Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-21
FINISH UNION PARK
GARDENS APPRAISAL
Valuation Has Not Been Given
Out; Expect Houses Win be
Offered for Sale.

What will be tho final disposition or
manner of sale of the houses in Union
Park Gardens is matter Of interest not
only to the more than 500 families living
there, but also to the entire city, This in-
terest is keyed up some by the fact that
the appraisal committee has finished its
report ON the valuation OF the property,
and submitted it last Thursday to the
Property Division OF the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, United Stntes Shipping
Board, at Philadelphia.
The committees, which spent some time
in compiling its report on the valuation of
the Union Parks Garden development.
was composed OF Col Weller u. Slower,
representing the public of Wilmington:
Edmund p. Moody, representing the
Liberty Land Company and the Will
mington Housing Corporation, and Henry
Hopes. representing the Emergency Fleet
Corporation.
The office of the Property Division Of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation Mt
Philadelphia, when asked this morning
about the report OF the committee, said
that il had been received but they were
not in position 70 give out any informa ton
as to the figures or the valuation set, as
the officials had not had time to 20 over
the report. Further, IL was stated that
nothing would be given out III any event
until it was learned by the Fleet Corpora
ton Just what was desired in the premises
by the people at the Wilmington end-~the
Wilmington Housing Corporation and
the Liberty Land Company.
The land ON which the houses were
built WAS owned by the Liberty Land
Company, and the Wilmington Housing
Corporation was organized for the pur-
bo Gpo ~ the
development. Through the efforts OF the
Wilmington Housing Corporation and the
Chamber. Of Commerce, the present fine
development was made possible, instead Of
a much cheaper character OF houses or
shaclSs for the ship workers of the United
States Shipping Board
The development at Union Park Gar
dcns includes 503 residences, ono apart
ment house and two stores, over one Of
which il an apartment There are also
about seven vacant lots. The cost Of the
entire development was about s4,T00, 600,
according to a statement made from the
Offices OF the Property Division Of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation. This would
make the average cost of the houses
little over $4,000 All OF the houses are
occupied
II vet remains TO be determined the
manner OF ursposing of the property III
may be decided TO offer Ike houses 90 the
present tenants, for cash payment in
part and deferred payments on the re-
mainder. II il is decided To follow this
plan. the tenants will probably be given
q certain fixed time to accept the terms TO
he offered-that is. such number Of them
as will desire 10 buy. Others Of the general
public would he offered chance 10 buy the
houses occupied by tenants who would not
purchase. And in the event this plan would
not work, the property would be offered
as whole TO the highest bidder.
Il WAS with n view of the houses being
Offered singly that the committee of ap-
praisal was appointed TO fix the val1a-
ton. II is expected that the report OF the
committee will show o valuation con-
siderably below the estimated cost of the
houses This would have 10 be done If
there were any hope of the tenants buying.
1t is the plan OF the Emergency Fleet
Corporation, after selling the houses, to
deed over 10 the city The streets and
sewers, water pipes and parking spaces
for an amount to be agreed upon by
of the Fleet Corpora
ton and the city. as was done by the
du Pont Company IN the case of the Wawa
set development.