Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-04-15

will look at the lot. The very fact
that there is already an apartment
house IN one side, makes it less at
tractive to the prospective buyer.
The buildings have no value and the
land has probably much less than
when it was bought. The owner has
no redress.
A factory suddenly plants itself in
the middle of a good business street.
The stores on either side of it ex-
perience a decided falling off in
trade. Passersby avoid the nuis-
ance; at least, they prefer the other
side of the street. Nothing is left
for the store to do but to become a
cheap restaurant or tobacco store to
cater to the employees of the factory.
Property values have been cut in
half.
Skyscrapers are rarely profitable
except where they steal light and
air from their neighbors, and even
then the lower stories become mere
ly stills to support the mushroom
upper stories. In New York rentals
in the lower stories of skyscrapers
and in surrounding buildings are Of
ten less than half those of the upper
stories. Few buildings in New York
of over twelve stories and few build
ings in other cities of over sight
stories pay over two or three per
cent net on the investment.
Many real estate. developers have
tried to control the first of these
nuisances by private restrictions, re-
corded in the deeds, but in most
cases this control can only last for
a short time. People have little con-
fdence in such restrictions as the
courts are constantly setting them
aside because they are "discrimina-
tory"
Again, around the edges of pri-
vately restricted districts, nuisances
spring up like a parasitic growth,
profiting by the restricted area and
extending their harmful effect far
back into it.
However, these troubles can be
regulated and regulated effectively.
We have only to read some of the
epoch-making decisions of our
highest courts, such as that handed
down by the New York Court of APP
peals on July Z, 1920, to realize
how broadly they interpret the use
of the police power" to control
private property without compensa-
health, safety and morals. but of
6tsltldi NtlAoit
and the public good.
Courts insist that these restric-
lions must not be discriminatory"
nor retroactive, that they must treat
alike and therefore they must
not be a piece meal but they should
made for the whole community
at time with the same princi-
pies applying to all. They admit the
feasibility of relaxing desirable
standards where there are already
existing non-conforming buildings,
or where land values are So high
TO make the desired restrictions
u~neconomic.
This relaxing mean building
in other words, different
restrictions on the height, srea or
use of buildings il different rarts of
the town. These restrictions are
"zoned" instead of being made uni
foi m for the whole town to avoid
hardship on real es ate interests and
TO make the application OF the zon-
ing ordinance q practical business
proposition.
1t is fatal to take this matter too
The responsibility for the
future Is too great. The growth
of the town must be considered.
The most practical tracts for the
of industry, must be deter
increased transportation to
meet the future must be planned.
the Improvement and extension of
rail- and water facilities must be
worked out, transit extension must
be planned, and housing areas must
be determined far into the future
in just the right relations to the
factories. transit and the center of
the town. Land must be set aside
to meet future needs for parks,
Fairgrounds ,parkways and public
buildings. In a word, 1t Is absurd
to zone without having worked out
in general all of the other features