Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1959-04-30

uler JOUS LTeIlu IIldL is ny
leading planners and many top Federal, State and
local officials.
Complete Plan Drawn
Sanders plan actually is in two parts one part
pertains to the whole northern watershed of the upper
Rock Creek and the second part focuses part of
that watershed, specifically 1107 acres surrounding
Redand
Sanders three clients - DR.. Leonard Kapioff,
Melvin Gelman and L. G. MeltZer = will present
welter of applications for R90 commercial and indus
trial coming to the Council. Meetings are scheduled
for 8 pm. May and Z, and May and have been held
open for possible continuation
Granting of the coming applications will be OPP
posed. Leading opponents members of the Mont
gomery County Planning Board the Montgomery
County Citizens Planning Association the Rock Creek
Watershed Association, and the Upper Rock Creek
Civic Association
All of them unanimous point: the
County Council should not grant any coming applica-
tons that apply to the upper Rock Creek Watershed
until master plan of the is completed this Sep
TENDER by the Maryland-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission.
Basically this argument rests on the idea that
zoning before planning is undesirable Other ramifica-
tons of their stand that wholesale development of
the watershed could lead to downstream flooding be-
of additional run-off of rain and that sitting
caused by stripping the land of trees could fill up pools
behind two proposed Rock Creek dams far ahead of
schedule.
Backers Defend Plan
Sanders and his clients believe they have the
answers to each of these arguments.
First Sanders, city and land pIanner with wide
experience has already prepared detailed master plans
for the entire watershed and for proposed commu-
nifty of 10000 persons around Redland He has offer
ed these plans to the M-NCPPC.
Secondly, Sanders believes that mandatory storm
DRAINAGE facilities will add pnOlIph pXtra
Rock Creek to overtax its normal rate of stream flow.
Thirdly, it is the planners contention that ~
open fields contribute silt to streams than
munity Streets lawns, planned parks, etc., and az
temporary "check" dams proposed in his plan will
stop waerborne silt in streams that go through the
planned community on their way to Rock Creek.
The twin problems of run-off and sitting are being
studied by two experts retained by Kapioff Gelman
and Meltzer. They will be available for testimony at
the public hearings
The men are Warren Viessman, jr. and Ralph
Hickman Viessman is working on doctorate at
the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. His
subject deals with run-off of rain Hickman an en-
gineer, is studying the problem of sitting in conjunc-
ton with soil conservation experts.
Eye of the storm of controversy is the so-called
town planned for the surrounding Redland. The
land is Zoned in half-acre lots of 10000 square
feet less For Sanders plans to be prac-
tcable he believes much of that land should be zoned
III the h-5U category OF lOLS WIN no more IMAM SUUU
square feet.
We Could Build Now
Kapiloff, Geman and Metzer point out that they
could start building homes half-acre lots right
but that many planned benefits to the community
would not be possible using half-acre lots.
These benefits include the dedication of more than
100 of land by Kapilof alone. Most of this land
borders Rock Creek tributaries.
Chief benefit" is the apparent desire of the three
landowners to write wide variety of self-resrictng
covenants into land deeds. These would include set
backs buffer strips, percentage of land coverage by
structures, landscape screening, non-access to main
highways and assortment of land-use pledges that
include dedicated acreage for schools churches fire
stations, etc.
Typical Of Sanders concern with land use and
homes is that house would face arerial highway
would they have access to those roads. Rather,
houses would face feeder streets that loop off these
roads,
A total of 1880 families would live in the Redland
"town" while an eventual total Of 25,0O0 families
would live in the totaly-developed watershed of
10,500 acres
Sanders plan for the whole watershed contains
provisions for 1873 acres of apartment usage 1880
units, and 1904 acres for $1,000 families.
Additionally there would be 855 acres reserved
for neighborhood commercial centers 1854 acres for
parks 116 acres for light industrial uses potential
employers of large segments of the stream valleys
populaton), 120 acres for junior and senior high
schools 1913 for elementary schools and 173 for
other commercial uses.
Master and detailed plans for the watershed and
planned communities have been shown to Arthur X.
Stelhorn, director of planning for the Planning Com
mission But Stelhorn, according to Sanders, has
adopted hands-on attitude.