Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-01
3 MeHugh Plan
PhasesDropped
By Fairfax

Iby Francis Dodd McHugh have
been dropped by the Board Of
County Supervisors in a re-
Inewed attempt to adopt other
features of Mr.. McHugh's plan
The deletions were agreed on
by the supervisors yesterday
partly by split decisions-as they
again set out to enact land use
proposals of the planning con-
|Sultant.
BY a vote of 4 to 3, it was
decided to leave all business and
industrial zones unchanged from
their present boundaries in the
proposed new coming map. Vot-
ling for the deletion were Super
|visors A. Claiborne Leigh, VIII
liam H. Moss, Stuart DeBell and
James Keith. Opposed were
Supervisors Joseph H. Freehill,
Anne wilkins and Brig. Gen.
Richard P. Ovenshine, who
favored advertising the map with
IMcHugh's proposed business and
industrial zones.
There was general agreement,
however, on eliminating the
|dye-acre lot sizes recommended
by the McHugh plan. This was
proposed by Mr.. Freehill, orig
inal sponsor of the current move
to adopt McHugh's coming rec
concentrations.
Boundaries Troublesome
Erratic boundaries Of the FIVE
acre consequently following
food plains and rocky soil-was
one of the problems the super
yisors encountered two weeks
|ago when they attempted to
schedule the McHugh plan for
public hearings. Commonwealth
Attorney Robert c. Fitzgerald
warned that it would be i'm
possible to enforce coming reg
Iulations with such irregular
boundaries.
Elimination of the. five-acre
lot sizes leaves the rural two
thirds of the county in a pro.
posed three-acre lot category
In other sections where Mr.. Nc
Hugh had drawn five-acre lot
zones through denser residential
areas, they are now planned te
conform with coming Of sur
rounding property.
BY trimming out Mr.. Nc.
Hugh's proposed commercial anc
industrial boundaries the super.
visorS have side stepped one Of
the most controversial feature.
of the proposed new plan. BY
adopting the McHugh recon.
mendationS, some property nov
zoned for business would revert
to less valuable categories anc
business property would be addeC
in other sections.
Lot Sizes an Issue
That leaves the three-acre lot
sizes the major issue of the
proposed plan. At present, 9
half acre is the largest lot size
requirement in the county.
Mrs. wilkins protested thai
the major planning need of hel
area was an end Of scattered
business zones-which could be
accomplished by adopting the
McHugh business zone recon.
mendationS.
Certainly we should advertise
the business zones as recon-
mended by the McHugh plar
and attempt to revise them after
the public hearing, after we fine
out what the facts are" said Mr.
Freehill.
1.-THE county needs good plan.
ming for commercial property a.
well as for residential property,
said Gen. OvenShine.
well, I think it will be easiel
to hurdle one thing at a time,
said Mr.. Moss. Lets get 6
residential plan adopted frs
and take UP the commercial
problem later"
Would Curb "HOwling"
Mr.. Leigh, who sponsored thu
resolution to leave existing com.
mercial zones unchanged, sale
his idea was to make adoption
of the residential plan easier
and minimize the bowling" He
agreed the commercial problem
could be considered later, aftel
the supervisors receive a master
plan recommendation from thu
planning commission.
Yesterdays action was prompt
ed by the presentation Of a re.
port from Mr.. Fitzgerald, Coun.
ty Executive Carlton C. Massey
and Planning Director Herl
Schumann, recommending pro
cedure for enacting features o.
the McHugh plan without wait
ing for the planning commission
to adopt a master plan.
They advised that existing
coming regulations would require
1.-THE posting Of each parcel Of
property affected by the new