Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1963-01-24
Geeraert
Apartments
Are Denied
By BAY Waller
Sentinel Reporter

Council meeting room was
filled Monday night with 40
residents from the Meadow
Hall Drive area who wanted
to make sure that the coun-
Gil wouldn't approve a zon-
ing change in their COM
munity.
After a stormy, two-hour pub
lie hearing in which almost a
dozen spoke, the council denied
the application of Joseph L.
Geeraert to rezone five acres at
the east end of Meadow Hall
Drive to allow him to construct
apartment buildings there.
The Rockville Planning
Commission had previously
recommended against the re-
quest because it would not
conform to the existing pat
tern already established there.
The tract is presently zOned
for One-family houses. Geer-
aert wanted it changed to. r.
80 multiple family dwellings.
Most of the people present for
the public hearing were not
aware of the planning commits
sion's decision, and came indi-
vidually or in groups to oppose
the apartments. They claimed it
would devalue their homes,
cause severe traffic hazards
and crowd the local Carl Sand
burg School, which adjoins the
tract.
The five-acre tract is the
small remaining part of a large
area of land that has been de-
veloped by Geeraert over sew
eral years. 1t is also bordered
by regional park of the Mary
land-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, which
has greatly increased the value
of the property.
The council made no decision
on two proposed annexations
which were given public hear
ings Monday night. One of
them involves the wheel of
Fortune" or Prescott Tract-41
acres located northeast of Mon
trose Road and us. 240 next
to the Woodmont Country Club.
Attorney Charles w. Pretty
man, representing the owners
of the property, asked that it be
zoned for apartments, instead
of single family homes as rec
c7nmended by the planning
commission. The hearing was
continued to March IS to give
the planners more time to study
this request.
The proposed Fishman Tract
annexation decision was also
postponed after hearing an ex-
PLANTATION of the proposal by
Russell L. Montney, the city's
director of planning and urban
renewal. The one-third acre
parcel of land is located 100
yards southwest of East Mont
gomery Avenue, next to the
Woodmont Country Club.
The county has zoned the
area rural, but if annexed it
would come under Rockville's
Master Plan as a commercial
site. A portion of the property
Is occupied by the office of the
Fishman Construction Co.
coming application
involving 1873 acres proposed
for a planned residential COM
munity and commercial sites
did not come up for public
hearing as scheduled since the
planning commission wanted
more time for study. The ap-
pIicatiOn was filed in NOvem.
Der by the SalgOOd Land Co,
Of Washington, ID. c.
Approval was given to the
Shamrock Development Corp.
to erect a billboard until July
/, 1863, advertising Green
Acres Homes. The 50-square
foot sign will be placed at Rock
vile Pike and Halpine Road.
The council acted on a re-
quest by William Klindequist to
waive the 70-foot right-of.way
on Stonestreet Avenue to so
feet, by granting the waiver
along the entire length of the
street from Park Road to How.
ard Avenue. Several previous
Individual waivers had already
been granted along that route.