Evening star., 1959-11-09
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
Star Stan Writer

A contented rural county seat
of 2,047 persons in 1910, Rock
vile today is bustling COM
n1unity that is the business and
Industrial hub of western Mont
gomery County.
Rockville'S World War II
population had tripled by 1850,
more than doubled in the next
five years, and hit 25,801 in
1859 estimates.
Although its residential ]
growth has been spread over
nearly two decades, its business
and industrial boom has come
in the last four or five years.
Today there are 496 busi-
hesses in the town and 81 in
dustrial establishments.
: The old central city-Mont-
gomery avenue is Rockville'S
main street-now finds itself a
competitor to four big new
modern shopping centers.
This recent growth has
brought an economic health
that gave the city an "a" bond
rating a year before Montgom-
cry County's.
City Lowered Taxes
While most communities
have been increasing their
taxes, Rockville has been able
to reduce its rates.
This has been partly because
of its broad tax base.
Montgomery County as
whole, even with its much
larger commercial centers of
Bethesda, Wheaton and Silver
Spring, has only about 10 per
cent of its tax base in COM
inercial and industrial land.
Rockville obtains about 25 per
cent of its taxes from these
sources.
Nevertheless, an economic
consultant, Morton Hoffman,
said recently that the city's
economy could be strengthened
by a moderate increase in light
industrial and research plants.
THE addition of light indus
to. in we'll located areas of
~A.kville would help support
the economy and lessen the re-
;liance on residential property
taxes" Mr.. Hoffman said.
Rockville had been ready to
burst its "Old Town" center
seams for a number of years
when George P. Kimmel. a
Washington patent attorney,
came along.
While others were talking
and planning Mr.. Kimmel got
to work. Today he has a 30
store shopping center with 1 900
parking spaces on North Wash
ington street just off the "Old
Town"
Dermot A. Nee was the first
big mover in the commercial
and industrial development
along the Rockville pike Just
south of the city. 1t was in
1853 when, unable to get water
and sewage from the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Com
mission, he asked to be annexed
by Rockville.
Today the P. j. Nee furniture
store, with its long, low build
ing, is a key establishment
on the modernized dual-lane
pike.
Park Attracts Business
Into this same development
Mr.. Nee has brought Haynes
Lithograph, Washington Tech
biological Associates, Pepsi
Cola. Harman Associates and
others.
The Nee property is con-
sidered a part of the 200-acre
MISUNDERSTANDING Indus
trial Park being developed just
south of the city. 1t abuts the
pike and is bissected by the
Baltimore g. Ohio Railroad.
Nine firms already have
located in the park, according
to George Moss, the developer.
and two other buildings are
under construction.
Across the street from Nee's
Is the big new Congressional
Shopping center on the site of
the old Congressional Airport.
With some 35 stores and
$500 parking spaces. the center
is by far the largest in Rock
vile proper.
Developed, leased and then
sold by Arthur c. Hyde, the
center represents only about
third Of the commercial 'front.'
age Mr.. Hyde owns on the pike.
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