Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-01

II AuSAA~u USO1e VAC NAoA
road lines has made a field day
of speculation in land during the
last few years" according to one
Irealtor who deals in the area.
I'VE feel a plan is essential toI
let the sellers as well as the
buyers of property know what
the future Of the land will be-"
Several builders volunteered
that the real need is a metro
politan area-wide plan. on which
future residential density, water
and sewer needs and major en-
ployment centers in all areas
Ican be determined.
The regional planning
however. should 60 beyond the
purpose for which land should bel
used. Eventually. they say, re-
gional agencies should be set up
to provide the basic public works
streets. sewers, water and other
Ifacilities-along with area-wide
means to finance them.
Buyer Absorbs Cost
Now, many of these facilities
must be provided by the suburban
developer, with the cost actually
passed along to the home buyer.
Within the last several years,
according to one builder, the
cost Of suburban raw land" has
increased from making up 10I
per cent to making up II per-
cent Of the total home cost. The
result these builders see is the
threat of severe decline in low
cost BODYBUILDING. These con-
Germs have stimulated an all-outI
drive for attention to the prob
lem by the National Association
of Home Builders.
One builder said the bi-county
activities of the Maryland plan
ming commission and the Wash.
Iington Suburban Sanitary Com
mission are "a step in the right
direction" He cited the Cabin
John plan. however. as a pioneer
ing effort to plan before. the
WS6C actually takes over the
planning function by installing
its sewer lines and setting devel-
opment patterns.
Most of the valley planning
area" - north of the Potomac
River between Old Georgetown
road and the town of Potomac
now is zoned for a minimum of |
l2-acre or 2-acre lots. The new
plan extends much of the 12-acreE
coming and permits RIO coming
g. 000-square-foot minimum lots
with 75-foot fronts in areas near
the sewer line.
One builder said he felt REQ |
was a proper coming level for the
valley. Said another, however,
"Ali sewerable land, in my
opinion, should be zoned to
permit R-60 $4,000 square-foot
minimum lots with 60-foot lot
fronts coming"
Plan Held '1nfIexibIe"
Two builders, one of whom in
tends to develop a large tract in
the Cabin John Valley, said the
plan as drawn is too inf1exible"
to permit best use of the land.
Instead of gearing coming
density to the size of each lot. |
one argued, developers of large
tracts should be told the total
number of families they could
build for, then be permitted to
build on either small or big lots
within that density total. This is
necessary. he contended. because
all land in a big area is not
suitable for the same sized lots.
BY the same token. he said, the
WSSC should run its sewer lines
to follow the best land use,
rather than to restrict the best
use by picking the most con-
venient sewer routes first"
Such arguments as these are
expected to be detailed at a |
public hearing on the Cabin
John plan, called by the Mary
land planning commission for
December 6 at the new Walter !
johnson High School in Bethesda. I
officials concede that there
may be a number of changes
before its official adoption. But
once adopted. they hope to have
a firm pattern for growth to
which both private developers
and official agencies will adhere
for wears