Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-02-09
Week Produces
(Continued from PAGE ID


inc and what's not so good" He
said that up-county residents did
not take part in the zoning of the
lower county in the 1920's.
Roos Explains Method
Mr.. Root told the forum that
he often drove 300 or 400 miles
a day on every passable up-coun-
ty road" to determine the true
land use while he was preparing
his coming proposals. He said
that after preparing preliminary
maps he consulted up county
residents.
He charged that total of $50
people cone percent of the up
county population attended his
meetings. Of these, he said, 125
("one-half of one percent of the
up-county population") suggest
ed changes in his coming ideas.
He said he honored about half
the requests for changes. THUS,
only one-fourth of one percent of
the up-county population went
home unhappy"
Mr.. Root told the Homewood
group that the up-county planning
commission objected to his inclu-
sion of five-acre minimum lot
zone. He says the County Coun-
Gil told him to Ego ahead with
his plan
The planner says his plan pro-
vided for "ten fold expansion of
existing residential areas and in
some places five times" the
existing commercial development.
He said his plan would provide
for "any foreseeable expansion
in the next 40 years"
Mr.. Root charged that the
Jamison ordinance does not meet
the legal requirements of a Zon-
ing measure. He said, Every
coming ordinance eventually is
tested in court"
Another speaker at the Monday
meeting was architecture profess
sor and president of the Mont
gomery County Planning AsSo-
citation, Arthur Kelsey Mr.. KEEL
sey defended the Root proposals
because, he said, they would pro-
tect the areas watersheds. In
answer to a statement by Mr..
Anderson that the down-county
was originally zoned for all half
acre lots, Mr.. Kelsey stated,
what was valid planning 25
years ago is not necessarily valid
today"
Squabbl0 Splits Damascus
Until this week Damascus has
been firmly opposed to the Root
plan and in favor of the small lot
ordinance. But now at least one
group is favoring at least one
provision of the Root plan.
A group of property owners,
headed by realtor Jerry Cook,
says it wants commercial coming
in Damascus extended along
Route 108 to the intersection of
Town Spring Road as Mr.. Root
4 proposed. The Jamison ordi-
nance extends commercial coming
on Route 108 only to the intersec-
ton of Route 124, a block short
of Town Spring Road
Mr.. JamiSon insists he took his
commercial and industrial areas
unchanged from the Root maps.
Mr.. Root explains that he Zoned
the controversial Damascus block
commercial after his plan had
been rejected by the UMCPC and
apparently after Mr.. Jamison
had copied the Damascus COM
mercial area.
Mr.. Cook, David Clodfelter,
Mrs. William Baker, Elisha War
field, Dixie McDaniels, Robert
McClocky, Mrs. Lola Day and
Noah King, all property owners
in the disputed block, has petit
toned the up-county planning
commission to extend the COM
mercial area.
Some land owners in the block
did not sign the petition.
| The planning commissions
staff says it will visit Damascus
this week to "straighten out" the
controversy.
! Damascus plumber, E. r. Jones,
who calls commercial coming for
the disputed block "a real estate
developers dream" says the
Damascus Methodist Church,
which plans to erect new build
ing adjacent to the block in ques-
ton, has taken no stand in the
controversy, but he says he feels
sure" the church would like the
block residential.
Joseph Rice, chairman of the
church board, says the church
has taken no position zone way
or the other.