Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1963-02-21

PAONC ILLS GCIlcl al ldll, 1OI
five reasons. These, with
comments in parentheses in
dicating their inapplicability
or unimportance, are as fol,
lows:
1. The Corridor Plan will
insure stability of neighbor-
hood character and values.
$50 will any consistent
scheme of zoning, if followed.
This is an argument for a
plan, but not particularly for
this PLAN
2. The Plan will preserve
open spaces and a pleasant
environment. (The Plan re-
lies mainly on coming to do
this. All authorities - includ-
ing Sc. Saunders, who orig
mated the Corridor concept;
Victor Gruen, who rebuilt |
Rotterdam; and Allan Temko,
whose critique of the Corri-
dor agglomeration is basic
and devastating agree that
coming is an inadequate pro-
lection of "open spaces" AS
examples, they cite Los An
geles, where the Corridor
Plan was tried and the open
spaces filled up, and New
York City, which adopted the
corridor scheme for its sub.
way lines shortly before 1900,
to assure the economic domi-
nance of Manhattan with no
open spaces" - and that's
what they got. If this County
wants open spaces, it will |
have to pay for them, as the
planners recognize in their !
proposal for acquisition of |
development rights" in land.) |
3. The Plan would foster an
efficient, economical rapid
transit to downtown Washing
ton. (Rapid Transit time to
Rockville, per NCTA's opti-
mistic projections, is half an
hour. BY private auto, it is
now 80 40 minutes, and will
be half an hour when the
circumferential Highway is
finished to Cabin John and
the Potomac Freeway fin
ished to the State Depart
ment, two or three years
hence. Private transit is a
hallmark of our affluent So
ciety none more affluent
than Montgomery County -
because of its convenience
and flexibility. Who will use
the Rapid Mass Transit? And
all this leaves aside the fact
that rapid transit is designed
to preserve D. c. real estate
values at the expense of sub
urban areas, including Mont
gomery.)
4. The Plan would give us
cheaper utilities and services.
CThe principal saving the
planners can point to is
S12,000,00O on sewers. If the
tax base grows with the in
crease in population, thrice by
2000, then the saving (which
is $50 of one years present
County budget will be less
than SO of the year 2000
budget; prorated over 80 or
40 years, the present practice,
the Saving" will be a couple
of dollars per year per home
an amount which should
have no weight at all in for
mulating a community plan.)
5. The Plan assures that
there will be no school over
crowding, and no Tor less)
traffic hazards for school
children. pray how? School
planning and building is an
entirely separate issue; it can,
given the will, keep pace with
any form of development,
with little variation in cost.
The only school service vary
ing with the pattern of de-
velopment is bus service to
and from the schools, and the
cost of that is negligible. Any
overcrowding of schools will
stem, not from any general
plan, but from an inability to
comprehend and provide for
the needs Of the school chill
dren. Any shortsightedness
on this point is unrelated to
any general plan of develop.
ment, and cannot be excused