Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-08-12
ZONING AND CITY PLAN.

1t looks very much as IL the Board OF
Aldermen were trying to make the City Plan
Commission the goat for a very disagreeable
task. Incidentally, the commission is fuddling
away it's time pickering about the location of
private garages and rounded street corners
when the work of securing a real plan Tor
Perth Amboy's development for the next fifty
years is entirely lost sight OF.
The matter of coming a city, especially q
city Of this size and character. is a very intri-
cate matter. 1t is something that cannot be
done in an off-handed way, devoting merely
an evening or two each month to the subject.
TO properly zone a city like Perth Amboy re-
quires deep study: it calls for expert knowledge
and keen insight as to the future.
It is easy enough to strike off a strictly resi-
Dental zone embracing all that section of the
civ east of Madison avenue and south Of
Gordon street, because that is already a strictly
residential district, the gas works being the only
industry located there. But the aldermen have
returned this simple work of the City Plan
Commission with the request that the entire
citv be zoned before any ordinance Is passed.
This is an entirely different matter.
AS said before, to zone a city OF this character
is not the work of amateurs, as all ordinary
laymen are In tnls TtSdiu' no WA
ATTEMPT is made to set aside certain sections
strictly for business or, more especially 'hous-
trial purposes. there is going to be oppositloh'
Naturally, no man wants his home located III
a factory district II he can help 1t, especially
If he does not work in that district. But Oh
course, 1t would be impossible to create zones
of this character without nconveniencing some
body. Property used for residential purposes
would depreciate as such in an Industrial dc
trict. but, on the other hand, it would increase
in value as an industrial site. This would
rocess;tate q reimbursement and some moving
about on the part of some people. all Oh WHICH
is not pleasant and the officials VINO comPei
the moving would have to stand the pruhl VI
the complaint. The Board of Aldermen "o"io
he glad to unload this upon the CITY flah
Commission, and for that matter, the respoh-
etbility rightly belongs with such a COMMISSION
hut the commission ought to be fortified Win
expert>advice and opinion for every move they
make in so important a matter, so as 10 sue
.essfu1lv meet the complaints that are bound
to come in.
To take a neighborhood in which a man has
lived for a good many years and declare that
henceforth it is to be reserved for Factory
n,rnoses is rather a serious matter, although
this process has been going on for some timo
already. Industries have been encroaching on
former residential sections and people have
been gradually moving away into other parts
more quiet and exclusive. This is especially
true in regard to the northern end OF High
and State streets.
1t stands to reason that it would be better
for the city to officially declare what are to be
the factory zones. and assure the people that
the industries may come 30 far and no 1arther
than to let matters go on as at present. Today
a man may build a house where he thinks II
is safe for residential purposes only to ma
that within a few years factories have spread
out all about him. To be able to know before
he buys just where the factory zone Is and
where the residential zone is would be a big
thing. Those already located would be in
convenienced, but for the sake of the future