Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-28
RRena Vista Street Property
Owners,


EDITORS HERALD-Sirs: One of the
best known and most easily reached of
our hill sites. is the historic Fort Hill.
Strangers are taken there every day to
get the best view of the mountains and
the city. Attracted by its views, and for
reasons of health and convenience, peo-
pie have gone there, purchased lots,
graded, planted and improved and made
the place valuable. Streets have been
laid out, graded and accepted by the
city on which homes have been built
i'm proved as it should be. The residents
on the street, and on Fort Hill, have
been anxious for two years past to
have good roadway made from the top
Of the hill, and the whole of that part of
it graded.
The condition of the side of the hill
from Rock to Bellevue avenue has been
disgraceful to the neighborhood and the
city. Their wishes have been frustrated
by the opposition of one, Mr.. P. Beaudry,
who is a large property owner on that
street. He claims that his property pro.
jects into the street for certain distance,
and has refused to sell this strip for the
sum awarded by Commission" This
piece was necessary to make the street
60 feet wide on the top of the hill. Last
year he built rail 20 feet out into the
street and along in front of two of his
tenement houses. The majority of the
property owners on Buena Vista street de-
sire to have the street graded as to be an
easy and convenient driving grade, not
so.called traffic grade, which seems to
mean nearly level.
Now. Mr.. Beaudry has influenced 9TH
ers to join him, and has succeeded in
getting an ordinance passed to cut the
street down to suit his property, on the
lower side of the street, but at grade
which would leave all the houses on the
upper side high in the air, make Rock
street useless and inaccessible from that
end, and cost the property o wners thou
sands OF dollars, to pay for their own
ruin. A cut of thirty feet at the intersec
tion of Rock and Buena Vista is pro.
posed, which means forty and fifty feet
of depth for the houses on the upper side
Of the street, and a retaining wall of that
height.
1t is alleged that thus cutting down
Buena Vista street over the hill will
make the other part of it, beyond Belle
vue avenue, more valuable, and make it
business property. The people on the
two blocks between Temple and Bellevue
would thus pay for the benefit of those oD
the blocks beyond, and at their own
great loss and damage. This is not
reasonable or right.
The pubic good and convenience does
not require any such cutting down and
injury to property. A few feet taken
off the highest part and put in front Of
Mr.. Beaudry's houses, would make
a very good and easy grade from
Temple street, and it would be better
and more gradual slope than almost any
other street going over the hills.
The property owners on the upper side
OF Buena Vista street do not feel like be-
ing ruined to accommodate some of those
on the lower side. They are already high
from the street, have built walls and
gone to great expense. OF course the
city will have TO pay damages, and the
whole street will have to pay very heavy
assessments, as this deep cut will cost
enormously. But those who are doing
this piece of work do not think of this,
Some OF them may have deep pockets,
but most of the other owners are people
OF very moderate means and cannot
stand it. FAIR Play.
July Of. 1890