The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-07

Sutro, the Spring Valley people, Behrend
Joost, Thomas q. Sweeney and J. P. Nc
Carthy.
Many others are ready to join with them
in building the boulevard at the expense
of the adjacent property, and it is not
likely to be long before definite move
ment is made to make the Supervisors
create an assessment district to build the
driveway. The building of the main route
of the boulevard promises to be followed
by other important street Improvements
in the large region south and southeast of
the park, and a general development of
that section of the city.
ii. 7. Sonntag and some other leading
members of the Half million Club are but
waiting until the club is fully organized
and its fiesta business is out of the way to
present the boulevard project to the club
and endeavor to enlist it in the enterprise
Mr.. Sonntag believes that a magnificent
driveway out of the city, for which so
superb an opportunity is offered, will ap-
peal to the club with especial force.
Mayor Sutro is doing a good deal of
talking and figuring on the boulevard be-
tween times and is conducting a quiet
campaign in favor of the route he has had
in mind for the driveway that has been his
pet idea for years. The route he favors.
as described in the CALL the other day
would take the boulevard out the present
Almshouse road to the neighborhood of
that institution, where it would swing to
the south and descending to lower levels
pass by Ingleside and the head of Lake
MERGED. Mr.. Sutro Will give the right of
way through his lands and proposes that
the rest of the expense shall be borne by
an assessment district.
w. M. FitZhugh is actively championing
route that leaves the Almshouse road
about where Sutro's driveway would leave
it, but keeps on the hills and skirts their
edges for some distance, then ascends to
the neighborhood of Ocean View. A much
finer view is one of the considerations
urged in favor of this route.
Such boulevard would make property along
the south of the park worth several times as
much as it is now, says Mr.. Fitzhugh, and il
would double the values of properties q
mile away from some portions of it. All the
large property-owners have talked with favor
it, and believe few will oppose it, for q man
can afford to pay an assessment If his property
will be increased in value fifty times the
amount OF his assessment That would be the
most attractive and popular drive about the
city, besides affording an outlet to the magnif-
cent region to the south.
l favor widening the Almshouse road to
about eighty feet and letting the driveway be
about the same width along the edge of the
hills little beyond where stone battlements
could be built in places and trees set out Get
ting down toward Lake MERGED, the boulevard
might be 100 or 125 feet wide, with trees along
the center and walks at the side. l have no
doubt that the project will succeed when an
organized move is made, as it will be soon and
when the Half-million Club takes hold of it. II
can easily be done under the present assess
ment district law.
II. P. Sonntag is one of the strongest
and most active men behind the San Fran
cisco end of the big plan. He said yester-
day:
1t would be one of the finest features of San
Francisco. When / was East / stopped al
Cleveland only to see the famous Euclid ave
nue.. As fine as that is, it would be almost
nothing compared with this boulevard if it is
properly laid out and built. 1t would double
and quadruple the value of every foot of land
near it, and its cost would come back many
times to the .property-owners who paid for it.
II would be constant delight and an un.
measurable benefit TO the entire city shall
urge 1t before the Half-million Club as soon as
we get through with these excursions. and
believe that we are going to have the boulevard
Thus the boulevard so recently suggested
has been taken up in this city by promi.
nent people with as much energy as has
been displayed by SO many of the leading
people of San Mateo County, and definite
effort to secure its building will be begun
very soon