Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-01-19

cry Avenue between Perry ant
Fayette closed to through traffl,
and turned into parking plaza.
Through traffic going west woult
be routed one-way on Fayette ant
Commerce Lane. Through traffi,
going east would be routed on,
way on Perry, Jefferson, anC
Park.
Similar plans have been sue
cessfully established in Rye, New
York, and Chicagot ILL.,, accord
ing to Mr.. Siam.
The Board of Trade never pre-
sehted their plan to the Mayor
and Council, however. because
they got word" the fire depart
ment, whose building fronts Per
ry, was opposed. A planned meet
ing between the Board OF Trade
and the fire department has never
been held.
Marbery Gates, president of the
Rockville Volunteer Fire Depart
ment, says such a plan would be
a "fire hazard for stores on East
Montgomery because we would
have to fight fires from the back, =
He says the department also dis
liked the circuitous route fire
trucks would have to take to gel
through town.
Conversely the Board of Trade
opposed a town plan to light the
commercial parking lots on Perry
Street for night and Saturday Gus
toner parking The board held
the plan would be a stop-gap
measure and would offer no per
manent advantages in establish
ing a parking pattern" Many
merchants felt the lots are too far
from stores to provide practical
customer parking.
The lots belong to the estate OF
the late Judge John T. Vinson
Albert Bouic, who administers
part of the estate, says he leases
the back lot on a month-to-month
basis to Donald Winner "for a
very small rent"
The front lot is owned by Mrs.
George Peter who is in Florida
and cannot be reached for com.
ment. However, Mr.. Bouic says
he believes she leases the lot to
the operator on share-the-profit
basis.
Mr.. Bouic says he will rent his
lot ito anyone" but will not sell.
He says he would want "a great
deal more rent from the town
than he receives from Mr.. Winner.
Mr.. Witenstein suggested a two.
point solution to the Board of
Trade in August. AS a creme
diap' step he wanted to rear.
range the traffic flow, diverting
cars from East Montgomery down
Hungerford Drive, Middle Lane,
and Commerce Lane. The plan.
ming consultant felt downtown
parking could be doubled by u.s.
ing alleys, back yards, and Gov
eminent building parking lots,
and by a parking control sys.
tenn" of assigning spaces.
AS long range plan, he urged
development of the triangle
formed by Hungerford Drive and
North Washington Street to
Counter balance the tendency of
business to move to the outlying
areas" He said the extended
business district could be the "sal.
walton" OF the downtown area.
Future Promises Lite
The immediate future appar-
emily holds no solution to the
parking problem. Some hope
comes from Town Councilman
Alexander Greene, who says $4,000
square feet of municipal parking
space will be created when a por-
ton of Middle Lane is abandoned
and a triangle of unused land Is
formed by the extension and
of Middle Lane and
Fayette Street.
Mr.. Greene believes that If no
positive solution is found, time
may force downtown land own
ers to provide their own off-street
parking. "The properties are de.
teriorating and eventually they
will have to be improved. Then
the owners must comply with our
new off-street parking provi-
sions."
Mr.. Greene also hints that the
own may soon up its off-street
parking to the County's standard
IF three feet Of parking for each
loot of building.
Mayor Hovsepian explodes the
nope of some that the much-dls-
,ussed parking meter fund will
eventually accumulate enough