Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
MARYLAND
SIunns Pose
Problem in
Suburbio
BY GENE GOODWIN

Dy OENE OOOONAN
The suburbs have their slums, too.
And what's to be done about
those in the Maryland suburbs of
Washington is a problem that's
bothering some of the staff planners
of the Maryland-Nat Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
The planners admit that the
problem in Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties is not nearly as
acute as that in the District of
Columbia.
But it could be someday if exist
ing areas of blight are allowed TO
spread.
While the District is doing some
thing about its slum problem, sub
urban Maryland is hardly aware
that it has one.
Recently the advance planning
section of the Planning Commission
made study of residential neigh
borhoods in the regional district Of
Montgomery and Prince Georges,
which takes in virtually all of the
urban area.
II compared the various neigh
hoods as regards quality of housing,
density of population, community
facilities and the number of pub
lie assistance and juvenile court
cases.
Prince Georges Areas Lowest
The seven loWest-ranked neigh
borhoodS in this comparison were
all in Prince Georges They were
North Brentwood, Capitol Heights,
Seat Pleasant. Paramount Heights.
Beaver Heights. Bradbury Heights
and Boulevard Heights
The cautiously worded report
also stated that virtually all of the
neighborhoods in Prince Georges
bordering the District of Columbia
from Hyattsyille south to Suitland
compared unfavorably with neigh
borhoods of other areas on the four
factors evaluated.
The planners report, entitled
Residential Neighborhoods." in
dictates that suburban Prince
Georges has more decaying COM
munities than Montgomery. The
only two suburban Montgomery
communities singled out for low
ratings in the comparisons were
Ken Gar and Lyttonsville.
The economic survey OF the two
counties made two years ago by
Homer Hoyt Associates said that
blighted areas i'll Montgomery to-
tailed 5l8 acres with 1877 classified
as near blighted This compared
with 1886 acres of blight and 80 acres
of near blight in Prince Georges.
The survey also noted that the
District of Columbia at the time
had $50 acres of blighted area and
Fairfax County had 1876 acres of
blight and lat acres of near blight.
The survey concluded that "the
Montgomery and Prince Georges
areas that can be classified as
blighted because of the low value
of the homes or lack of running
water or lnooor Jo,Iets are very
limited in extent compared with
the total area of these counties "
The planners take less calm
view of suburban blight than the
Hoyt survey, although they don't
seem to feel that there is a need
at this time for the type Of re-
development being accomplished III
Southwest Washington--a program
of complete eradication and re-
building of blighted areas.
Less Drastic Approach
A neighborhood assistance pro-
gram probably would be more suit
able for suburbs, William c. Bur-
rage, director of planning for the
Maryland commission, told this
column.
This would involve low interest
loans to residents for home i'm
provements and donations of land.
labor and facilities from county gov
ernments and other agencies, such
as the Washington Suburban SAM
tary Commission.
He said he believed that we'll
planned program of urban renewal
i'll the regional district would quail
ify for Federal aid under a 1854 law.
A regional district master plan. due
to be completed by Mr. Burrage and
his staff this fall, could provide the
first step in such a program since
it will point out the neighborhoods
felt to be in need of so-called urban
renewal
AS a next STEP Mr.. Burrage and
his advance planning staff believe
that a bi-county urban renewal
commission should be established
under the planning commission.
Legislative authority and funds
would be required to create the new
branch agency Mr.. Burrage and
his associates requested such au-
thority in a proposed legislative
program submitted to the six plan
ming commissioners prior to the 1855
session of the State Legislature, but
the commissioners deleted it from
the program.
Mr. Burrage said he intends to
press the point again this year