darnes-
town Potomac hunt country and
the other for the Comus area
near Sugarloaf Mountain.
Say 1t Meets Requirements
The remainder of the county
is Zoned as acknowledgements
ltural with a one-half acre min
imum lot required for home
construction.
| Proponents for the half-acre
lot size say such an area meets
requirements of the State Health
Department for home construc-
ton where private wells and sep
tic tanks are used. They point
out the Health Department car
step in and block homes on even
this size Of lot If the ground will
not support a septic tank system
The commission tonight also
will hear the public's reaction tc
its proposed classification Of
roads. The road classification
once adopted, along with the
zoning ordinance, coming map
population studies. economic land
use survey and land use maps
will make up the comprehensive
plan for development Of the rural
area required as a basis for adop-
lkg-x. 80 4. ..Ax..x.- .AA4