Evening star., 1963-12-31
Council Okuys
Subdivision for
SieeuI Acreage

SIegol Acreage
A 535-acre site in Poolesville.
Nd, today was given final
approval for quarter-acre SUBJ
division lots by the Montgom.
cry Council Council.
The coming was requested by
Bernard N. Siegel as the initial
phase of 3,400-acre satellite
city" which he hopes to build
there on farmland which he
has owned for about is years.
Today's approval was for lots
OF varying sizes. averaging 49,
600 square feet around the
edges of the River Road Coun-
try Club golf course.
The council two weeks ago
voted unanimously in favor of
the coming on a tentative basis.
The action was greeted with a
oarrage Of criticism from citi-
zens' groups, which objected on
grounds that the coming was in
opposition to a master plan
which specifies that the Pooles-
vile area would remain as one
OF Montgomery's last strong
holds of green spaces.
Councilman John Henry
HiSer. changed his mind for
today's final vote and was the
only dissenting voice, requested
a 6O-day deferral Of the zon-
ing to await a more detailed
master plan for the Pooles-
vile area.
Mrs. Mary Hepburn, council
m e m ber representing the
PooleSville- Rockville districts.
replied, THE developers of this
tract has a plan which is one
OF the best have ever seen
for a large parcel of land. It
gives the county sites for parks.
schools, firehouses and other
necessary community activities
TO make up a complete COM
munity.
I'VE can never achieve this
unless we start with raw
ground such as exists here"
Sewers, Water Included
Councilwoman Kathryn
Diggs said she understood that
Poolesville High School is the
only Glass C high school re-
naming in Montgomery Coun-
ty, due to a small enrolment
which limits the curriculum.
Il have learned that many
parents who move into Pooles-
Vile prefer to provide their own
transportation for their chill
dren to down-county schools to
keep up their educational
standard" she said. There is a
dire need of new blood and new
people to upgrade the economic
development Of Poolesville, and
also to upgrade the academic
standards Of its schools"
Mrs. Hepburn pointed out
that the R-150 coming specifies
that the developer must provide
public sewers and public water
before he can construct homes.
The vote was 6 to1.
Earlier, members took excep-
tion to a barrage of outspoken
letters published in newspapers
condemning the council for its
tentative rezoning two weeks
ago.
Il don't blame the press for
printing these letters, but I
certainly do not see how these
citizens can write them" said
Miss Diggs.
THE same citizens who
throw brickbats at us for
allegedly talking about coming
cases after the hearings, are
the same ones who are flooding
us with these letters" Miss
Diggs declared.
Practices PrObed
She and Mrs. Hepburn said
they do not open any mail they
receive on coming cases after
the hearings but instead turn
the correspondence over to the
council clerk.
"One letter called to my
attention was the most damag.
ing personal attack have ever
seen, and I certainly would
have considered a court suit
lover it, if I were not a public
official" Mrs. Hepburn said.
Council members have beer
sub bjected to continuous
stepped-up criticism on coming
matters since the current
grand jury was ordered by the
Montgomery County Circuit
Court to investigate allegations
of unscrupulous zoning practi-
ces.