Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1962-02-03
A Red Letter Day

February could be a red letter day for the peo-
pie of Montgomery County. This is the day the Coun-
ty Council holds hearing to determine whether or not
to grant I3 coming for 125-acre tract of land outside
of Gathersburg which the international Business
Machine Corporation wants to establish campustype
installation to house the Federal Systems Divisions
There should be no question in the minds of Cour-
Gil members. This coming should be granted in record
breaking time-that night
The State of Maryland has commission whose
efforts directed toward attracting industry to this
state Montgomery County has just hired an expert in
the field of public relations in the special line of eco
nou1ic development. His main job will be to initiate
programs to attract light industry.
The plans of IBM to locate beautiful headquar-
tiers in Montgomery County has been known for some
time. Consolidation of the more than seven IBM 10
cations in the county is absolutely necessary for the
orderly function of this important arm of IBM
Frank E. Wall, jr., Assistant Director of Public
Relations for IBM, spent hours contracting personally
the neghboring landowners and residents of this tract
of land. Without exception all agreed that no finer
use could be made of this property. And why not?
IBM is known throughout the world for the out
standing type of personnel it employs The work per-
formed by this division of IBM requires a campus
type building And IS coming in the county is very
strictive.
This installation will bring into the county treas
ury sum of approximately $300,000 This plus the
fact that several thousand outstanding scientific and
engineering type personnel will be stationed here
should be one of the most attractive prospects the
County Council and the no0nIo NJ ,,tv bovo
heard in long time
1t is perfectly amazing that the planning staff of
the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning
Commission is SO nonfe,lble that it would recommend
against I3 coming for this IBM project simply because
1t did not conform with the master plan for the Rock
ule-Gaithersburg area. Frankly have never heard
of anything more ridiculous And we believe the en-
tire population of the county feels exactly the same
way.
Master plans wonderful But no planning ex-
pert in the country, believe will agree that par
dcuarly for tract of land should be denied SIM
ply because it does not agree with the thinking that
went into master plan, especially one that hasn't
been accepted and adopted
1t is difficult to understand why the members of
the Park and Planning Commission did not immediate
ly overrule this outlandish recommendation by the
technical staff and forward its strong endorsement for
this zoning to the County Council Sometimes it is
not completely clear who is who in the Park and
Planning setup.
Knowing the intelligent approach that this Coun-
Gil has made to this business of attracting such out
standing firms IBM it is belief that the seven
members VIII set record in letting it be known that
they are proud to have IBM choose Montgomery
County as the home of its Federal Systems Division
headquarters.