Evening star., 1957-04-30
Planners
OK Park Proposal
Group to Study
Ways to Keep
Open Spaces

City planning expert Harland
Bartholomew gained backing Of
the National Capital Region
Planning Council yesterday for q
plan to develop Metropolitan
Area open spaces and park.
lands.
The council voted to appoint
a committee to report within two
months on ways Of preserving
grasslands in the suburbs, as well
as the city. Herbert w. Wells,
council chairman, said he would
name members within two days.
Mr.. Bartholomew urged the
committee to come up with a
sweeping proposal as vast in
scope as the current 100000
area transportation study under
taken by the NCRPC and the Ma.
tional Capital Planning Commis-
sion. Mr.. Bartholomew is chair.
man of the latter body and Q
member Of the former.
He said the new program
I"most certainly" would require
grants from Congress and from
the Maryland and Virginia legis-
Ilatures.
Would Revise Act
It could call for a revision Of
the Capper-C -Cramton Act, he
added. Under the Capper- Cram
ton program, the Federal Gov
Iernment is pledged to put up
ione-third of the cost of acquir-
ing stream valley parks.
But Mr.. Bartholomew noted
that the program for locating
strips so acquired was drawn up
in the 1930s and needs modern
lization.
I'VE face a basic question:"
Mr.. Bartholomew told the coun.
Icil. Are we going to have an
other urbanization that spreads
all over our landscape or are we
going to give an urbanized form
to our growth?"
| He stressed the need to "in.
vestigate all approaches" to pro-
tecting and expanding parklands.
This same kind of a preliminary
lNCRPC committee recommenda.
tion inspired the two-year trans
iportation study directed by Ken
Eeth Hoover, he noted. The parks
investigation could easily streach
into a two or three-year study,
according to Mr.. Bartholomew.
Timed for Mission 66"
| Paul Watt. NCRPC director,
pointed out the move was titmed
so studies could be coordinated
with the Mission 66" program
announced last year by the Ma
itional Park Service. Mission Sc"
encompasses a $40 million ex-
lpansion Of Federal parkway prof.
iectS in this area during the next
nine years.
Tough going for any parkland
expansion in Maryland was pre-.
dicted by Mr.. Wells, who rep.
resents Prince Georges County
on the NCRPC.
/ Even county commissioners are
not educated to the fundamentals
of park acquisition. he said. He
reminded councilmen that Mary.
land prides itself on never de.
priving a man of use of his land
unless his own use endangered
the health of his neighbors.
AF Site Approved
/ The NCRPC also approved q
site on the east side of Great
Falls road 1,400 feet south Of its
intersection with Seven Locks
road near Rockville for an Air
Force Office building. Planners
Endorsement, however, hinged on
approval of Rockville and Mont
gomery County officials who, so
far, have refused to agree.
Mr.. Wells predicted progress
toward area control of municipal
problems at a meeting scheduled
for 8 pm. Thursday in offices Of
District Commissioner Robert E.
Mclaughlin. officials represent.
ing the District, the Virginia and
Maryland Legislatures and gov
erning bodies of Prince Georges
and Montgomery Counties in
Maryland and Arlington and
Fairfax Counties. Alexandria and
Falls Church in Virginia are ex-
pected to attend. The session
is an outgrowth of an earlier
April IL meeting called by Nc
Laughlin to deal with mutual
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