Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-02
TIE NEW EXTENsION.
Let the Streets be Opened Through.
IT


city, and the studied besitancy of the
municipal authorities to carry out the
policy indicated By you for the more rapid
DEVELOPMENT Of this section, renders 1t
not inappropriate for me to lay before the
public through your columns certain
facts bearing upon this subject and sp-
parentiy controlling more or less the con-
duct OF the mum cipal authorities, and
the counter conduct Of tn land owners
NO better illustrations can be offered than
those connected with my own properties
In the newly extended limits.
when 1t was proposed some years ago,
(perhsps ten or tweve), to extend the
southern limits OF the city. | went to MIR
Howard, the City surveyor, and pointed
ont TO him the peculiar position Of the
hye-scre lots immeda ely adjoining the
old limits of the city (about % feet Of
Anderson street, west OF Bull street,
which we're so situated that after taking
IRON them the portion of land necessary
10 fill out Anderson street to its full
breath OF go feet, there won d b. left $50
feet which could be 50 divided as to give
a row OF lots 80 feet deep fronting
on Anderson street, and two rows OF 30
feet depth each on the north and south
sides OF First avenue, besides leaving
70 feet Tor First avenue and 90
lCcb tut TIE luHe DtbWFtu
Anderson street and First avenue. The
deeper lots could then begin by running
streets tnrough the middle Of the fve-acre
lots Nos. :. 8, and 8, up to the Dillon
lands (Iatelv purchased by the city },
with the lanes on the bOi ders of Nos. l. 2,
3, and ut the tive-acre lots. The streets
through the centre of these fiye-acre lots
could be IS feet wide, the lanes
70 feet wide, and there would be
125 feet de tn Of lots; or the streets could
be go feet wide, the lanes 90 leet wide, and
the lots then lie 1876 feet In depth. Either
Of these plans would have done but little
dama4e JG the owners, and the streets
could have been obtained for half the
money they will cost by the new plan.
For instance, on the south side OF First
avenue would have had nearly 2 blocks
OF lots 30 feet deep, running from Bull
stree to witlin SO feet OF Barnard street.
| Luilt number of houses on this line a.
originally projected, costing me about
5000. which The city will have to buy or
move back and repair at their own ex-
pense II the new plan is carried OUT, be-
sides paving me sufficient sum for the
land 10 be taken Tor FIRST avenue to COM
pensate Tor the destruction Of the blocks
occasioned by the reduction to 50 feet in
depth on the south side OF First avenue.
There was no excuse for this folly.
These difficulties were pointed ont by me
long before the Prenderga~t lots on the
east side OF Bull street were platte d at all,
and the PreDdergast plat could nave jusI
as we'll been laid out in harmony with nv
older suggestions, and the city be saved
large unnecessary outlay. | built by
the best plan for the citV's interest. The
City Surveyor aiterward lays out differ
ent plah Tor Mr. Prendergast, which cuts
mine and all other places between Bull
street and the Ogc echee ROAD all to pieces.
and then gives Gen. Finegan
and Bryan and Hunter, on
the east of the Prendergast properly. up
to and beyond East BrOa STREET; still
another plan, which is again totally df-
ferent from the old plan by which UuIlt.
and further a gain different from the plan
given to Mr.. Preudergast. so that there
were three different plans between East
Broad and the OLeechee road, two O1
which were east Of Bull street. If this
was not bOtcnWork L know not what to
call it.
Now when this very serious damage
was about to be inflicted on me, l called
on Messrs. Wells and Thomas at the Sur
veyOr's Office and pointed out the facts
above 'ated, so that they could not pos
sibly ''go 1t blndiolded," aud showed
them that ii the plan given TO the east
side of Bull street was carried across my
lines it would occasion me- very serious
damage and the city very considerable
expense, much of winch would be avoid
ed by adhering to my formerly suggested
plan.
Their answer was that the plan of
deeper lots was much more desirable;
ana 1t was agreed that necessary result
wOud be the very serious injury of my
lot and houses on the south side of First
avenue, which presented therefore the
very simple questions of the extent of
the damage and the determination OF the
compensation therefor.
Now, make the declaration, and leave
IT to be proven by the results, that the
Plan adopted by the city VIII cost tue CITY
$50 900 more tor the streets between Bull
street on the east and the Ogeechee road
on the west, and between the north eide
OF Anderson street on the north and the
Dillon lands on the south, than would
have been the c)st by the plan | have
heretofore outlined and which would have
been just as good one in every respect.
NV let us take up another part of the
extension aud see what the new plan
does with that. The western portions OF
lols Nos. 6, and s have been heretofore
subdivded into village commonly
called SOuthville aname specially gave
to the subdivision Of the western portion
OF lot No. I, eX ending from the continue
ton Of Bull street to Price street), aud
nearly half OF these subdivisions have
been sold out in lots, the streets opened,
houses built, ETC., all III harmony
with plan OF extension OF the
streets running north aud south frOm
Bull street TO Price street, and including
perhaps $50 or more lots. 10 change
these reefs now the city would have 10
buy every house and lot and relocate both
lots and houses on their new plan as IL
appears on paper. | doubt very much
whether the city ever attempts any such
job, and unless it does, the sO-called
map of that part Of the extension is
mere tarce--a jack-o'lantern.
l have given these two examples OF the
Job the Council have undertaken and the
way they nave gone about 1t on paper),
and they are fair Illustrations Of the
manner IN which number Of properties
have been ciOusly cut to pieces by
the plan 6naliy adopted by Council
Now, let US take view oil the financial
questions involved in opening the streets.
am aware thatisOme OF the Aldermen
streets in the new extension, and / drew
il out Of two OF THESE Composers" that they
didn't own a loot of land in the extension.
So much for one feature OF the objection.
Now, let us look at another feature for
which they claim some credit, namely:
that IL we want streets we can furnish the
streets ourselves. One Of these gentle
men had some land on Canal
street which the city took To
widen the street, and / was in