Evening star., 1959-12-06
By PAUL HOPE
Star Stan Writer


Star Stan Writer
Annexation in suburban WASH
ington areas is becoming an in
creasingly touchy issue as cities
and towns seek to expand their
boundaries.
Over the years, clusters Of pop
ulations have grown into cities
and towns in the nearby areas.
But with rapid growth of recent
years, the once distinct clusters
are becoming less and less dis
tinguishable. Housing develop
ments and business centers fill in
the vacant areas.
State annexation laws we're de-
signed to give municipalities OPP
portunity to expand, to provide
urban services to areas which
need or want them, and to pro-
vide urban government for urban
areas.
AS the suburban county govern
ments have become more stream
lined to meet the problems raised
by explosive population growth,
the resistance to city and town
annexation efforts has grown,
especially in Virginia.
The problem has not been so
acute in nearby Maryland be-
cause the annexation procedure
and the financial effects are con-
siderably different from those in
Virginia. But some county off,
cials say there is potential dam
ger in uncontrolled annexation by
the SO towns and cities in Prince
Georges and Montgomery Coun-
ties.
Foirfox Lond Eyed
Especially involved in Virginia
Is Fairfax County which still has
broad expanses of land. These are
constantly being eyed by the
cities of Alexandria and Falls
Church and by some OF the IN
corporated towns within the
county's boundaries.
Arlington County. which had its
territory whitfield away by Alex
andria in several annexations
many years ago, finally got spe-
cial bill through the General AS
sembly which protected it from
further piece-meal annexation.
Alexandria, which took rs
square miles of Fairfax County in
1852, now is studying the pos
sibility of seeking an additional
area covering many square miles.
Some of the county's best resi-
dental and industrial assets are
located in the area.
Falls Church has put on the
shelf by 4-to-3 vote of its coun-
Gil an annexation plan which had
been considered in recent months.
There is no assurance. however,
that the city, which unsuccessfully
sought a piece of county land in
1852, won't take up the project
again.
The town of Vienna took over
two square miles Of Fairfax Coun-
ty territory two years ago. The
town of Fairfax will annex on
December 81 three and half
square miles under terms of
State Supreme Court ruling last
week.
Fairfax County officials prob
ably will seek legislation in the
next General Assembly to protect
It's boundaries, but previous efforts
in this direction have been fought
successfully by town and city in
terests.
The county also is seeking ap-
proval from the General Assembly
for an urban county" form of
government which some officials
claim would enable the county to
provide better services to its resi-
dents. This. they say, would tend
to~reduce the chances of cities
and towns being successful in an
nexation suits and would reduce
the. move toward incorporation Of
more towns.
An alternative would be to in
corporate the entire county into
a city. which would make it i'm
mune to annexation. This is re-
garded as a last alternative, how
ever because Fairfax gets a great
dea1 more State road funds as a
county than it would as a city.
without some restriction on
land grabs, Fairfax officials fore
eeEthe county government even
tuAAy administering corridors be-
tween other Jurisdictions. They
also foresee a draining off of the
county's best taxable properties
by other governmental units.
Counties in Virginia lose COM