The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-18
L X 8 7
DITI0M
PARK Site PRICES,
Are They Too High or Are
They Too Low ?-They q
Seem to Be Both.
ALL THE DOCTORS DISAGREE.

the FINANCIAL compass, ana the
Commissioners Have Their Say,
& Too.
The sentiments to which Mr.. Peter
Henderson gave expression, as to the
prices for which the several park sites
were offered to The County Park Commis-
sion, has led to considerable discussion
among those whose property will have to
pay for the parks, upon the point whether
the prices are reasonable or not. he
porters of THE JERSEY CITY NEWS have
made some enquiries into the subject of
those who are acquainted with values
hereabouts.
WHAT THE ASSESSORS BOOKS SHOW.
The prices at which the several tracts
are offered are these:-The King tract, on
the Weehawken bluff, s., 200 per acre; the
Currie estate, $2,S91 per acre; the Clifford
tract, $4G7 per acre for the meadow land
and 81 1865 per acre for the upland, and the
Smith tract, 50, 100 per acre. s -.
John H. McCutcheon hauled half a
dozen maps down from the rack in City
OOu0CDOT LOVES OIllC5 ILLS ulUFAuS W
locate the sites in the city for me and to
give me their assessed valuations. The tig-
ires on the Assessors books, traced from
these maps, show that the whole of the
Clifford tract, lying between Hackensack
River and West Side avenue and Duncan
and Communipaw avenues is assessed for
a. total of 1921 900. The estate offers a
tract to the Commissioners for 1858, 1877. So
The Smith tract is not specifically located
in the commissioners report, but the AS
SCISSORS books show that full lots on
McAdoo avenue are valued at $50, and
on Bergen avenue at $780, But the Rev.
Father Corrigan is assessed 81 900 per acre
on three acres in that vicinity.
AS to the Currie estate, the 100 parcels
lying in Bayonne have total valuation
of $54, IA on the Assessors book. Speci-
men assessments of so much OF the tract
as lies in Jersey City are: Block 1881,
1885 square feet, $1,175; 1882, 1873, 500
square feet, S2,925; block 1888, 117,924
square feet, $3.T25. III -...-. sf.v,-s ~.
sioners, last evening when asked his
opinion as to the value of that part of the
Currie estate which it is proposed to take
for a park replied that he considered
from &, ,250 to 5000 fair price for the
land. He also stated that the Commis-
sioners had purchased the property at
$3.50 an acre, subject to the approval of
the Court
THE CURRIE ESTATE PURCHASED.
Mr.. Le1nbeck id not consider this by
any means an exorbitant price, but said
that the city was getting magnificent
piece of property for park purposes at
reasonable figure.
"The Currie farnily,n he continued,
'have guaranteed us the right to the
shore and water, and when it
is considered that the property has one of
the finest shores for bathing purposes, you
will find the price reasonable. The beach
is sandy and sloping, and it is admirably
adapted for bathing. .it
Perhaps some persons who consider
the price exorbitant may be interested in
some other piece Of property which the
Commissioners were unable to select"
WILL COST LESS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
Colonel Stevens, President of the Hobo
ken Land and Improvement Company,
who is also one of the Commissioners, said
that the natural advantage of all of the
sites for parks made them more valuable
than if they had alto be extensively al
tered for the purpose Kings Woods, he
said, are highly priced, but as they will
not cost SO much to alter for the use of the
public The County Park Commissioners
can afford to pay a little more for the
ground, the prices asked by the Messrs
acre for a. portion and s7,5oO
per acre for the remainder, is
much too high, and should not be paid
The valuation of Mr.. Bonn, si,700 per
acre, is what Colonel Stevens considers
fair price.
Mr. Stevens said that he had not become
sufficiently familiar with the other sites
to in any way judge their values He
would certainly say that the Kings
Woods were the most valuable of the
whole.
THE COMMISSIONERS MAKE AN OFFER.
t'The price at which we have agreed to
take the Currie estate, If the heirs will
xr1s IL
able" spoke Park Commissioner Garret
f. Winants, of Bergen Point. "I,he price
offered is Sc 2:JJ per acre, and if the prop
erty belonged to me ] would not sell for
the 1igure,n he continued. II don't know
of u more desirable piece of property for
park purposes between Bergen Point and
lower Jersey City, and hope we can Sc
cure it.. N
Il am free to say that 5000 an acre is
too. much to pay for the Currie estate"
said Ree0rder John II. Besher, of Bay
onne. "rhe property is, however, worth
more than 1900 per acre. The property
has the best natural advantages for
park site, and the benefit which would be
derived by Greenyille and Bayonne
shellld 1t be one of the sites chosen is too
rell Known for me to make any comment
upon." As1 fk $4
MIR. EMMoSs THINKS PRICES HIGa.
Mr. Francis S. Emrnons, of the we'll
known Wall street firm OF Emmons &
Co., was asked this morning for his opin-
ion concerning the various sites men
toned in the Park Commissioners re-
port
lie said that he Thought the King estate
well located for a park for the North Had
son people. IL Is almost a park now But
I think the price asked for It by the estate |
is out OF all reason, If 1t could be obtained |
by the Commissioners ut u reasonable |
figure it would be we'll to buy it'll there |
are to be two parks
"As to the other sites, I anl not in favor
Of ths Crcr;e estate at anything like the /
iignras asked forit bg the ow.ieSs: but / i
would prefer the Smith properly. The |
Clifford tract y all out OF the question.
The price asked by che Currie hei-s Is /
higher than t!iat asked hy Smith. Ii tks |
smith tract could be purchased at II price |
wliich the Commissioners may thiak Tea-
sonablo--anA, efg course, lower than the
figure ut which .t is oifsred--I would |
favor the purchase of the Smith and King
estates. In saying this I should add that
have attended none OF the meetings of
the Commissioners, and speak on the basis