'- ‘fYXiQ‘g-Ln ' ’ B 341906 I ‘ f‘ v" “' . i :r ~—-'r - - — -- Q‘“ ' L 1 4. LL'KIM'Ji' I-~~i“lzllf,{&na w 1 . I . A MAJOR STREET PLAN FOR ST. LOUIS THE CITY PLAN COMMISSION ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI fim~%_'__" J Illustration No. l.-T0 connect Lindell avenue dll‘ectly with Locust street the "Lindell Cub-0t?” was made in 1915 at a cost of $202,200. This improvement has proved exceedingly pnpular and is a good indication of what will be accomplished by other city planning projects of a larger scale. \ A MAJOR STREET PLAN FOR ST. LOUIS THE CITY PLAN COMMISSION §T. LOUIS, MISSOURI HARLAND BARTHOLOIVIEW ENGINEER MAY, 1917 NIXONJONES PRINTING CO. ST. LOUIS, MO. GD cfi'Y/Le/z/z/Waz/méaql / 67 l P #7? |. w - I-lLfl-ls-"i/L/i/ u (‘f 6 OFFICE OF CITY PLAN COMMISSION OF ST. LOUIS . May Thirty-first, To the Honorable, Nineteen Seventeen. Board of Public Service, St. Louis, Mo. Gentlemen: The City Plan Commission has the honor to transmit a report entitled “A Major Street Plan for St. Louis,” for your con- sideration. The streets of a large and growing city have functions of unusual importance to perform. Unless a fixed policy of functional street planning be followed with consistency, the inconvenience and expense of readjustments may become unduly burdensome. The grad- ual accomplishment of a system of major streets should appear to be a logical procedure. The City Plan Commission has given much thought and attention to the questions involved in the preparation of a fixed policy for major streets and it is sincerely hoped that the conclusions herewith submitted may be of value to your Honorable Board in the performance of this character of Work. Respectfully submitted, DWIGHT F. DAVIS, Chairman; CHARLES H. DIEL, Vic e-Chairman ,- TOM W. BENNETT, B. W. CLARKE, W. H. FUCHS, CLARENCE H. HOWARD, A. S. LANGSDORF, ERNEST J. RUSSELL, GEORGE J. TANSEY, I herewith / LOUIS P. ALOE, President, Board of Aldermen. E. R KINSEY, ' President, Board of Public Service. CHAS. M. TALBERT, Director of Streets and Sewers. NELSON CUNLIFF, \ JAMES‘ N. McKELVEY, Building Commissioner. Members Em-Officio. ANDREW LINN BOSTWICK, Secretary. HARLAND BARTHOLOMEW, Engineer. :6 "2. b , - Members of the City Plan Commission. Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page. Letter of Transmittal. List of Plans. List of Illustrations. A. Major Street Plan for St. Louis. . . . . . . . . . . 1. Influence of Street Plan. Functional Street Planning. ‘ Results of Traffic Census. Preparation of the Major Street Plan. The Value of a Major Street Plan. Major Streets 'and Rapid Transit. Width of Major Streets. The Business District. Legislative and Financial‘Measures. The Benefit District. Distribution of Cost. Method of Payment. Establishment of Building Lines. Permanent I'Xssessinent Board. Land Subdivisions. Excess Condemnation. Fixing Streets. Plan Commissions for Small Cities and for Counties. - Specific Recommendations. 0 The Arterial System of Major Streets . . . . . . . .40 The Rectangular System of Major Streets—— North and South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._ . . . . .53 The Rectangular System of Major Streets—— East and West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..65 vi CITY PLAN COMMISSION Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Proposed law authorizing the establishment of building lines. Proposed law authorizing the .creation of a permanent assessment board. Proposed law requiring approval of all land subdivisions. Proposed constitutional amendment granting power of excess condemnation. Proposed law authorizing creation of a county plan commission. Proposed law authorizing creation of city plan commissions in small cities. ' LIST OF PLANS Total daily automobile trali‘ic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. X Total daily horse drawn tral’fie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XI The Major Street Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 Total daily street traltic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9 Present streets over 60 feet Wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Cross sections of major streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If.) Tl‘heoretical h’lajor Street Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Grand avenue crossings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 25 Population and major streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ‘2-7 Proposed distribution of cost of accuiiring I streets (Lewis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 31. North and South connectioiiis to Twelfth street. 39 1. ,Iiindell Cut-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XII 2 Olive street east of Fourth street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. Olive street—example of 60-foot street with double track trolley line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 4.. Locust street-~—e\*a1nple of capacity of 60-foot street for vehicular traffic only . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 5. \I-Iashington avenue example of recommended IDIDIHIHID Width for major street With trolley line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..- . . . . . .. 11 (5. Washington aveiiiue~showing proposed widen- ing.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H13 7. Front street, Newark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15 Varick street, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 21 S). Twelfth street north . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 l(). LIs'roF ILLUSTRATIONS Twelfth street south . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 43 MO Eowmwfi 229200 @5 82$ 39522260 35:25am .Eanmism 52.55 a U5“ 53B 23: mkozm 6:260 QEFS m5 “3 @2622 M~Mw>§b >_M: \\O\m,h\$\..<fi.u . . \ ‘H. k‘ . H m ~. _ W 1 d: .. _ M w l n _. v! I In - A 7 m. GP! 2. “Tip-0....’ H. \ M M i <=§m§~u7t . .0 ~ 0 n # .v . .7 7 2 \h \J ~ 1 . 6 I n .0 - \( u . . z w. M .\ n \> I L I 3.112.; I, .11.; 5,. . ‘I, / ./ / \ ./. . z. . \ / 5.6 \ . e . /. » 9&3 \ / . . ./ a \ 1/ u . £9. 3;: n... \ /./. ... y . /./. ,... (a \ I.// on . .\ I.! p \ I 1 a ./ z \ / u . I u / \ . v. a \ I'll 1:1‘ 3c M M \ rvsv. i. . H \. lv I. w .. \ .w/ .. /. w \. I .v / u \ ~/ . \ v: u \. . .. . ~ 1/“ 2.5 r M \\ I. 8; o l. \ /.I x» 1 ll}! .\|\m~ J|||..|||-|v \. . _ i .l . \.l.\...\. li|,|.l.| I.:./. .i @Piil illli l. L 2 Z > I. .ll\.\. 4 ' v m _. .Nwkhw... u..<_§<éw~w.tw.~uu 0.0 ~ I“ . .n \nlfl .luuwun align. kgtwmmwmn Nam . EQQ on S; m. QQEE E3. :E has NEE. In“ vi ‘V l‘ I'b'J"W l v m IIA'III EEG l 54 when)“ a _r_ in‘ ‘A! . I; '1," M09711‘ 1 r :2 ‘m ‘1/1’ 1 -. a £22.“. .m\ t 110301 in- llHu nn '1: .111! In‘ 90,71" 'lflV 001-00‘? #5529: pagers?“ was 22:8 3:8 wsossficcu was 322% w 53% 25323:“ mm .QEFS BBoEofiE 0.6 £65985 22% 3:3 magi; 'IIY JIJIIY§NI In "HM! 52 =2“. x .\ ~ ‘4! IIICIIII An \ :1 7'0 TAL DAILY COMMM‘C/M TRAFFIC Home MAW/V vow/curs a, MOTOR mucxs "GA/V, 70 7PA1. £55 00; RMYION PO/Nrd. Jc/uz' ,. JULY 2: me am .570]? C/ 7')’ PLAN C‘OMMlJJlO/V 3T LOU/J. MO. HAPLANO DARWVOLOMtW IAQFINIZM Plan No 2—The total daily movement of horse-drawn traffic as revealed b ' _ . . . _ . , y the traffic census. shows, throue‘h the lack of con- centrat'ion upon any one street, that the older form of transportation is quite oblivious of pavement surfaces and COIltlllUllV or width of streets. HE streets are of first importance in acity plan. For residence, for business, and for coni-n'zunication between each part of the city, we depend on streets. 'Wide streets, nar- row streets, straight streets, and streets that wind about, streets for homes, and streets for business, all have their place in a city. To design a street‘aecording to its probable use is a reason- able but uncommon practice. The street plan of few cities approaches perfection. Many changes are constantly needed to properly expedite the movement of people and’ of goods. ~0F Tl-IF." ) 1 3 .- 7 ‘/—-__¢_,._._£ITY Luur -'- A . .\- I S _/ \- g l. -\ - i ‘n 1,,‘ \. ‘ : °~7\ c, ~5HZOWING ~ . - ‘ l ‘ MAJOR s‘rnnn'r PLAN " ‘ ‘ \ l4 l!‘- h / “ “a a‘. 4 ‘I’ ' .909’ L \ ‘CITY “PLAN'COMMDJIONY u ... . . ..~‘ "111.4117 -- luLAuubAnlowMw-u'a' n 5.1:". II Tu, ' l l J i i I; / 1 \l i ’ g . < J /// a . vb “in // i ‘ . . I h‘ ‘i \ a "4, a 1 z’ I ‘ j \ I J i 5 . .1 i" I n V I‘ : 1 j . W m *1 ‘ I 4 ‘Vb ‘ ‘5/ K naming“ “mm 2‘ “l B‘ "m‘ , a . r, 9 ': vb ( J l: ~ I‘ . , - I ‘ . l A uneven "' i 1 "’ u. z i Mun . “DI-LAM ‘ ..‘D a 4 ‘A J J '4 = A "'0 I 7 . I I ) ‘ . : 1' l I '2 s ; m vu — ,I A ’ A n I") :I g ‘Q _ 5 . c ‘ / u...- ,1 i , " I " r 1 X . a u ' ‘ e“, ( ‘LAND " ‘4 ‘ J g i j M.“ v 4 .1 a. a - I ‘l i H“ .- °' ‘ 4 i b d a Cohan“ ' AW ‘Aw-"M ,u- 4) ‘ Q a . , A L 1 a l. u ' ‘ a ‘ ‘no I". g : I i ‘ n I,» “Ms 3 A .sw‘‘ ; z w ' 4 “L ' I "Alli" n > d I K ‘ blAulouT “ Us‘ \ ; ' m ‘ ’ "Mi u ‘ v . \ "new" I ., ' ‘I \ i ‘e 1 l s . : E ‘o l‘ 1' a ' ‘I H < ~LLGLND~ 5 n» 'w m I ' I: ' ,- — Pnuuvr Muow. brunt» o “P f s X E g . - . 1 . um Pmeoun Wmuum ~ ‘9. A i i X i J ‘ I ‘ mum Pmvosw Enulslom ‘Corona ~ ' m!— m ; z : a .m- i . i , .._ .. -. :' 2 2i J al >5 4 ‘ A j '3 2 ‘ I , u... ’ " | " \ J . m. ~ . a E . 3 ;' .I a M/ A MAJOR STREET PLAN FOR ST. LOUIS The average town or city dweller is quite apt to pay little more attention to the streets he uses than to the air he breathes; he takes them both for granted. His business or his pleasure requires that he get about from place to place, and he uses the streets as he finds them, with a sense of satisfaction when his way is direct and free from interruption, and of irritation when opposite conditions prevail. Generally, it is only when undue congestion impairs the free flow of traffic that he begins to realize the importance of an adequate system of streets, just as he realizes the value of clean, pure air when his surroundings become smoky and grimy; but if the importance of the subject is once appreciated, it becomes evident that the future growth of the commun- ity, as well as its present stability, is absolutely de- pendent upon the development of suitable avenues of travel, and that even very considerable sums expended to secure them will in the long run be many times re- paid. It is very easy to understand that if a business district is built up in a section characterized by narrow or non-continuous streets, the resultant congestion may easily become so great that one of two things must re- sult: either the streets must be widened to provide the necessary traffic room, or the district must be abandoned in favor of another where conditions are more satisfac- tory; either method is costly, but the latter is prohib- itively so. If cities could be designed in advance, the problems to be solved would be similar to those encountered in the design of any structural unit. The streets could then be laid out of sufficient width to carry the traffic that would flow through them by virtue of their relation to the districts they serve; they could be made wide and direct between important centers, and narrow and curved in residence districts where heavy through traf- LO CITY PLAN COMMISSION fic is neither necessary nor desirable. Unfortunately, however, few cities have been planned in such a sys- tematic manner, and city planning, so-called, is therefore largely concerned with remedying the mistakes of the past, and guarding, so far as possible, against their re- currence in the future. Such mistakes become glaringly evident when their effects are seen in congestion of traf- fic where lack of foresight led to narrow streets in busy centers, in burdensome special assessments for wide streets where narrow ones would be quite sufficient, and in declining property Values in districts whose usefulness has been impaired by inadequate means of access and egress. The Influence of Street Plan No finer example of the influence of good and bad street plan upon city life and city growth can be found than in St. Louis. Along the river front from Spruce street to Washington avenue are the little old streets, thirty and forty feet wide, first laid out by the French in 1766. Here was copied the checkerboard plan used by Wm. Penn in Philadelphia, even to the names—Pine, Chest- nut, Locust, Olive, Market, etc. The extreme narrow- ness of these streets for modern city use has contributed probably as much as, if not more than, the decline of river traffic, to the apparent idleness which today dis- tinguishes this part of our city. On the other hand, it would be difficult to find a more “substantial type of urban residence development than in the so-called “Cabanne Addition,” where pleasant homes abound on wide, oc- casionally winding streets with comparatively small tree- lined roadways. The universal adoption and extension of the original checkerboard plan of streets has proven most unfor- tunate to St. Louis. Although the original narrow street width was replaced by the more ample average standard ‘11>IIQNT'N-i Vii-“h ' tllustratibn No. 2.—Looking east from Broadway on Olive street one sees the nar- row streets first laid out in St. Louis. These streets have a width of about- thirty feet which grentiy restricts all that portion of the city between Fourth street and the Missis- sippi River. 4 CITY PLAN COMMISSION width of sixty feet, the value of broad radial avenues does not seem to have been realized. This is natural enough, for so long as a town is relatively small, with a single definite community center, and with a unity of purpose expressed in a public building or two, growth will proceed generally without thought of relation to possible future secondary centers. But as growth pro- ceeds, there inevitably comes a stage when such sub- sidiary centers develop spontaneously, and both conven- ience and necessity require that each of them be tied to the principal center and to one another. Sheer good fortune, aided perhaps by the original topography of St. Louis, is responsible for the fact that this city pos- sesses a rudimentary system of such radial‘streets, more or less continuous, that now extend fanwise from the business center, as for example, Broadway, Gravois ave— uuc and Easton avenue. Functional Street Planning The building of a city is such a highly artificial pro- cess subject to such revolutionary changes in methods of transit and transportation, that it is questionable how far the needs of another generation can be anticipated. Yet it has become quite evident that there are certain well- defined classes of streets which the individual landowner cannot so readily recognize as can one who has the whole city problem in mind. Only recently has the necessity and value of public control of street planning been rec- ognized. Public control of street plan cannot entirely anticipate every need, but such control, when wisely ex— ercised, can scarcely fail to improve immeasurably many unpleasant and unsatisfactory conditions. Through such control as the city now exercises over the subdivision of land for public purposes an attempt is being made to so plan streets that their distinctive functions may be clearly discernible. In general, there Illustration No. 3.~As St. Louis grew west from Fourth street a width of 60 feet in place of 30 feet was adopted for most streets. This view shows Olive street at Seventh. The complete inadequacy of a 60 foot treet containing a trolley line as a trai‘lic thoroughfare is Well illustrated. There is runln for but one automobile between car and curb, and this space is usually occupied by standing vehlcles. 6 CITY PLAN commission are three classes of streets in St. Louis, (1) the large radial thoroughfare leading directly to the business cen- ter, which is the main artery for traffic; (2) the cross town thoroughfare which usually accommodates a trol- ley line, considerable traffic and some business develop- ment; and (3) the minor residential street for homes only. I I The adoption of a well-defined policy of differentia- tion in width of street, of roadway and character of pav- ing will soon produce results more satisfactory than have been achieved heretofore. On the radial thoroughfares and cross town streets the first essentials are ample width, directness and continuity. On minor residential streets width and directness are no longer considered essential. In fact,‘ on these minor residence streets a roadway width sufficient only for the purely local traf- ‘fie when combined with more or less irregularity in alignment discourages the use of the street for traffic purposes, gives more room for parking space and adds greatly to the desirability of the street for residential purposes. Results of Traffic Census To determine the character and extent of traffic movement on the streets of St. Louis, a detailed traffic census was made in April and May, 1916, each period of observation covering eleven continuous hours, from 8 a. m. to 7 p. m. Oounts were made on typical week days, not including Saturdays or Sundays. This census disclosed numerous interesting and val- uable facts which can be summarized in part as follows: I Horse-drawn traffic not concentratedon particular streets or in particular sections. Automobile traffic greatly concentrated on certain routes offering least obstruction to through travel and having smooth surface pavements. Illustration No. 4.—Locust street is a practical example of the capacity of a sixty foot street as a traffic thoroughfare where there is no trolley line. From 5 p. m. to 6 p. m., on a typical day, 1743 vehicles were counted on Locust street between .lefl'erson avenue and Beaumont street. s errY PLAN COMMISSION Need for more uniform distribution of east and west- bound traffic. Need for better approaches to business district from north and south. ' Of 323,869 vehicles counted at 2245 points on 84 dif- ferent streets, the number and character of vehicles, and thelr percentage of the whole, were as follows: Number Per Cent Horse drawn . . . . . . . . . . .102,168 31.5 Passenger Autos . . . . . ..169,365 52.4 Auto Trucks . . . . . . . . . .. 52,336 16.1 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323,869 100.0 The business district is the principal objective of all traffic. Since this district is in the extreme eastern central part of the city, there are three means of ap- proach—from the north, the west and the south. The following table shows the character and percentage of all traffic entering and leaving the business district ac- cording to its direction: ' Traffic Entering and Leaving Business District Vehicles Per Cent Street Cars Per Cent South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7,421 19 1,676 18 West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19,578 51 4,260 47 North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,335 30 3,105 35 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38,334 100 9,041 100 The similarity in percentage of vehicular and street car traffic entering and leaving the business district from the various directions is indicative of the fact that both classes of traffic find accommodation in the same general directions and in a general way attempt to use the same thoroughfares. Some of the traffic entering and leaving the business district from the west eventually goes either north or south, as shown by Plan No. ' _,- _»-" \ jflnxlffi fl’JqJyrnE '/ ~ _ c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ __\ d - ¢ I _ _ i _ _,,._--\’_fl,--"' ~ \;c;~ ' ~’" '9 “\_ /'/ mew-HMO)‘ ‘3”’ \ / \_ /’/ ~\\\/Z_\y // ix GC'OD’H'LOW I, i 1/ /' 4% Q I ‘I saw 1/ I 0/ k ~ N / I T» / v 2 Ives-MGM” C I i “ 1.1M ‘a $7 ‘(was ~15" " Y ‘ 5‘? I S i x I \. b A I ‘a 2 Ann/575,0 Q; 8'. s u m g S ' IV V5 4 5w 5 “OMAN mice yon/ER 6 ° "2‘, S, E u w N Q “'64 § I * ca 3'31 g 4 g t |‘ 1b Q ‘4 J x 8 q, g “ O’: “A q 2 ‘ O T \l \3 '\ ,.~ ‘; 1 i W ‘1 w" .N'q u < i" ,__’ Q14“ ‘1 I 5, it in E 1/4,’, ‘I Q 2‘ £96” I AN 0 7'4‘ I an 6 \ 4N0 ; 64, Q- 0401” "hawk ___ccu!'1 5' I‘:- \ ,' ‘.i \ I’ A’ ,1? VIRGIN/A z ‘T N 8L__—--——- 3, \\ n :1 ¥ Q ~ ‘4 \1 Q Q ,lnw * “8”” A ‘ é T l E g M ,1 \ ‘\mx 2 Q p .' \~~.\ ; 3 J5 , pea E \ . 0,15’ ,» JCALE 0F VEHICLES \_;\._,> v I‘; M, ‘y l‘ 21:! 1' i l ., g 2/ o § ‘§\ My! :4 k v k k f‘ 0 § § § \‘ Nu! x u a Q "'i 2 u c, E [8 m x 2 g $1,, ° '0 ‘3 4 3 ~: 8 g = = < ; —- .._ I k E . ‘w s 3 o _ Q \ 6 a“ 5 I... 7'»! \ i ‘\ A20 ~"” ~ ‘ 3 pr r m1. DAILY smear TRAFFIC 4° ii iii‘ 5* '5 0 \~-:; " Q'Is as 6AM. TO 7904. 2.58 OBSIRVAT/ON Po/N'rs \\_.\\ ~ q t CITY PLAN COMMISSION “~"»e\ -__—!az/Rm .- . \xi, 7 _ .9190 $7.’ LOUIS MO. \?*<_\\,M .../ Jam: 1.9,. 1.916. HARLAND BAETHOLOMEW zuamezw \* ~Jrfizé'S-ei-Aewrfw Plan No. 4.—The concentration of traflic on certain streets emphasizes the need for developing other streets now existing but not used because of improper width or poor conditions. This is especially true north and south from the business district. 10 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Arbitrarily dividing the south, central and west and north sections of the city by the Mill Creek Valley and by Easton and Cass avenues, the distribution of popula- tion is approximately as follows: Estimated Distribution of Population (1910 Census) Population Per Cent lgdftlimhiorth of Easton and Cass avenues) . . . . . . ..210,007 30 West and Central (between Mill Creek Valley and Easton and Cass avenues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..217,333 32 South (south of Mill Creek Valley) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..259,689 38 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687,029 100 Comparing this with the percentage of traffic enter- ing and leaving the business district from the same gen- eral directions, it is quite evident that traffic facilities are not at all proportional to the distribution of popula— tion—a further justification for principal street con- nections to these districts. Percentages by Districts of Population and Traffic Traffic Entering Per Cent of Total Business District Population North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 30 West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 32 South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 38 Preparation of the Major Street Plan A. study of street planning in St. Louis, covering many months of careful work, numerous public hearings, supplemented by the detailed traffic census, has led to the preparation of this “Major Street Plan” which, in effect, contemplates a completed system of streets of such dimensions and so situated as to afford ample op- portunity for the expeditious movement of the greater proportion of traffic within the city. Illustration No. 5.r—Waehington avenue has a width of 80' feet in the business section. It‘ typifies the minimum width major traffic street with trolley line as suggested in this report. 12 CITY PLAN COMMISSION -_--~‘H-» _ In a city that is fairly compactly built up, changes in the street plan can be made only at great expense and must be justified by circumstances. Thus, while the major street plan here proposed may fall short of ideal standards, the recommendations, taken as a whole, com— prise a system of major streets which is at once compre- hensive, sufficiently anticipatory of future needs and al- together justifiable. As is usual in the case of all plans for work designed to meet the needs of an unlimited future, it is to be understood that specific recommenda- tions are to be carried out as circumstances will permit, not necessarily all at once, but always in accordance with a predetermined plan. I The actual determination __of the major street plan has been arrived at only after securing all available i11- formation and after having carefully weighed and con- sidered its value. Many of the conclusions reached are in agreement with the views held by numerous individ- uals and organizations and nowhere do they substan- tially digress from views already generally accepted throughout the city. The plan differs from previous rec- ommendations chiefly in that a broader interpretation has been given to the reason and need for such improve- ments, each detail havingbeen considered in its relation to the entire city rather than to the particular locality concerned. The major street plan herewith presented might be criticized as not being sufficiently comprehensive, in that certain parts of the city much more extensive suggestions for betterments could have been made. While the Com- mission has possibly laid itself open to criticism in this respect, it has, nevertheless, felt that the plan suggested will provide for the needs of many years to come, with- out prohibitive or unjustifiable expense. The Commis- sion seeks to pave the way for early accomplishments rather than to create ideals impossible of realization. Illustration No. Err—An ordinance now pending provides for widening Washington avenue from 60 to 80 feet between Jefferson and Grand avenues. The street, as now constituted, is wholly incapable of accommodating the great volume of vehicular travel that otherwise would use it. The proposed wideningr will be accomplished by taking 10 feet from either side of the street. thus escaping many buildings. 14- CITY PLAN COMMISSION The Value of a Major Street Plan The advantages of a complete major street ‘plan such as is herewith suggested should be obvious. It will permit of a traffic capacity many times that of today. The unity of the proposed plan is not the least of its dis- tinguishing features. Streets designated as major streets have no dead endings; each of them is made a contin- uous highway by providing connections with other ex- isting links in the system, thus greatly enhancing traffic efficiency. . Once the major street plan has been adopted it would naturally follow that suitable pavements for heavy traffic would be laid. A marked saving in expense to the community should eventually result from what would probably become a well-defined policy of laying pave- ments in accordance with the character of the streets, the total paved area of heavy traffic streets being small compared with the paved area of light traffic streets. \Vood block or asphalt would be most desirable pave- ments except where the character and volume of traffic is heavy enough to warrant the use of smooth surface grouted granite block pavement. ‘A uniform system of lighting the major streets such as is now used on Lindell boulevard and Kingshighway would lend a distinguishing character to these streets, while the annual removal of four miles of poles and wires on these streets, as provided by ordinance, would still further distinguish them. Careful tree planting along these major streets would give ample opportunity for demonstrating practical aesthetics. Major Streets and Rapid Transit \Vhen cities approach the million population mark, rapid transit becomes imperative. ' Actual rapid transit must be above or below grade. The streets furnish the Photograph kindly furnished by Serum-Ir ("My Plan ("ommitision Illustration Ho. 7.—The widening of Front street, Newark, N. .i., shown herewith under construction, is character- istic 0t’ several street openings now necessary in St: Louis. 16 CITY PLAN COMMISSION right of way for the majority of future rapid transit lines. By reason of certain improvements suggested in the proposed plan, it will be possible to greatly improve existing transit service by more direct routing than now exists. A complete transit plan for St. Louis should be prepared at an early date. To a certain extent, the width of streets where rapid transit lines will find accommodation should be deter- mined only after the character of construction for the rapid transit line has been determined. The extreme length of all streets in St. Louis makes increased width unusually expensive, so that a width of only 80 feet is proposed for most major streets, while a width of at least 98 feet has been suggested on all streets where rapid transit lines will first be built. In this connec- tion, it is of interest to note that in Philadelphia a width of 148 feet is being planned for major streets which are to accommodate rapid transit lines. Width of Major Streets Approximately three-fourths of St. Louis’ 940 miles of streets have a width of sixty feet. It seems impossible to justify the almost universal adoption of this dimen- sion. Custom is its only excuse. For all practical pur- poses a width of sixty feet is too great for residence streets, especially since set-back lines are so widely in use, while for principal traffic streets the sixty-foot width is altogether inadequate. Ample lot and block dimen- sions in St. Louis have caused the city to spread over a great area. While not too great a proportion of area has been devoted to streets, cost for acquisition, improve- ment and maintenance has placed an undue financial burden upon property owners, because of the great num- ber of unnecessarily wide streets. The problem of providing adequate width on any complete system of major streets has therefore been un- M A D \el' \ / \\_ or was 0/ CITY or S'IILUUIS SHOWING ' d/ Aft-smears-HAvme-A-wmm-Q/ sRrAm-rHANeo-rrm CITY PLAN COMMISSION/ mic“ £93.91! mum? MRMOLONIW NEW!’ ' SCALE or MAM-i FEET ’g/ {15:0 3 -'¢ v k / 2-~‘5c 2 -‘5 i \/ (J " / I jTDJlH wcowx- runs-Lu": / 5,1 amour.- Lmrmi-nr 4x111‘- I _ _ , , _ . - -" x ‘a snow: PARK ‘row 5 1 Plan No. 5.—-Lack of city control of land subdivision in St. Louis has resulted in the most haphazard distribution of streets over 60 feet wide, shown herewith. The many miles of wide streets, properly connected, would have made a most desirable and complete‘ sys- tem. Now there is no system and great economic waste is evident. '18 CITY PLAN COMMISSION usually difficult, not merely because of the predominance of 60-foot widths, but because of the unusual lengthof all streets. Plan No. 5 well shows the very indiscrimi- nate planning of streets in St. Louis which have a width of more than sixty feet. Likewise, a map showing the distribution of population and its relation to the pro- posed major street plan forcibly illustrates the need and justification for such a plan. A further complication in the problem of securing an adequate system of major streets has been that many of the streets so situated as to necessarily be included in the plan, are occupied by double track trolley lines. In view of these conditions the following standards were adopted early in the study of this problem, not because they permitted an ideal solution, but because it would be impossible to widen many streets having the uniform 60—foot width, while at the same time it was necessary to fix an absolute minimum for certain conditions. General. Standards for Determining Width of Major Streets Without Trolleys 60’ minimum . . . . ..(2 sidewalks 28'—4 vehicles 32’) 80’ where possible.(2 sidewalks 32’—6 vehicles 48’) . , . . £2 sidewalks 28'—4 vehicles 32’) With Trolleys 80 minimum. . . .. 1 2 trolleys 20, . l , . i2 sidewalks 30'——6 vehicles 48') 98 where possible I 2 trolleys 20, s. The Business District No better demonstration of the need of a definite city plan for St. Louis can be found than in the striking change in character of large districts throughout the city. This instability of development with consequent decline of property values has caused tremendous finan— cial losses and the end is not yet. While the city plan cannot altogether alleviate this evil, it is certain that nothing can be conceived which would so tend to sta- bilize conditions and curb the evil as the adoption of a Plan No. 6.———Proposed sections of major streets. ' /f/A'///;// /. 8O (4 g . I , / / , _ /' /// '4" 52' i 14'' 2,0 % . _ / ,. a j a.‘ 1G i ’. ,, ' 2 ti ’ .412 ~ I I 1'1 ' ‘a’? :- .i..../ I . ron. cnMMen-CIM- marl-I61’ ‘For. ustoeuruu. .maruc'r _ I 'i I / IG' 7 24' / / / / “E ‘20 CITY PLAN COMMISSION definite plan. Intelligent city planning aims solely to accomplish this very desirable situation—stabilizing and improving past, present and future development. The business district of St. Louis has experienced and still continues to experience considerable instability. The time was when Broadway and Market street, as well as Broadway and Franklin avenue, were the centers of business activity. Olive street, between Fourth street and Tenth street, experienced flourishing business activ- ity and still is a most important street, but Washing- ton avenue is fast becoming the leading business street of today. Not so great a loss resulted to the merchants of earlier days when the business center shifted away from Broadway and Franklin. The same cannot be said of Broadway and Market, as witness the Southern Hotel, now closed, and the depreciation of property in general near that center. No consideration of major streets for St.Louis would, therefore, be acceptable or complete which did not care- fully take into account the past as well as the future of the business district, the principal objective point of all traffic. Furthermore, the welfare of the city depends largely upon the stability of development and values, most especially in the business district where the great- est values are found. After due consideration, the following major streets have been fixed as boundaries of the business district-— Twelfth street, Washington avenue, Fourth street and Market street. Because of the proximity of the Mill Creek Valley with its numerous railroads and incidental factories and warehouses, the business district will not extend south of Market street. The treatment of the river front will largely determine the character of de- velopment east of Fourth street. This latter district should become a center for large wholesale houses, which could there obtain the advantages of rail and water ship- ' _ e3- -» - 0-“ “ ' —---. tie-ny- as 111 11111111191‘; %'.ug ‘ I'Imlngrrmh l‘i'nriln Im'nin/mf by I’uhlir Kerwin‘ ('mnmiss'irm‘ Firs! Dish-id. New York Illustration No. 8.—\'arick street, New York (‘ity, was recently widened from 65 feet to 100 feet by taking 35 feet from one side of the street, as shown in the illustration. A new subway line is now being con- structed. This is an example of street improvement which St. Louis must soon undertake. The irregular building line caused by the widening of the street demonstrates the need of excess condemnation for such im- movements. L\D L\§ CITY PLAN COMMISSION ments, and have the added advantage of close. contact with the business district. On the north it is question- able whether conditions will ever warrant the spread of the business district beyond Washington avenue. The fact that Washington avenue is now very nearly, if not actually, the principal business street, and the further fact that Franklin avenue is daily becoming a more im- portant business street, although of strong local ten- dencies, may warrant the extension of the business dis- trict to Franklin avenue. The presence of the Union Station at Eighteenth street, numerous hotels between Twelfth and Eighteenth streets, and the fact that the greater proportion of traffic to and from the business district is from the west, may sooner or later cause the business district to spread west of Twelfth street. The present problem, however, as previously stated, is to encourage the stabilization of values and, conse- quently, development within the PRESENT confines of the business district. The fixing of principal streets, which in turn largely determines the future movement of traffic and especially transit lines, should do much to accomplish the desired end, if properly and wisely con- ceived. The suggested confines of the business district will permit of considerable growth and if St. Louis ex- periences continual growth, as it inevitably must, the opportunities for expansion of the business district to the north or west of its present boundaries should be no occasion for concern, but rather indicates the necessity for avoiding the construction for present needs of what may become future obstructions. . The location of the business district with regard to the city at large is also a matter worthy of serious con- sideration, since its position at the extreme eastern edge of the city (see Plan No. 11) has brought forth the com- ment that it might some day shift to the more natural physical center of the city at Grand and Olive, where a .338 .9523 5” 2:30.53 Efimiv 23 5 won: 3:. .3 seem .5393 2:. 303500 8 @262 9:“ 2232260 22 wcofiwzfivd 6.9253? 53.50 .mEoA .pm 5 gird .2531“ 52m 395w SEE 22638 cm .3 £95 25in“ 62 :2“- .QMWZGZN \Sflzsolkfiqn QZQQQQ}. .02 6:404 Kw: Znzwmi \\< ECU Z<4n~ \»k\U .02 6:404 km: uRv \ARFU >\¢\.~n\ Rmcmowxhnl WO3€$< u_O EqkbqQQ 24 CITY PLAN COMMISSION substantial business and “night life” center has already come into existence. A thorough acquaintance with all conditions entering into such a consideration, however, gives sound basis for belief that such a shift neither will nor can take place. The present business district is at the physical center of the METROPOLITAN DIS- TRICT, which includes all those communities to the east of the Mississippi, and which communities contribute more than a fair share to, and are fully as dependent on, the so-called business district of St. Louis, as the city of St. Louis itself. Even should some of the amusement enterprises and possibly a few or even many of the ho- tels and large retail businesses see fit eventually to re- move to the vicinity of Grand and Olive, the possibility is remote, since few businesses could afford to forego the very substantial and ever-increasing amount of busi-- ness coming from east of the river. And the offices, com- mercial institutions, wholesale and warehousing con- cerns, which constitute the great bulk of the business dis- trict, can never consider removal from what is now and what will continue to be the physical center of all activ- itv. Of all the streets in the business district, only four-— Broadway, Twelfth, Washington and Fourth—have widths of more than sixty feet. The streets are laid out on the rectangular pattern,.approximately 270 feet apart. Since these streets are lined with costly buildings, it would be extremely diffieult to attempt widening; con- sequently only one recommendation for change has been made, and this after prolonged deliberation—the widen- ing of Market street, the southern boundary of the busi- ness district. ' The principal objective has been to facilitate circu- lation ABOUT the business district rather than THROUGH it. A complete analysis of the transit situation in St. 3f." :1‘; iii H 3 t \‘43 > N i L' I v’ \ ‘I :"/_/‘/--P».i..~me \‘bluer- \~L\ ; {5 f x a‘? I :1 I ” 6 3 e >1 . a‘ ‘S s - - . 3‘ 53 "l e i ' *0 i g . L4 *‘ i' w 0 j E I: '4 kl | 31 1' ' ‘:r i '4 ‘< .3 - :1; .-1 l} I >' } l :J L J c; ‘ ' l 1w THLXLLbA~AYL~ ~so-w~ -ir~ THLRLQA_\ - sow» ‘in 1‘ lH—iF—Tl‘ ‘L if v _I F I— H l l l l T l i ~W£$T~~PlNL~bLVD - LAWTON-AVI'. lPlflbfiTL‘ wumnerom AVL' cur-on" ~ DE. LMAlbAVL- MOD.GA_N~5TD_~C,UT-OFF ~ -CU'{-OI‘Y‘AT~GILA.ND~AVL‘ -u -en.iun>~/tvL~ ~AT ~GLAND~AVL~ ‘ . . I‘ ~~- CU T- OFFI'D ~_AT ~ G LLND ~A_VI.-OF~W\PINE' DLVD ~WA$¥UNGTON~AVL +D1LMAQJAVL l ~~~c_1TY ~ ~PLAN'-COMMI55ION'~ ~51: Louis ~ MO~" - "-l‘ "'l- instrument-(mom-.-.~- qdmamtuvm ‘ V -_ \QLLLL. _ ‘ Plan No. 8.—Present traffic congestion at Grand avenue is due largely to the lack of direct crossings for east and west bound traffic. The cut-offs suggested here would greatly aid the traific problem. ' 26' CITY PLAN COMMISSION Louis is contemplated by this Commission at the earliest opportunity. Such a study will center largely about the business district. The multiplicity of surface tracks in the business district today does not tend to facilitate or expedite either vehicular or transit movement. Rapid transit lines, terminating in the business district, when built, must be underground. The Eighth street tunnel offers the logical opportunity for such lines and other routes can be opened as occasion demands, beneath the major streets which bound the business district. Legislative and Financial Measures The ability of a city to execute a complete or com— prehensive city plan centers largely about the method of meeting its cost. The more nearly costs can be so distributed as to create confidence that injustice has not been done, the easier will be the task of carrying the city plan to completion. In parts of the city where few streets have been built and few houses erected, much effective planning can be accomplished without excessive difficulty. Quite naturally, however, the most important city planning work, and consequently the most expen- sive, occurs in those parts of the city where most of the land is fully occupied for public or private purposes. This may be more properly termed “replanning,” the read- justment of old communities to meet new conditions and new demands. - Readjustment requires many special financial as well as legal measures. While radical departures in finance or in law are debatable, there is sound basis for them in the fact that they are not the result of a desire to over- throw conservative precedents, but a justifiable attempt to meet new conditions altogether without precedent. St. Louis is a conservative city. Its conservatism is a source of just pride. Of the largest cities in the United States, St. Louis is the only city living within éwméh .523: a. 50.8 2?: 5.53.26 :53 v.85 on 9Q 5033232 05 .Ho $25.32 Se .mzwoubfim .wm: Efimwon 33.3.5. new 8225a seen 255 Ewofim $.33: mEEid 62 :2“— t\. \ \\ .\ | \\a\ 6:25... 1:55» .2; 31.5.. .5" 8.0 1 92.» w d A . . .n. . Damn mm 22.55am; \. 2:55 .5 Eu 02:50:.‘ ‘NH:- 59; a<2 =- 28 CITY PLAN COMMISSION its income. In point of sound finance it is the leading large city of the United States and there is no reason why its leadership should not be maintained. St. Louis is a growing city and there is a desire to encourage growth so long as that growth is wholesome and desirable. But continued growth involves certain readjustments in the city structure caused by a failure to anticipate the needs of a city rapidly approaching the million population mark. The suggestions for the read- justment process which follow are not experimental. New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and many smaller cities are making use of new powers in one form or another. St. Louis cannot afford to ignore its present problems. It must meet these problems in the same progressive way as other large cities, especially since the wise adoption of progressive measures will strengthen rather than im- pair its financial leadership. ' ‘Nothing has so served to stimulate antagonism to public improvements of all kinds as the so-called “ben- efit assessment” or “special tax.” So great has be- come the burden of special taxes in many parts of the community that it is with great reluctance and trepida- tion that new projects are proposed. Yet improvements are necessary and they must be paid for. Not all im- provements are of city-wide benefit, and where local ben- efit is clearly evident, the special tax is justifiable if in- telligently applied. With regard to widening or extending streets in built-up sections, there are three points which are wor- thy of careful consideration: 4 (1) The benefit district. (2) Distribution of cost. (3) Methods of payment. The Benefit District St. Louis has executed s-everal'street reconstruction projects in recent years from which valuable lessons can THE BENEFIT DISTRICT 29 be learned. In many cases decided objection has been made to the amount of benefits assessed. The report of the Commission for widening Washington avenue, just published, demonstrates a progressive attitude and a realization of the principles involved in assessing the cost of an improvement which is a noteworthy advance over previous reports of similar Commissions. No ben- efits were assessed against property on streets parallel to- the improvement. It would have been difficult to show direct benefits to property on parallel streets re- sulting from the widening of Washington avenue between Jefferson and Grand avenues. In such other street widen- ing or extension as has been carried out in St. Louis, great objection has been raised to benefit assessments .by property holders on parallel streets. While there may have been justification for such assessments, there should be established a well-defined rule for levying spe— cial taxes in all street widening or extension projects. This would greatly lessen objection and facilitate‘ the proceedings now so often greatly delayed. The rule of assessing benefits for street widening or extension in New York City is that the benefit district is usually considered to extend half way from the street to be improved to the next parallel street of equal or greater width; rarely does this district extend more than 1,000 feet from the improvement. The report of the Washington avenue Commission would seem to indicate a similar tendency in St. Louis, though no fixed rules have been formulated. ‘ Traffic capacity might be fully as important a consideration as street width in fixing benefit districts, though these are very intimately related. Any rule should be susceptible of broad interpretation and should be sufficiently flexible to meet varying conditions. A further principle which should seem to apply more generally than has been customary in the. past, is to ex- 80 CITY PLAN COMMISSION tend the benefit "district to include all properties which by reason of the widening or extension have been given a greater degree of accessibility to important parts of the community and thus not confine the benefit district to the street upon which the improvement takes place, or a portion of that street. In theory, at least, the old method of fixing a benefit district might be described as drawing a circle about the improvement as a center. The value of the more modern method is to enlarge the area, reduce individual assess- ments and place the benefit assessment where it really belongs. Distribution of Cost The proportion of cost in any street widening or extension which should be borne by the city and by the" property owners differs according to individual improve- ments. The following discussion of this subject in “Plan- ning the Modern City,” by Nelson P. Lewis, Chief En- gineer of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment of New York City, is of interest: “While no definite rule can be adopted to govern the distribution of assessments representing the district and general benefit, it should be possible to prescribe a method of determining the amount and extent of local benefit, particularly in the case of new streets, boulevards and parks. Let us assume that 60 feet is the maximum width required for a local street; then the entire cost of acquiring and improving all streets 60 feet or less in width may properly be placed upon the property within a half block on either side of the street. In the case of wider streets that proportion of the. cost represented by the ratio which 60 feet plus 25 per cent of the excess over 60 feet bears to the width of the street would probably be an equitable proportion to assess the local district. Up to a certain limit property fronting a wide street is more valuable, and it would be manifestly unfair to adopt a rule which would result in making the cost of acquir— ing a street 70 or 80 feet wide, no greater or possibly DISTRIBUTION OF COST ' 31 less to the abutting owner than would have been the cost of a street 60 feet wide. On the other hand, after a street reaches certain proportions, additional width will not involve additional benefit. It may be assumed that a share of the expense which would be equivalent to pay- WIDTH OF STREET li’cin'ndtlced from “The l’larmi'xny of the Illorlcrn City" by Nelson 1’. Lewis Plan No. l0.—Diagram showing proposed distribution of the cost of acquiring,r streets of different widths between the abutting property and larger areas of benefit. ing for a street 80 feet wide should represent the limit of local assessment. This limit would be reached under the rule proposed when the street becomes 140 feet wide. The percentage of cost which would be locally assessed would, therefore, be as follows for various street widths: i Property Share _ 7 Width of Street City’s Share 60 ft. ~ . . . . 100% 70 “ 11% 89% 80 “ 19% 81% 9O “ 25% 75% 100 “ 30% ' 70% 120 “ 38% 62% 140 “ 43% ' 57% 150 “ 47% 53% 200 “ 60% V 40% 32 CITY PLAN COMMISSION A rule relating to the amount of an assessment placed upon individual properties now applied in New York City and worthy of emulation is that in no case shall an assessment exceed one-half the value of that property as estimated by the commissioners. Methods of Payment The new charter of St. Louis provides that assess— ments for public work such as street widening or exten- sion may be paid in ten annual installments. No applica- tion of this privilege has yet been made. Where such projects are of great cost it would seem advisable to ex- tend the privilege of making installment payments of assessments over a period of twenty years, particularly where the improvement is of such a nature that direct financial benefit to property owners will not be evident for several years after actual completion of the work. In some cities all payments may be deferred for five years. The city’s share of the cost for any street widening or extension varies according to the project. If the amount to be paid by the city is small, it can well be met out of current revenue, as at present. Where the city’s share of the cost is large, it can probably best be met by a bond issue. Theterm of the bond issue should corre- spond in a’ general way to the period of usefulness of the project. Since all street widenings or extensions are of a more or less permanent value, a term of forty or fifty years for such bonds would not be unreasonable. The present inability of the City of St. Louis to issue bonds for a term other than 20 years should be remedied by an early modification of the State Constitution. The City of St. Louis can new issue bonds only ‘to the extent of 5 per cent on its assessed valuation of prop- erty. ‘This limitation is questionable for a great city and could profitably be increased to 10 per cent by an amendment to the State Constitution. BUILDING LINES 83 To make it possible to undertake expensive street widenings or extensions that are becoming increasingly necessary, the city should also obtain legislative author- ity to issue bonds of sufficient amount to complete the entire project at one time, these bonds to be exempt from the debt limitations, and authorizing the use of tax bills covering the improvement as collateral for the bonds. This would entail considerable readjustment of custo- mary procedure, but would be entirely reasonable and justifiable. Establishment of Building Lines When land on the outskirts of a city is first subdi- vided there is no need for wide streets. While the even- tual need for greater width on certain streets may be anticipated, there is not always adequate provision made for such width as may become necessary. A simple means of insuring such width is to establish a building line or set-back, beyond which no building shall extend. The street may have a narrow roadway which can be widened as occasion requires, until the full distance be- tween building lines is. occupied, and no great expense or undue hardship will result. Likewise, where it is desired to widen an existing street having structures already built out to present street lines, it is possible to establish a new building line ‘back of the present line and give all owners of property a period of years, say twenty-five, in which to rebuild or set back existing buildings to conform to the new line, damages to be awarded and benefits to be assessed as under present laws. This is not so desirable a method of street widening as to complete the improvement at one time and permit‘property holders to benefit at once from an improvement while payments of assessments could be distributed over a period of twenty years, as previously outlined. Yet, where conditions will warrant 84 CITY PLAN COMMISSION gradual widening, the building line method might prove more satisfactory. It has been used in Philadelphia and in some cities of Massachusetts. A law covering this procedure is shown in the appendix. Permanent Assessment Board The method of fixing damage awards and benefit assessments for street reconstruction projects varies in different states. The present practice in St. Louis is to intrust each case to a special commission appointed by the Circuit Court. Experience in various cities and in St. Louis has demonstrated that this is not the quickest or most satisfactory method of handling such cases. The following statement by Mr. Nelson P. Lewis in “The Planning of the Modern City” well summarizes the con- ditions involved: “There should be a permanent body which should act in all cases. This body should not be large, and it should be so constituted that its entire personnel could not be changed at once, thus insuring continuity and con- sistency of policy. They should be broad men whose training should have fitted them for their difficult and delicate duties. The misleading evidence commonly called expert testimony as to existing and prospective values will be of little assistance to them. They should be qualified by experience and intelligence to form their own conclusions.” A proposed law authorizing the appointment of a permanent assessment board in St. Louis is shown in the appendix. Land Subdivision For many years individual owners have subdivided their property into streets and lots to suit themselves, with little or no thought of the community interest in those streets. Even now the city is not permitted to control all street plannings, although most plans for new CONDEMNATION 35 street development are first submitted to the city au- thorities for approval. Future mistakes can be largely avoided insofar as future needs can be anticipated. Yet, an occasional owner still finds it convenient to subdivide his property contrary to the city’s interest and there is little effective means of checking what may become a , serious obstacle. The new charter of St. Louis did not adequately an- ticipate this condition, so that this feature must also be provided for by state law. Many cities in different states have met this condition by requiring approval of the city authorities on all plats of land before they may be filed for record. Such a law for St. Louis has been pre- pared and is shown in the appendix. Excess Condemnation To widen or extend streets in closely built up sections of a city usually involves great damage to buildings and injury to private property, such as the leaving of small irregular lots unsuited to building purposes. When such conditions occur it has been found convenient for the city to acquire the remnants of damaged property, or enough more to form suitable building sites facing the new improvement and sell the extra property so ac- quired. The advantages of such a procedure are to in- sure a quicker readjustment of property to the new con- ditions, to insure a satisfactory development of property facing the improvement and to lighten the special tax burden by permitting the city to sell the extra property and recoup the unearned increment of property value. The principal objection to this practice, commonly known as “excess condemnation,” is that the city becomes a dealer in real estate. The advantages of this power of excess condemnation unquestionably more than offset its disadvantages, since its abuse could readily be pro- 86 CITY PLAN COMMISSION hibited. While the new charter of St. Louis anticipates its use, an amendment to the state constitution is first- necessary. Such an amendment has been proposed and is shown in the appendix. Five states have now passed such amendments to their constitutions. Fixing Streets on the City Plan In the suburban section of a large city "such as St. Louis it is possible to insure good street planning, particularly of major streets. The widespread use of the automobile has greatly increased the interest and appreciation of all who are greatly concerned in platting streets as to the de- sirability of a good street plan and of providing certain wider streets at stated intervals where the ever-increas- ing volume of traffic can find good opportunity for direct and" unrestricted movement. To adequately anticipate future needs and to pursue a fixed policy is of greatest importance. A fixed policy in street planning is neces- sary to avoid losing sight of first principles when time for actual development takes place. The value of a fixed plan to avoid temporary oversight or occasional lack of foresight is plain indeed. This fixed plan should include the major streets, if nothing more. That this fixed plan may be officially recognized, it is proposed to alter the present practice of proceeding to fix and assess benefits and damages not later than six months after an ordinance for opening a street has been passed, by making it possi- ble to place a street officially upon the city plan and to file no suit to fix benefits and damages until it becomes neces- sary or desirable to actually open the street. In this way no hardship will be placed upon property owners, while assurance of proper development is secured. COUNTY PLAN COMMISSION 37 Plan Commissions for Small Cities and for Counties A city is usually powerless to guide or control devel- opment immediately out-side itsiboundaries, yet the ne- cessity for providing harmony of development is recog- nized and often desired. The smaller cities and towns - which border a great city find it difficult, if not impossi- ble, to obtain satisfactory results in city planning. The plans of the small cities which cluster about their larger neighbors should be made with due recognition of the value of a harmonious scheme. These small communities are often so absorbed in local problems that the broad perspective essential to good planning is lost sight of. There has been devised a method of‘ planning St. Louis County and the different communities therein. It involves the creation of a County Plan Commission with authority to control development, except in towns which may create local commissions. Enabling acts permitting the establishing of a County Plan Commission and local City Plan Commissions were submitted at the last ses- sion of the legislature, but failed of passage. A further effort to secure the passage of such measures at the next legislative session should be made. These laws are shown in the appendix. - Specific Recommendations The many changesin streets suggested in this major street plan obviously cannot all be undertaken at dhe time. As already stated, their accomplishment can only be attained through following a fixed policy over a period of many years. On the other hand, certain of these im- - provements are of such immediate importance as to war- rant early consideration. This Commission, therefore, recommends that steps be taken at the earliest oppor- 88 CITY PLAN COMMISSION tunity for the completion of four specific projects as fol- lows: Widening of Washington avenue. Extension of Twelfth street south to Gravois avenue. _ Extension of Twelfth street north to Florissant avenue. Widening of Olive street from Twelfth to Channing. The widening of Washington avenue has been under ordinance for several years and the report of the Spe- cial Commission has been tentatively filed. ‘ The total cost is . . . . . . . . . . $552,511.89 City’s share . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 66,714.94 This Commission has already urged the desirabil- ity of this widening and again takes opportunity to re- state its conviction that this improvement will be of im- mediate and future benefit to the City of St. Louis. An ordinance is also pending for the extension of Twelfth street south from the viaduct at Chouteau ave- nue to Park avenue. This Commission recommends that the present ordinance be amended to provide a direct line and a width of 98 feet. The Commission also rec- ommends that Gravois avenue be extended from Eigh- ‘ teenth street to Twelfth street, this extension also to have a width of 98 feet. Moreover, Gravois avenue, from Eighteenth to Grand avenue should also be widened from 60 feet as at present to 98 feet. This is the one street affording direct access to the business district for the great southern portion of the city. Unquestionably it will become the right-of-way for a rapid transit line. A width of less than '98 feet is inadequate for any form of rapid transit. Greater width would be desirable. This Commission also recommends that a connec- tion, as suggested elsewhere in this report, be made from Twelfth street at Washington avenue to Florissant ave- ~i>LAir ~ §HOWING~ ~12‘at are t 1ié5~CONiitcTiON3~ -- RlLATlON~ TO ~ DUSIN'L‘SS ~ D ISTILICT - ~ CITY ~ PLAN‘ ~ <30M.M_I35ION_~ - Just. 111] - - - nauJuw bnJuomMLWH-Lsop- ‘a TWLLI-‘rik winter \% twins n’. DtSiltiCt‘ j!’ M Plan No. ti.—The future rapid transit and movement of vehicular traffic in St. Louis will be greatly afl’ected by the development of Twelfth street and its connections to the north and south. 40 CITY PLAN COMMISSION nue at Hebert street, via High street, Thirteenth street and Fifteenth street, the new route to have a width of not less than 98 feet. This route corresponds to the ex- tension of Twelfth street on the south. It would be the one route leading directly to the business district from the great northern portion of the city. Like the southern route, it will become the rightof-way for a rapid transit line to the north, and should have a width of not less than 98 feet. Its connections with Florissant avenue and Natural Bridge road are such as to warrant the belief that it will carry an ever-increasing volume of travel. This Commission also recommends that Olive street be widened to at least 98 feet from Twelfth street to Channing avenue. This recommendation, or some ade- quate alternative which meets with the approval of the majority of owners of property on Olive street, should be undertaken as soon as possible. The inadequacy of a 60-foot street with a double track trolley line as a major traffic street has been well demonstrated. Olive street in its present condition can never become the‘ great busi- ness thoroughfare which by reason of its favorable loca- tion it naturally should be. Within a few years there will he need for a rapid transit line leading to the busi- ness district from the west. There is at present no street which can well accommodate a rapid transit line east of Grand avenue. Olive street is the logical thoroughfare for such a line. Its width must be increased or the street will continue to experience depression even more pro- nounced than that from which it now suffers. By widening Olive street according to the method suggested elsewhere in this report, that is, by special bond issue, the property owners’ share to be paid in in- stallments over a period of 20 years, the first install- ment to fall due five years after the completion of the work, it would undoubtedly prove to be greatly profitable to the owners of the property on Olive street. ‘a. illustration No. 9.--Twelfth street has a width of 150 feet from Market street to Washington avenue. A width of 98 feet north of Washinglon avenue is proposed. The two large buildings shown above will be arcaded. 42 CITY PLAN CONEMISSION In the opinion of this Commission, these four pro— jects will work a tremendous change in the traffic situa- tion and in the general business conditions of the com- munity. Their immediate execution will be a real econ- omy. When it is considered that these four projects will greatly simplify the traffic and transit problems, their value would be many times their cost. THE ARTERIAL SYSTEM OF MAJOR STREETS Those traffic thoroughfares which provide large sec- tions of the community with direct, or nearly direct, access to the business district, are sometimes called “arteries” or “radials.” Plan No. 6 shows the arterial system of St. Louis and its relation to the business dis- trict. The framework of a highly desirable system al- ready exists. Its principal present deficiencies are lack of completeness and occasional insufficient width of its constituent streets. The existing system of radial thor- oughfares may be likened to the ribs of a fan, spreading out from the business district. The fairly complete arterial system of major streets that now exists in St. Louis owes its origin to the build- ing up, outside the old city boundaries, of numerous small communities which sought direct communication with the larger city by way of these streets. These smaller towns have gradually been absorbed through extension of the limits of St. Louis and, fortunately, the original connecting streets have been preserved. The present problem is to eliminate abrupt dead-endings in these arterial streets and to extend them still further into the surrounding country so that their usefulness may become greater as the city continues to expand. A further problem in connection with these radial thoroughfares is to provide adequate width and the most direct access to the business district, since they must ac- commodate not only the greater proportion of vehicular traffic but also the rapid transit lines that will sooner or later be an imperative necessity. It- is of interest to note that only in the extreme south and southwest portions of the city is there need of additional arterial streets. The lack of development in 44 CITY PLAN COMMISSION this part of the city has been due in large measure to the absence of such streets, but this very lack of develop- ment makes their construction a comparatively simple matter. Several of the arterial streets fulfill the functions of rectangular or cross-town streets in certain parts of the city. Their dual function has been considered in the recommendations below. The presence of the large freight depots, the Union Station and the steamboat landing at the foot of the paved levee, all in close proximity to the business dis- trict, emphasizes the importance of developing the arte- rial streets into a unified plan whose center is the busi- ness district. _ The ‘various suggestions for improvement of the arterial system are shown on Plan N o. 6, but, for pur- poses of detailed explanation, each street is considered "s'eparatelyin what 'f'onowsi '7 I I I F U V i if k Broadway One of the earliest streets laid out in St. Louis was Broadway. I11 early years development quite obviously took place along the river front, and it was natural that a suitable thoroughfare should have been built parallel to the shore line. So carefully was the continuity of this street preserved that it is now one of the most service- able streets of St. Louis, having considerable traffic and business development scattered along its length of 16 miles. Its prevailing width of 80 feet is probably suffi- cient to meet all requirements. Narrower sections, of 60 and 7 0 feet, from Morin avenue to Hall’s Ferry road, from Utah to Chippewa street, and from Dover street to Schirmer street, should be widened to 80 feet as soon as . possible; this could be done without serious inconven- ience, as only a few buildings would be affected. The ARTERIAL STREETS 45 present rough-cut granite block paving that was put down over the greater part of the street just prior to the general adoption of the automobile, has caused Broad- way to lose a considerable part of its potential useful- ness, but this condition can be remedied whenever the expense of repaving can be met; steps leading to this end should be taken as soon as possible. Gravois Avenue Strategically, there is no more important street in St. Louis than Gravois avenue, but its insuificient width and abrupt ending at Eighteenth street have stunted the growth of the district it serves. If properly con- st-ituted it would provide an admirably direct connec- tion to the business district from the greater portion of the south and southwest sections of the city, thereby serving one of the most thickly populated sections of the community. In 1908, Gravois avenue was widened from 60 to 80 feet from Grand avenue to the city limits, and the wis- dom of this improvement becomes increasingly appar- ent. It should be extended to Twelfth street and its width increased to 98 feet between Grand avenue and Twelfth street. A width of 98 feet instead of 80 feet is recommended, because along this route there will un- questionably be constructed the principal rapid transit line between the entire southern section of the city and the business district; and since any widening would in any case affect a large number of buildings, the addi- tional cost incident to taking 38 feet instead of 20 feet would not be great, and would be more than counter- balanced by the greater ease of accommodating a rapid transit line on a street 98 feet wide. Two alternativemethods for financing the widen- ing of this street are recommended:' (1) Establish the new building lines, and allow property owners a period 46 CITY PLAN COMMISSION of twenty or twenty-five years in which to set back or reconstruct their buildings; or, (2) complete the project at one time and make provision for the payment of as- sessments in installments spread over a period of from ten to twenty years, with the possibility of deferring initial payment for five years. Morganford Road hflorganford road is only 4.0 feet wide south of lrravois avenue. It should be widened to 80 feet, since its importance as an artery of traffic extending for sev- eral miles into St. Louis County will eventually justify such a width fully as much as the widening of Gravois avenue west of Grand. Recommendations for the remain- ing part of Morganford road will be found in connection with the discussion of Tower Grove avenue on page 59. Watson Road—01d Manchester An ordinance recently passed provides for the widening of Watson road from 60 to 80 feet throughout its entire length within the city limits. The desirability of the ordinance is unquestioned, since I/Vatson road should unquestionably accommodate a trolley line in the future. By connection with Old Manchester road via Arsenal street, a direct radial connection to the business center would be afforded over Vandeventer avenue and Market street. Old Manchester road (now Southwest avenue) should also be widened from 60 to 80 feet, be- tween Arsenal street and Kingshighway. The widening of Watson road can be accomplished at little expense and will not require the demolition of any buildings. To widen Old Manchester road will require the setting back of a few structures. This project should be undertaken without delay in order to take advantage of the fact that it can be carried out now at comparatively small cost, and that the benefits which will accrue from it are ‘highly desirable. ARTERIAL STREETS 47 Market Street Market street has been designated as the southern boundary of the business district from Twelfth street to _ Broadway. It is the one street bounding the business district which has the very inadequate width of 60 feet. After mature deliberation the Commission decided to recommend its widening. to 80 feet. This width will not only greatly facilitate present traffic movement but will also lend itself to the accommodation of a subway should a loop about the business district prove desirable. The three largest buildings along this thoroughfare —Pont-iac building, American hotel and American An- nex—could be left as at present, provided each be ar- caded on the ground floor. The Commission also decided to recommend the widening of Market street west of Twelfth street from 60 to 80 feet. Inasmuch as this street is one of the principal thoroughfares of the city, and especially because of its connection with the busi— ness district, it should be given a width which will per- mit it to carry the great amount of traffic which would naturally use it. Because of the present inadequate width and improper paving, much of the traffic that would otherwise use the street is forced to find accom- modation elsewhere. The widening of Market street is probably the most expensive improvement in the contemplated major street plan, but it may be justified on the ground that there are at this time comparatively few valuable structures that would be affected. The financial policy to be adopted in this undertaking should be that advocated for other similar expensive undertakings: (1) The establishment of a building line giving the owners a period of 20 years in which to conform to the new line; or (2) its improve— ment at one time, giving the owners the privilege of pay- ing their share of the cost in annual installments over a period of 10 or 20 years. 48 'CITY PLAN COMMISSION Manchester Avenue N o immediate change is recommended for Manches- ter avenue. ‘While its present width of 60 feet is con- sidered inadequate for a major street, there are decided objections to increasing its width at this time, since it transverses a large manufacturing section through which a great volume of vehicular traffic from the better resi- dential districts to the west will be reluctant to go, and the expense of widening does not seem to warrant rec- ommendations for a change at this time. Lindell Boulevard Lindell boulevard has a width of 100 feet between Grand avenue and Kingshighway. “Test of Kingshigh- way it has a width of 70 feet. The location and width of this thoroughfare, together with the absence of trol- ley lines, makes it one of St. Louis’ greatest thorough- fares. It now accommodates a very considerable volume of traffic. East of Grand avenue, however, its width varies from 60 to 80 feet. It is recommended that be- tween Grand avenue and Channing a uniform width of 100 feet be provided. Olive and Locust Streets Olive street, east of Channing avenue, is the natural continuation of Lindell boulevard, but its inadequate width of 60 feet in connection with the presence of a double track trolley line, carrying the heaviest traffic in the city, makes it unfit to accommodate the traffic which originates on Lindell boulevard. Consequently, in 1912 Lindell boulevard was connected directly with Locust street at Channing avenue to permit the evenincreasing amount of vehicular travel to proceed directly east to the business district on a thoroughfare unobstructed by trol- ley lines. As a result, Locust street has developed into ARTERIAL STREETS 49 the busiest traffic way of St. Louis. During the period of greatest travel, Locust street is now used very nearly to its capacity. Because of the many large new struc- tures which have recently been built, it would now be impossible to widen- the street. \ Since, as previously stated, Olive street is the nat- ural extension of Lindell boulevard to the business dis- trict, and especially since Olive street bisects the busi- ness district east of Twelfth street, serious considera- tion should be given to its possibilities for development. Only recently it was proposed to replace the present un- desirable granite block pavement on Olive street with wood blocks and to increase the roadway width six feet ‘by setting back each curb and thus decreasing the side- walk width three feet on each side. This Commission did not recommend such procedure, inasmuch as it did not increase the traffic capacity of the street. The logical thing to do on Olive street, as suggested by the Commis- sion at that time, would be to increase its width to 98 feet by setting back the building line 19 feet on each side. The three or four really substantial structures on Olive street between Twelfth street and Channing avenue could be left standing, provided each be arcaded on the - ground floor. Many of the buildings would be untouched by the new building lines. The width of 98 feet would permit a double track trolley line, three lines of moving vehicles in either di- rection and 14-foot sidewalks. There would thus be cre- ated an exceptional opportunity for development of a principal business street, such as St. Louis does not now possess. ‘ By reason of connection with Lindell boule- vard, there would be created what might be termed the “axial” street of St. Louis. The present condition of Olive street is not only unsightly but extremely unprof- itable to the owners of property, and unless something of the kind here suggested is undertaken, there is little rea- 50 CITY PLAN COMMISSION son for doubting that conditions will become gradually worse instead of better. A further possibility which might result as a consequence of the widening as out- lined above, would be the use of Olive street for a sub- way line west from Twelfth street to Compton or Chan- ning avenues. Delmar Boulevard Delmar boulevard is one of the principal traffic ar- teries of St. Louis. Unfortunately, it ends abruptly at Grand avenue. Its varying width of 70, 80 and 100 feet is adequate for all present and probablepurposes. It should be connected directly with Morgan street, as shown on Plan No. 8. Traffic from the west which now uses Delmar avenue proceeds east via IVashington ave- nue or Morgan street. In either event, direct crossings of Grand avenue, as shown on Plan No. 8, will be needed. Page Boulevard The location and ample width of Page boulevard, to- gether with its connections in St. Louis County, should make of it a principal artery of traffic. Its only requisite for development at this time is better paving in places. Easton Avenue West of Prairie avenue no change in the width of Easton avenue is suggested. East of Prairie avenue, however, the present width of 60 feet is altogether in- adequate both for present and future needs. It is sug- gested that the street be widened to 80 feet and extended from Franklin avenue to Morgan street. The excep- tionally good connections which this thoroughfare has in St. Louis County makes it of unusual importance as a principal traffic artery and one which will accommodate an ever-increasing amount of traffic. It is already ex- ARTERIAL STREETS 51 tensively used. Good paving should be provided through- out. Natural Bridge Road The importance of Natural Bridge road as a future arterial street cannot be over-emphasized. Lack of de- velopment West of Kingshighway is responsible for the comparatively small amount of traffic which now uses this street. This very lack of development, however, gives an exceedingly good opportunity for Widening the street before a large volume of traffic develops. The presence of the Terminal Belt Line railroad assures con- siderable development, which will mean much vehicular travel, while there is no question that the trolley line which now extends to Kingshighway will be continued w-estwardly at least to the city line. This thoroughfare connects with one of the principal county roads leading through a district admirably suited to the highest type of residential development. The present width of 60 feet throughout the entire street should be increased to 80 feet, except for the por- tion between Grand avenue and Fair avenue, where all non-commercial traffic finds accommodation through Fairground park. Natural Bridge road should also be extended from Salisbury street to Florissant avenue via Palm ‘street, where it would find direct access to the busi- ness district over the proposed extension of Florissant avenue. Garter, Lillian and Jennings Carter avenue is now‘used by a great amount of traffic in the northern part of St. Louis.'_ It could be de- veloped. into a very valuable arterial thoroughfare by connections with Florissant avenue on the east and Lil- lian avenue on the West. Its width of 60 feet, while not all that could be desired, is probably ample for many years to come. At Euclid avenue it is proposed to cross 52 CITY PLAN COMMISSION the Terminal Belt Line railroad by means of a viaduct over Euclid avenue. Over the new viaduct could then come an extension of the present Lee avenue trolley line, and a direct connection with Lillian avenue should also be provided. Lillian avenue and its extension, Jennings avenue, should then be widened to 80 feet and straight- ened in order to permit their development as one of the principal arterial streets of the northwest section of the city. Florissant Avenue West of Warne avenue, Florissant avenue has a width of 100 feet with exceptionally good connections into St. Louis County. At \Varne avenue it is proposed to make connection to the east with Carter avenue and again reaching Florissant avenue at Glasgow. From Glasgow to Hebert, Florissant should be widened from its present width of 60 feet to at least 80 feet. Such a diversion of traffic to Carter avenue would warrant the widening of that street from 60 to 80 or 100 feet between vWarne avenue and Florissant. THE RECTANGULAR SYSTEM: NORTH AND SOUTH GROSS-TOWN STREETS Fourth Street The present width of 80 feet on Fourth street is suf- ficient for all practical purposes. It is and should con- tinue to be the eastern boundary of the business district. Twelfth Street Between Market street and Washington avenue _ Twelfth street has a present width of 150 feet. Since this thoroughfare between these two points constitutes the recommended boundary for the business district, this ample width is very desirable. This street should be- comea traffic distributing point for a large proportion of the traffic to and from the business district. While Twelfth street now has a width of 80 feet between Mar- ket street and the viaduct over Mill vCreek Valley, it is recommended that a width of 98 feet be provided be- tween Market street and the viaduct, since over this thor- oughfare will come a very great proportion of travel from the southern part of the city, once proper connec- tions are made to Lafayette avenue, Gravois avenue and other prominent thoroughfares. Between Chouteau avenue and Park avenue there is no adequate continuation of Twelfth street. There is at present a Commission appointed for estimating damage awards and benefit assessments for the proposed opening of Twelfth street between Chouteau avenue and Park. Since this ordinance provides for an indirect crossing at Chouteau avenue and the very inadequate width of 60 feet between Chouteau avenue and Hickory street, the ordinance should be changed to make this connectionade— quate for all future needs. The street should be 98 feet wide and should lead directly from the viaduct to Twelfth street south of Park avenue. Between Park avenue and Russell. there is now a width of 80 feet. It is recommended 54 CITY PLAN COMMISSION that this width be increased to 98 feet, since, as previously pointed out, by reason of connections with Lafayette avenue, Gravois avenue and other prominent thoroughd fares, Twelfth street will become one of the leading traf- fic thoroughfares of St. Louis. North of “Tashington avenue Twelfth street should be extended over what is now known as High street, in the same manner as recommended for the southern sec- tion of the city, in order to permit direct access to the business district for the main thoroughfares of the north- ern part of St. Louis, such as St. Louis avenue, Natural Bridge road and Florissant avenue. It is, therefore, rec- ommended that High street be widened to 98 feet be- tween Ihlashington avenue and Cass avenue, the build- ings now existing between Washington and Lucas ave! nues to be arcaded on the ground floor only. North of Cass avenue, it is recommended that direct connection be made with Fifteenth street and that Fifteenth street be extended north to connect with Florissant avenue at Hebert street, the entire route to be 98 feet wide. This opening would permit direct access to the business dis- trict from all the northern section of St. Louis, a result not only much to be desired but also very greatly needed. The proposed extensions of Twelfth street to the north and south are, in the opinion of this Commission, the most important recommendations in the major street D plan. Not only will these routes greatly relieve the pres- ent congested conditions of traffic, but they will greatly facilitate improved transit conditions and routing. Fur- thermore, since these two extensions, with their connec- tions, establish the most satisfactory connections to the business district from the large, thickly populated dis- tricts of the northern and southern parts of the city, there is no question that they will eventually be used for the rights-of-way for rapid transit lines. Hence, the recommendations for a width of 98 feet. Since, with one RECTANGULAR STREETS {)1 :J‘ exception, none of the thoroughfares which would be widened are at present over 60 feet in width, it will be no great hardship to secure a width of 98 feet in place of 80 feet. Eighteenth Street There is need of a cross town thoroughfare running north and south between Twelfth street and Jefferson avenue. South of Market street the logical thorough- fare to use, and one which is now used extensively, is Eighteenth street. Its present width of 80 feet between Clark avenue and Chouteau avenue is satisfactory, while its width of 60 feet between Market street and Clark avenue and between Chouteau avenue and Gravois will be satisfactory for future requirements if no trolley cars are placed on it. There should, however, be a more direct connection at the intersection with Chouteau avenue, and another at the intersection with Geyer avenue. Twentieth Street North of Market street it is recommended that Twen- tieth street be developed as a major cross town thorough- fare serving all that district between Twelfth street and‘ Jefferson avenue. Its present width of 60 feet will be satisfactory for probable future requirements, provided no trolley lines are placed upon it. It should be straight- ened at its intersection with O’Fallon, Cass and Madison streets. It is impossible to develop Eighteenth street as as cross town thoroughfare between Market street and what should be the logical termination of such a thor- oughfare in the northern part of the city—Florissant avenue extended. Also it is impossible to develop Nine- ' teenth street, since it is at present occupied over a large proportion of its length by a double track trolley line and has a width of only 60 feet. While it might seem de- sirable to have a cross town thoroughfare in this part of 56 CITY PLAN COMMISSION the city which should connect directly with Eighteenth street south of Market street, there is actually very little traffic which crosses Market street. All of the traffic from the south over Eighteenth street, or from the north over Twentieth street, is usually bound for the business district to the east and proceeds in that direction over either Chestnut, Pine or Locust streets. J eif erson Avenue South of the viaduct, Jefferson avenue has a width of 80 feet or more, which is very desirable. It is un- fortunate that this width was not originally preserved throughout the entire length of the street. After various changes of width at different periods in the city’s his- tory, Jefferson avenue was finally given a width of 60 feet from Market street to its termination at Palm street in the northern part of St. Louis. The question of wid- ening Jefferson avenue between Market street and Palm occupied the serious attention of this Commission and after considerable study it was deemed cheaper to leave Jefferson avenue at its present width between these two points and to develop the next parallel thoroughfares to the west, Beaumont street and Elliot avenue. Since Beau- mont street is only 40 feet wide, though considerably used at the present time, it is recommended that this street be widened to 80 feet and connected directly at the south end with Jefferson avenue and at its northern extremity with Elliot avenue. This latter thoroughfare has a width of 60 feet and should serve for an indefinite time as a relief street to Jefferson avenue for all vehic- ular traffic. Nebraska, Ewing and Glasgow From Jefferson avenue to Grand avenue is a dis- tance of very nearly one mile. In considering cross town major streets running north and south through this dis- RECTANGULAR STREETS Qt \] trict, it was believed that the intensity of development warranted the provision of two additional parallel routes. Inasmuch as each of these routes should be con— tinuous and be so located as to have these major streets equally spaced between Jefferson and Grand avenues, it was found that the first logical route to develop appeared to be one formed by connecting Nebraska, Ewing and Glasgow, a development which would involve compara- tively little expense. Since each of these thoroughfares has a present width of 60 feet and is occupied only for short distances by trolley lines, the necessary straight- ening and connections at Park avenue, Market street and Easton avenue would involve little serious difficulty. An admirable route would thus be created, assuming of course, the eventual building of a viaduct over Mill Creek Valley on Ewing avenue. In the northern part of the city Glasgow avenue would well be widened to a uniform width of 60 feet between Hebert street and Natural Bridge road and from Bailey avenue to Florissant ave- nue. Michigan—Compton Avenue If Compton avenue were properly developed, it would become one of the best cross town thoroughfares of St. Louis. Its chief requisites at present are straight- enings at Morgan street and Chouteau avenue, good pavement throughout, a widening between Arsenal street and Gravois, an extension from Magnolia to Pestalozzi, and a proper connection south of Kingshighway park to Michigan avenue. Michigan avenue, by reason of its connections with the Alabama avenue bridge, should become an impor- tant traffic street and is now extensively used. Grand Avenue Grand avenue is one of the best cross town thor- oughfares in St. Louis. Its width of 80 feet has permit- 58 CITY PLAN COMMISSION ted extensive development. While a greater width could a possibly be used to advantage between Easton avenue and Market street, it would be exceedingly difficult to secure this extra width at so late a stage in the develop- ment of this street. Grand avenue is the best example of a cross town thoroughfare in St. Louis, though greater width and less grades in places would improve it. More such streets are needed. The recommendations of this Commission anticipate the development of several such thoroughfares. It will not take a great period of time to demonstrate their value. Tower Grove Ave—Vandeventer Ave—Prairie Ave. There is great need of a relief street for Grand ave- nue. Opportunity for obtaining such relief street is to be found in the proper development of Vandeventer ave- nue and its connections—Tower Grove avenue and Prai- rie avenue. Vandeventer avenue now has an adequate width of 80 feet between Washington avenue and Eas- ton. From Washington avenue to Tower Grove it should be widened from 60 to 80 feet, while that section between Market street and Manchester avenue could possibly be widened even to 98 feet, the extra width being necessary for the accommodation of a large amount of through travel between Manchester avenue and Market street. West of Tower Grove avenue, Vandeventer should also be widened from 60 to 80 feet as far as Kingshighway. From Easton to Kennerly avenue, Vandeventer should be widened from 60 to 80 feet. Between Kennerly ave- nue and Natural Bridge road there is at present a width of 70 feet on Vandeventer avenue. By setting back the curbs as the traffic develops, it may be possible to make the 70-foot width serve all practical purposes for a con- siderable number of years. While it is not desirable to create direct traffic cros- sings through large parks, the connection between Van- RECTAN (.l-ULAR STREETS deventer avenue and Prairie avenue across Fairground park is entirely warranted. An extensive amount of traffic uses this crossing daily. It is especially impor- tant since Prairie avenue is the only street which has an easy grade to Broadway. A similar condition is encoun— tered at Tower Grove park. Tower Grove avenue has a width of 80 feet, which is most desirable. It ends ab- ruptly at Tower Grove park, however, through which nothing but non-commercial vehicles may pass. A glance at the map will make apparent the wisdom of connect- ing Morganford road with Tower Grove avenue by a direct connection through the park. While the extent of cross town traffic in this section of the community may not be of unusual proportions as yet, there is no ques- tion that its volume will increase in the near future. Tower Grove park is approximately one and one-half miles long, and commercial vehicles cannot cross it at any point. This means that all north or south bound traflic between Kingshighway and Grand avenue must travel a very considerable distance out of a direct line to reach its destination. The eventual development of transit facilities will also require opportunity for cros- sing Tower Grove park with a car line. A subsurface roadway for commercial vehicles and trolley cars sim- ilar to that used in Central park, New York City, and in several other large parks in the country, should be cre- ated here. ' Morganford road is now 60 feet wide from Arsenal street to Gravois avenue. It should be 80 feet wide. Owing to many new buildings on this street, no recom- mendation for widening it is made. If a future transit study proves the necessity for a car line on Morganford ‘ road, it should be widened in a gradual manner, prob- ably by the establishment of a building line. ‘With the improvements suggested, connecting Mor- ganford road, Tower Grove avenue, Vandeventer avenue 60 CITY PLAN COMMISSION and Prairie avenue, an exceedingly important cross town thoroughfare would be created, second only in import- ance to Grand avenue. It would have distinct advan- tages over Grand avenue in that its connections in the extreme northern and southern parts of the city are better, while throughout its whole length there are de- cidedly less objectionable grades. ' N ewste'ad Avenue Between Kingshighway and Vandeventer avenue there should be at least one good cross town street north of Manchester avenue. In this great district there is an exceedingly large population. North of Easton ave- nue, particularly, there are few good main traffic streets. No streets which lead north and south have a width of over 60 feet, while only one of all the streets leading north and south has a semblance of continuity. This is Newstead avenue. It should be developed into a sub- stantial cross town thoroughfare by giving it proper connection with Tower Grove avenue on the south, and by straightening the irregularity at its intersection with Duncan avenue, Easton avenue and Natural Bridge road. Except at its northern end, it is free from car tracks, and its present width of 60 feet will probably be suffi- cient. From Maffitt avenue to Florissant its width could profitably be increased from 60 to 80 feet, if a future transit plan warrants the retention of the present car line. Kingshighway A special report on the Kingshighway has recently been issued by this Commission. The recommendations for the completion of this thoroughfare include a direct connection with Caron-delet Park over what was formerly Kansas street; the development of Christy Park from Nottingham avenue to Kansas street; the improvement RECTANGULAR STREETS 61 of Penrose Park, with a viaduct over the Terminal rail- road; the completion of Kingshighway northeast; the improvement of that section leading north from Bircher street to Florissant; and the building of a northwest connection to Chain of Rocks via Bircher street, Part- ridge avenue and Tracy road, with a connection from Hall’s Ferry road and Tracy road to Broadway and Riverview drive, and thence over Riverview drive to Chain of Rocks Park. Union Avenue Union avenue is 100 feet wide from Forest Park to the viaduct over the Terminal railroad in the northern part of St. Louis. From Bircher street, at the northern end of the viaduct, Union avenue is only 60 feet wide to its termination at Florissant avenue, and it is also oc- cupied by a double track trolley line. This inadequate width should be increased to at least 80 feet, or, better, to 100 feet, to conform to Union avenue south of the viaduct. ' DeBaliviere Avenue An important entrance to Forest Park already ex- ists at DeBaliviere avenue. It is unfortunate that a di- rect connection was not originally provided for between DeBaliviere avenue and Good-fellow avenue. DeBali- viere avenue will become a very important business street. Its present width of 100 feet is considered suf- . ficient. Goodfellow Avenue One of the most heavily travelled streets in the western part of St. Louis is Goodfellow avenue. Its width of 60 feet will probably suffice for many years to come. The only recommendation for its improvement is that the offset at Frueh avenue be eliminated. ‘ 62 crrr PLAN COMMISSION McCausland Ave—Skinker Road—Hodiamont Ave. There is need for a continuous north and south street following approximately the city limits. After a care- ful consideration of the problems involved, it is recom- mended that Skinker road be continued north across Del- mar avenue to connect with Hodiamont avenue at Olive street road. Hodiamont avenue should then be extended north from Kennerly avenue to Natural Bridge road, where it could connect with a street now known as Darby street. From the intersection of Darby street and Bircher street a connection could be made to Partridge avenue, which would become part of the Kingshighway Northwest leading directly to Broadway and Riverview drive. Skinker road has a presentwidth of 100 feet, which is sufficient. McCausland. avenue, which connects with Skinker road, is 80 feet wide, which is also suffi- cient. The connection between Skinker road and Hodia- mont should be at least 80 feet wide. If this route were to be used for a cross town car line, Hodiamont avenue should be increased from its present width of 60 feet to a width of 8-0 feet. Its extension north to Partridge ave- nue should also be provided with an 80-foot width. It is impossible to overestimate the possibilities of such a route as here outlined. Its completion now would be neither difficult nor expensive. There is already a. considerable volume of travel in the general direction which this route ‘would follow. Development is rapidly taking place along the Terminal railroad and an increas- ing amount of traffic will unquestionably seek such op- portunities for communication north and south as could be obtained over this route. Alexander Street There is great need for a continuous north and south street between Grand avenue and Morganford road and. RE (‘ITAN GULAR STREETS 63 south of Gravois avenue. Here is a large section of ter- ritory that is comparati\-*ely idle. Constant growth is, however, taking place on all sides. To avoid the dangers of piecemeal development, it is suggested that a new street be developed,‘ as shown on Plan No. 3, which would run in a southerly direction from the vicinity of the intersection of Chippewa street and Gravois avenue to the western boundary of Carondelet park. This street should be 80 feet, inasmuch as it should eventually ac- commodate a double track trolley line. No great diffi- culty should be encountered in developing this street, since, as previously stated, it would pass through terri- tory which is now entirely idle. It has been called “Al- exander street” for the present, since it would follow ap- proximately the line of what is now Alexander street between Chippewa and Keokuk. North of Chippewa street it might profitably be connected with Russell place. Brannon Avenue It is recommended that Brannon avenue’ be in- creased from 60 to 80 feet in width from Old Manches- ter road to Connecticut street, and extended from this point south to Bancroft avenue and connected directly with the Kingshighway south of Goethe avenue. Sulphur Ave—Hampton Ave—Billon Ave. West of Kingshighway and south of Forest Park there is not at present a continuous cross town street leading north and south. Moreover, there will never again be an opportunity for such a street unless prompt measures are taken to provide it. The most logical route to develop is one connecting Hampton avenue with Sul- phur and Billon avenues. The construction would in- volve no great difficulties, inasmuch as little actual oc- cupation of the land along the contemplated route has 64 CITY PLAN COMMISSION yet taken place. Billon avenue should be widened from 60 to 80 feet. Hampton avenue is now 60 feet wide from Eichelberger to Bancroft. It should be increased to 80 feet in width and extended south to Gravois avenue, as shown on Plan No. 3. North of Bancroft avenue it should be extended to connect with Sulphur avenue in the vicinity of Fyler, and thence directly north to VVil- son avenue, also as shown on Plan No. 3. To properly connect this extension of Sulphur avenue with Billon avenue on the north involves the crossing of the Frisco and Missouri Pacific railroads at Manchester avenue. Since these two railroads run close to, and approxi- mately on grade with, Manchester avenue, it will be neces- sary, in order to eliminate grade crossings, to pass over each of the railroads as well as Manchester avenue. The topography of the ground is such that no great difficulty would be involved in building “the necessary viaduct. This viaduct would not be unusually long or expensive; it would also have a very easy gradient; furthermore, it is especially well located, since there is now no opportunity for passing north or south over these railroads west of Kingshighway, except at grade. The new viaduct would be more than a mile west of Kingshighway. It would be accessible to traffic using Manchester ‘avenue, its en- trance on Billon avenue being only about 400 or 500 feet north of Manchester. ‘ Not only would this street be of immediate present value, but it would be of inestimable future benefit to this large section of the city, which at present has a very inadequate street plan. This route would also provide the most logical approach to Forest Park from the south. It is proposed that at Billon avenue there be created the principal southern entrance to Forest Park. THE RECTANGULAR SYSTEM: EAST AND WEST GROSS-TOWN STREETS- Those streets which have an east and west direc- tion in St. Louis have been much better preserved in point of width and continuity than similar cross streets having a north and south direction. In only one instance has it been found advisable to recommend an entirely new street running east and west. While a few changes involving increased width and greater continuity are recommended, these streets now form an important part of the major street plan. Weber Road—River des Peres Drive At the extreme southern boundary of the city an ex- cellent opportunity for a cross town street will be pro- vided through a connection between Weber road and the proposed River des Peres drive. ~Weber road should be increased in width from 40 to 80 feet. This will not in- volve the destruction of any buildings at the present time. By means of such a thoroughfare, direct connec- tions would be established between Carondelet, IVebster Groves and neighboring communities. New Industrial Street In connection with the River des Peres plan, it is proposed to develop a new street in River des Peres val- ley which shall be sufficiently wide to accommodate all cross town traffic east and west in the River des Peres industrial district. It is proposed to construct this thor- oughfare with a width of approximately 100 feet, par- alleling the present channel of the River des Peres and about 2,500 feet to the north of the channel. This street, 66 CITY PLAN COMMISSION as shown on Plan No. 3, would lead directly from the Alabama avenue bridge west to the intersection of Gra- vois avenue and Loughborough avenue. Thence it would proceed along Loughborough avenue, connecting in the southwestern part of the city with Donovan avenue at Eichelberger street. From this point it would follow Donovan avenue to \Vatson road, thence north to Ivan- hoe avenue, following the latter street to McCune ave- nue. From the intersection of Ivanhoe avenue and Mc- Cune avenue, a viaduct would be built over the River des Peres valley to Manchester avenue ,and McCausland avenue. This viaduct would pass over the Frisco rail- road and the Missouri Pacific railroad. This proposed new industrial street would be of im- mense value in the development of River des Peres val- ley, and at the same time it fits in extremely well with the major street plan as a whole. By reason of its con- nections with Broadway on the east, via Davis street, and on the north with McCausland avenue, Skinker road, Hodiamont avenue and Kingshighway to Broadway and Biverview drive, there would be created a thoroughfare approximately 16 miles long, paralleling the present boundaries of the entire city. This route would be to the entire western section of St. Louis exactly what Broad- way is now to the eastern sections of St. Louis. Loughborough Avenue Loughborough avenue has also been considered a part of the major street plan. Its present width of 50 feet between Field avenue and Morganford road and between Virginia avenue and Broadway, should be in- creased to 80 feet. Bates Street—Eichelberger Street One of the most extensively used streets in the south- ern section of the city is Bates street. It should be con- RECTANGULAR STREETS 67 nected directly with Eichelberger street at Gravois ave— nue. This connection would constitute a continuous through route 60 feet wide from Broadway to Donovan avenue, which width will be sufficient for all future needs, since it is not probable that a trolley line will be placed here. Delor Street—Nottingham Avenue These two streets have also been included as part of the major street plan, since their location is such as to warrant their development as important parts of the major street plan. Delor street is already 60 feet wide from Gravois avenue east to Nebraska. This width should be sufficient, for it is not believed that a street car line will be placed on it. West of Gravois avenue Delor street should be increased in width from 50 to 60 feet and extended from Ridgewood avenue directly west to Kingshighway. A direct connection between Delor street and Nottingham avenue at Kingshighway appears to be impossible. The offset of several hundred feet, however, is not considered to be seriously detrimental be- cause of the unusual width of Kingshighway at this point. The present width of 60 feet on Nottingham avenue is considered sufficient. It should be extended, however, from Hampton avenue to Donovan avenue, having at this point a width of 80 feet. Meramec Street Meramec street has also been included in the major street plan, since it is now an important cross town street. While its present width of 60 feet could be profitably in- creased, no recommendation to this effect is suggested at this time, except for the comparatively short distance be- tween Gravois avenue and Morganford Road, where its present width of 30 feet is wholly inadequate. 68 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Chippewa Street By extending Chippewa street west of Kingshighway to Watson Road, one of the finest opportunities for a cross town route will be established. Chippewa street now starts at an important intersection—Broadway and Jefferson avenue. By reason of its connection on the west via Watson Road with Nottingham avenue in St. Louis County, direct connection could be had with Lock- wood avenue and several of the most important muni- cipalities in St. Louis County. In order to accommodate the traffic and probable transit line that would use this route, Chippewa street should be widened from 60 to 80 feet between Grand avenue and Kingshighway. Utah Street—Fyler Avenue C By eliminating the present irregularities at certain in- tersections and the complete improvement of Utah street and Fyler avenue, another most important cross town route would be provided in the southern section of the city which would have good connections with the muni- cipalities in St. Louis County. No recommendations are made for change in width, each of the two streets having at present a width of 60 feet. Arsenal Street Arsenal street is now an important cross town street. Its width of 80 feet between Grand avenue and Kings- highway is most desirable. Since this street will un- questionably be much traveled and will also accommo- date a car line, it should have a width of 80 feet between Gravois avenue and Grand avenue and between Kings— highway and Ivanhoe. East of Gravois avenue its pres- ent width of 60 feet will probably prove sufficient. RECTANGULAR STREETS 69 Columbia Avenue Columbia avenue is now an important major street. Its width and complete improvement have served to make it important as a traffic route. Russell Avenue Russell avenue has also been included in the major street plan, because of its important position and good width. No recommendations for changes are made. Lafayette Avenue An ordinance is now pending providing for the exten- sion of Lafayette avenue from Fourteenth street to Twelfth street. This will provide a good connection on the east for what is now a most important major street. Park Avenue Park avenue would be a much more important traffic route if given a proper outlet on the east similar to that now being provided for Lafayette avenue. It is recom— mended that its width be increased from 60 to 80 feet from Mississippi avenue to Twelfth street. Its present width of 60 feet between Grand avenue and Thirty-ninth street is also inadequate, since a double track car line occupies a goodly proportion of the roadway. _When practicable, this width should be increased to 80 feet. Chouteau Avenue One of the best examples of an adequate cross town thoroughfare is Chouteau avenue, which is a continuous street of 80 feet in width from Kingshighway to Broad- way. It needs only proper surfacing to increase its al- ready great usefulness. It is the natural approach to the Municipal Bridge. 70 CITY PLAN COMMISSION West Pine Boulevard The central section of the city is well provided with cross town thoroughfares west of Grand avenue, of which “Test Pine Boulevard is a good example. No changes are necessary to increase its usefulness. Pine Street All of the streets between Market street and Washing- ton avenue west of Twelfth street have been included as parts of the major street plan. Pine street is now used quite considerably. A future transit arrangement should provide for the elimination of the present tracks on Pine street from Twelfth to Twenty-first streets. A direct crossing of Grand avenue should be provided by means of a better connection between Pine street and West Pine boulevard. Chestnut Street—Lawton Avenue Chestnut street and Lawton avenue is now a much used traffic route. No recommendations are made for in- creasing its usefulness, except a direct crossing for traf- lie at Grand avenue by means of a proper connection with West Pine boulevard. Locust Street Locust street has been developed and is ‘now used very nearly to its capacity as a major traffic street. No changes in this thoroughfare are recommended. Its pres- ent width of 60 and 70 feet, over which goes more traffic than on any other street in the city, is a concrete illus- tration of the adequacy of such a width on principal traffic streets, where there are no trolley lines. Washington Avenue East of Jefferson avenue, Washington avenue now has a width of 80 feet, which is considered to be suffi- RECTANGULAR STREETS 71 cient. From Jefferson avenue to Grand avenue its present width of 60 feet is considered to be insufficient. An ordinance now pending provides for increasing the width of IVashington avenue between these two points from 60 to 80 feet. It is also proposed to remove the car tracks now 011 Washington avenue west of Jefferson to the next parallel street on the north—Lucas avenue. The present width of '70 feet on Washington avenue west of Grand is considered to be sufficient. The proposed improvements on \Vashington avenue are of immediate importance, since this street is destined to become one of the most important thoroughfares in St. Louis. Morgan Street A direct connection between Morgan street and Del— mar avenue is proposed. This would mean the develop- ment of another important street approaching the busi- ness district from the west. Its usefulness will be plainly demonstrated in the course of a few years. Its accom- plishment should now be made possible. It is recom— mended that its present width of 60 feet between Beau- mont street and Jefferson avenue and of 50 feet between Fourteenth street and Twelfth street be increased to 80 feet, thus creating an 80 foot street from where Easton avenue, if extended, would connect with it to Twelfth street, the western boundary of the business district. Franklin Avenue Franklin avenue is now an important major street, having a width of 80 feet from Easton avenue to Ninth street. This same width should be provided from Ninth street to Fourth street and thus greatly increase the fu- ture usefulness of this important street, which may some day become the northern boundary of ‘the business dis- trict. A width of 80 feet throughout would be most de- sirable, since it will unquestionably become an impor- tant street for transit as well as vehicular travel. \1 [\‘J CITY PLAN COMMISSION Cass Avenue No change is suggested for Cass avenue, which is now an important major street, having a width of 80 feet from Prairie avenue to Broadway. St. Louis Avenue There is need of a good cross town thoroughfare for that great section of the city between Easton avenue and Natural Bridge Road west from Jefferson avenue to the city limits. Such a route could well be secured through the proper development of St. Louis avenue. “Test of Grand avenue'this street is but 60 feet wide, except be- tween Prairie avenue and Lambdin avenue. Since a set- back line has been preserved throughout most of its length, a widening of the street would not be a difficult matter at this time. A11 80 foot width could be secured without great difficulty or expense. The offsets at Prairie avenue, Euclid avenue and Belt avenue should be cor- rected and the street extended at least to Hodiamont avenue, where it could profitably be connected with Ham- burger avenue in St. Louis County. East of Fifteenth street, St. Louis avenue might also profitably be widened from 60 to 80 feet as far as Broadway. Too much em- phasis cannot be laid on the desirability of developing St. Louis avenue as here suggested. Salisbury Street Salisbury street now constitutes the natural approach to the McKinley Bridge. It has a width of 60 feet from Natural Bridge Road to Eleventh street. From Eleventh street to Broadway, a distance of two blocks, it is only 50 feet wide. This should be increased to 60 feet. APPENDIX 74 ‘ CITY PLAN COMMISSION PROPOSED LAW AUTHORIZING THE ESTAB- LISHMEN T OF BUILDING LINES An Act to Authorize the Establishment of Building Lines on Streets in Cities Which Now Have or May Here- after Have 500,000 or More Inhabitants and to Pro- vide the Manner in Which Damages and Benefits May be Determined and Paid. Be It Enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows: Section 1. The word “street,” as used in this act, means any public highway, esplanade, boulevard, park- way, square or street, or any part or side, or part of the side, of any of the same. Section 2. It shall be lawful for any city now hav- ing or which may hereafter have 500,000 or more inhab- itants, to provide by ordinance for the establishment of building lines on any public street or highway. Such building line shall be established by the same procedure as that provided by law in such city for the acquiring of land for the opening of streets. After the establishment of any such line no building or other structure shall be erected, reconstructed or substantially repaired and no new buildings or other structure or part thereof shall be re-erected within said lines so established. Section 3. Whenever and wherever a building line shall be established as aforesaid, all structures extend- ing within such building lines shall be required to con- form to the new line within a period of not more than 25 years from the time of establishing said lines; such time to be provided in the ordinance, providing for the establishment of such line. At the expiration of the time limit in which all structures are so required to conform to the new building line, the proper municipal authori- ties shall proceed in the manner then provided by law relating to condemnation proceedings by such cities to remove all structures then within such line; provided, APPENDIX '75 however, that all owners of property so affected shall re- ceive due notice and hearing in the manner then provided by such law in the determination of the additional dam- ages sustained by the removal of such structure then within the building line. Section 4. In payment for the real estate, improve- ments and easements to be taken and acquired for the establishment of such building lines as are herein pro- vided and of the damages sustained thereby, benefits shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as provided by law in proceedings in any such city for the acquiring of lands for the openings of streets. r Section 2). _ This act shall not limit or abridge any power now or hereafter conferred by law on such cities to establish building lines or take any property or any _ interest therein by eminent domain. PROPOSED LAW AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF A PERMANENT ASSESSMENT BOARD An Act Granting Authority to Any City in This State Now Having or Which May HereafterI-Iave 400,000 Inhabitants, to Provide by Ordinance or Charter Pro- visions for the Appointment, Term of Oflice and Re- moval of a Board of Assessment Commissioners Who Shall Have the Power to Assess Benefits and Dam- ages in Condemnation Proceedings. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows: Section 1. Full power and authority are hereby given and conferred upon every city of this State which now has or may hereafter have 400,000 inhabitants to provide for the appointment, term of office and removal‘ of a Board of Assessment Commissioners, who shall con- stitute a permanent board for the assessment of benefits and damages in condemnation proceedings instituted by any such city; and such provision may be made either by charter provision therefor adopted by the people of 76 CITY PLAN COMMISSION said city, according to the law, or by the people thereof under the power of the initiative. Section 2. It shall be a feature of all such laws or ordinances that said Board of Assessment Commission- ers shall be a permanent board who shall sit from day to day and assess benefits and damages in condemna- tion proceedings as may be provided by said city as aforesaid. Section 3. Said city shall have power by ordinance or charter provision to fix the number of said commis- sioners constituting said board, their terms of office and the manner of their appointment, and the manner in which they shall discharge their duties. PROPOSED LAW REQUIRING APPROVAL OF ALL LAND SUBDIVISIONS An Act to Provide for the Filing of Plans, Plats or Re- plats of Land in Cities of 400,000 Inhabitants or Over. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of‘ the State of. Missouri: All plans, plats, or re-plats of lands laid out in build- ing lots, and streets, alleys or other portions of the same intended to be dedicated to public or private use, or for the use of purchasers or owners of lots fronting thereon or adjacent thereto, and located within the city limits, shall be submitted to the board or body having charge of the design, construction and maintenance of city streets and approved by it before they shall be recorded. And it shall be unlawful to receive or record such plan in any public office unless the same shall bear thereon, by en- dorsement or otherwise, the approval of the board or body having charge of the design, construction and mamte- nance of city streets. The approval of the board or body having charge of the design, construction and mainte- nance of city streets shall be deemed an acceptance of the proposed dedication for public or private use as the case may be; but shall not impose any duty upon the city concerning the maintenance or improvement of any such dedicated parts, until the proper authorities of the APPENDIX \1 \1 city shall have made actual appropriation of the same by entry, use or improvement; and owners and purchas- ers shall be deemed to have notice of the published plans, maps, and reports of the board or body having charge of the design, construction and maintenance of city streets affecting such property within its jurisdiction. PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT GRANTING POWER OF EXCESS CONDEMNATION Submitting to the Qualified Voters of the State of Mis- souri an Amendment to the Constitution Thereof Granting to the State, Municipal Corporations and Other Political Subdivisions of the State‘ the Power of Excess Condemnation. ' Section 1. Providing for excess condemnation by the state, municipal corporations and other political sub- divisions of the state. Be it resolved by the house, the senate concurring therein: At the general election to be held on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November, A. D. 1918, an amendment to the Consti- tution of Missouri shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state in the following words: Whenever the state, a municipal corporation or any political sulb— division of the state authorized by law to take private property for public use, shall appropriate or condemn any private property for any public use whatsoever, or when the state, a municipal corporation or any political subdivision of the state authorized by law to take private property for public use in furtherance of such public use, shall provide for any public work or improvements which shall damage or benefit private property, the state, mu- nicipal corporation or any political subdivision of the ‘state authorized by law to take private property for public use, may provide for the appropriation in fee by the state municipal corporation or other political. subdi- vision of private property or any easement or use therein in excess of that actually required for such specific pur- pose, under such conditions as shall be prescribed by the legislature or general laws of the state, or as prescribed 78 CITY PLAN COMMISSION by the charter and ordinance provisions of any such mu- nicipal corporation operating under special charter, and such excess property or right therein so acquired by the state, municipal corporation or other political subdivi- sion, may be sold, leased or otherwise disposed of by it under such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the laws of the state and the charter and ordinance provisions of any municipality, corporation or other po— litical subdivision, and this right of the state, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision to acquire and sell such excess property is hereby declared to be a pub- lic use; provided, however, that such excess shall be con- demned and compensation therefor ascertained in the same proceeding, and in the same manner as near as may be, as the private property, easement or ‘use actually needed, as aforesaid; and provided, further, that the value of such excess shall be paid for by the state, mu- nicipal corporation, or other political subdivision, as the case may be. PROPOSED LAW AUTHORIZING CREATION OF A COUNTY PLAN COMMISSION An Act to Provide for a County Plan Commission in Counties Now Having or Which May- Hereafter Have, a Population of 100,000 and Less Than 200,000 Inhabitants, Providing Funds for Same, Defining the Powers and Duties of Such Commissions. Be It Enacted by the General Assembly of the State of M issour'i : 1. That in any county now having, or which may hereafter have a population of 100,000 and less than 200,000 inhabitants, there may be created a body to be known as the “-————— county plan commission” (in- serting in the blank space the name of the county in which the body is created). For the purpose of ascer- taining and determining the population of counties in this state that may have a population of‘100,000 and less than 200,000 inhabitants, the aggregate vote cast for the first candidate for elector on each ticket, voted for APPENDIX 79 at last preceding presidential election in such county shall be multiplied by five and the product shall be deemed the number of inhabitants in such county. 2. The county plan commission shall be composed of citizens who shall hold no other public office, one to be appointed by the mayor of each city and incorporated town in the county and there shall be as eX-officio mem- bers the county engineer, the presiding judge of the county court and one other citizen who may or may not be a public official to be appointed by the county court of such county. The commissioners first appointed under this act shall hold office for three, two and one years by mutual agreement or to be determined by lot, appointments thereafter to be for three years, except that appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unex- pired term only. 3. Such commission shall serve without pay, and shall annually choose from among its number a chair- man and vice-chairman. Such commission shall have power and authority to employ professional assistance, clerks and a secretary, and to pay for their services, and to pay such other expenses as such commission may law-- fully incur, including the necessary disbursements in- curred by its members in the performance of their duties as members of said commission. 4. It shall be the duty of such commission to pre- pare from time to time, and to lay before the governing body of each political subdivision within the county, and the county authorities, and in its discretion cause to be published, a map or maps of the county or any portion thereof, studies, reports or recommendations for the pur- pose of securing co-ordained comprehensive plans of highways, roads, parks, parkways, boulevards, play- grounds, reservations or other public grounds, transit ‘and transportation facilities, or other means of inter- communication, water supply, sewerage and sewage dis- posal, recreation, housing, location of public buildings and such other matters as may bear on the betterment of such county or portion thereof as a place of residence or for business. 80 CITY PLAN COMMISSION 5. All plans, plats or replats of any lands laid out in lots or plots, and the streets, alleys or other portions of the same intended to be dedicated to public or private use shall first be submitted to the county plan commis- sion and approved by it before same shall be recorded, provided, however, that where a city plan commission already exists in the municipality in which is located the land to be platted or replatted, the action of the county plan commission shall be in the nature of recom- mendation to the local city plan commission. Such plan, plat or replat, having indorsed thereon the approval of. the county plan commission or city plan commission as heretofore provided, shall be submitted for action to the county court or to the mayor and city council in which the property to be subdivided is located. It shall be un- lawful to receive or record such plan, plat or replat in any public office unless the same shall bear thereon, by indorsement or otherwise, the approval of the county plan commission or city plan commission and the county court or mayor and city council, respectively. The dis- approval of any such plan, plat or replat shall be deemed a refusal of the proposed dedication shown thereon. 6. It shall be lawful for the board or body having charge of the finances of any county, as aforesaid, to ap- propriate money for the expenses of such county plan commission. PROPOSED LAW AUTHORIZING CREATION OF CITY PLAN COMMISSIONS IN SMALL CITIES An Act to Provide for City Plan Commissions in Cities, Towns and Villages of This State Which Have a Population of 100,000 or Less, Providing Funds for Same and Defining the Powers of Such Commissions. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of Missouri: 1.. That any city, town or village having a popula- tion of 100,000 or less, is hereby authorlzed to appoint a city plan commission. - APPENDIX ' 8i 2. The city plan commission shall consist of five citizens, all of whom shall reside in such municipality and who shall be appointed by the Mayor, each for a term of three years; the Mayor and City Engineer to be ex-officio members of the commission; provided, however, that in the first instance two of the appointments shall be for three years, two for two years and one for one year. Appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired term only. 3. Such commission shall serve without pay, and it shall be the duty of such commission to prepare, from time to time, plans for the systematic development and betterment of such municipality as a place of residence or for business. It shall have the power and authority to employ clerks and a secretary, and to pay for their services and to pay for such other expenses as ‘such. com- mission may lawfully incur, including the necessary dis- bursements incurred by its members in the performance of their duties as members of said commission. The said city plan commission may consider and in- vestigate any subject matter tending to the development and betterment of such municipality, and make recom- mendations as it may deem advisable concerning the adoption thereof to any department of the municipal gov- ernment, and for any purpose make or cause to be made, surveys, plans or maps. Before final action shall be taken by any municipal- ity or department thereof on the location and design of any public building, statue, memorial, park, parkway, boulevard, playground, public grounds or bridge, such question shall be submitted to the city plan commission for investigation and report. 4. All plans, plats or replats of lands laid out in lots or plots, and the streets, alleys, or other portions of the same intended to be dedicated to public or private use, shall first be submitted to the city plan commission and approved by it before it shall be recorded. Such _ plan, plat or replat having indorsed thereon the ap- proval of the city‘ plan commission shall then be submit- ted for action to the mayor and city council. It shall be unlawful to receive or record such plan, plat or re- 82 CITY PLAN COMMISSION plat in any public office unless the same shall bear thereon, by indorsement or otherwise, the approval of the city plan commission and the mayor and city coun- cil. The disapproval of any such plan, plat or replat by the city plan commission shall be deemed a refusal of the proposed dedication shown thereon. 5. The city plan commission may prepare a plan I" or regulating by districts the height, bulk, area and use of all buildings in the municipality in the interests of pub_ lic health, safety and general welfare. 6. It shall be lawful for the board or body having charge of the finances of any city, town or village, as aforesaid, to appropriate money for the expenses of such city plan commission. INDEX 33 INDEX _ Page Page Alexander St., extension . . . . . . . .. 62 Darby St., connection with Hodia- Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 mont Ave. . . . ., . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Arflafgiln%t 54 DeBaliviere Ava, major street 61 Market ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ‘ ' ' ' ° ' ' ' " 4H Delmar Boul., connection with ' ' 'j ' ' ' ' ° ' ' ' ' ' ' ' " ‘ Morgan St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5'.) Arsenal St., Widening . . . . . . . . . .. 68 D _ , . . _ . F Arterial streets eloi St., widening and extension. 67 (See Radial streets) Des Peres, industrial street, (See Industrial street) Assessment boards, permanent. . . . 34 D. a. . Pmposed law . _ _ . . _ . _ _ . . _ _ _ _ _ | 75 istiicts, population . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Bates St.——Eichelberger St., con- Easton _Ave-. Widening and exten- nection _ _ _ , , _ , _ _ _ , _ _ , _ _ 66 $1011 . . . . . . . . . . . .I . . . . . . . . . 50 Beaumont St.——Elliot Ava, Widen- Eichelberger street, ing and connection . . . . . . . . 56 (See Bates St.—Eichelberger Benefit districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28 St') New York City . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 29 Eighteenth street, Washington Ave., Widening . . . . 29 Connections, proposed . . . . . . . . . 55 Billon avenue, MELJOI‘ Street . . - . . . . . . . . . . - . . . Connection with Sulphur Ave.. . 63 Elliot avenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Entrance to Forest Park . . . . .. 64 Euclid Ave, viaduct over, at Car- Vvldening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 ter Ave, , _ . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . 51 Bonds, Excess condemnation . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Proposed law . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 r , 9.‘) Perm . . . . . . . . . . ._ . . . . . . . . . .. Us Extension of streets; new Streets; Brannon Av-e., widening and ex— connections, tenslon_ ' ', ' ‘ ' ' ' ' ' ‘ ‘ ‘ ' ‘ ' ' " 63 Alexander St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 62 Broadway, Widening . - - - - - - - - - - - 44 Bates St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Bulldlng‘ 111168, Beaumont St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Proposed law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1' BI‘annOn Ave. - . - . . . . . - . . . . . . . L33 Widening streets by . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Carter Ave. - - - . . . . . . . . - . . . . . . 51 Business centers . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 22. 24 Chlppewa St; ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 6g Business district Compton ‘AVG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . - ’ 9 Delmar Boul., connection with Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 22, ..4 M St ,0 Instability. . . . . . . . . ..18, 20, 22, 24 Organ - ' - - ~ - - - - - - ~ - - -- °~ Location, present and future_ 22, 2.1 D6101‘ St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6! Traffic . . . . . . , _ _ _ _ _ _ , ,8, 10, 24, 26 Easton Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 50 Transit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 25 Eighteenth St., strais'htenlns‘--- - 55 - Fairground Park, street crossing 59 Cabanne Addition streets . . . . . . . . 2 FIOl‘issant AVe-. Connection With Carter avenue, Carter Ave. . . . . ‘ . . . . . . . . . . 52 C9nnections’ Proposed - - - ' - - - -- 51 Goodfellovv Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 61 a e e e e . e e - e n n n e e e e e - e n e Axfe. . I i l . ' . . l I I ' ' . . . Cass avenue, major street . . . . . . . 72 Hodiamont Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Checkerboard street plan . . . . . . . . 2 Industrial street, Des Peres val- (éléestnut StS, major street . . . . . . . . 70 ley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 ippewa t., widening and ex- - - ' tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Kmgshighwa'y ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' : ' ' ' 60 _ Lawton Ava, connection with Chouteau Ave., major street . . . . .. 69 West pine BOu1_ _ _ _ _ _ . . _ __ 70 City plan commissions, Missouri L11. A > ,1 cities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 37 N1 tlanl ge:d;"'R'"d ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '- 2-1 Proposed law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 a ‘ma 1'1 be 0a - - - - - ' t - - ‘ . . 1 Nebraska Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 _ Columbia Ave., maJor street . . . . . 69 , Newstead Ava _ _ . _ , _ . _ _ . _ _ _ 0 . _ 60 ' Compton avenue ' 2 ' ' ' ' - ' ' ' ' - - - 57 1 Nottingham Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 (See also Mmhlgan—‘Cmmp‘ Pine ISt-, connection with West . Fon 4V?) _ _ _ ; Pine Boul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Cost dslfigfligtlon' Wldemng 0t 30 St. Louis Ave., straightening... . 72 e - ' - j - -_ ' ' - - - ~ - ' ' - ' ' ' ; Skinker, Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 County plan commissions . . . . . . . . 37 Sulphur Ave, _ , _ , _ , , _ , , _ _ _ , _ _ _ 63 . e e e e e e e . e e e ~ n o e o t Crosstown streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . -6. 65 ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 84 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Page Twelfth St.——Florissant Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..38, 40, 54 Twelfth St.——Gravois Ave. ..38, 53 Twentieth St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Utah St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . . . .. 68 Weber Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65 Ewing avenue, Viaduct, Mill Creek valley . . . . . 57 (See also Nebraska—Ewing— Glasgow Aves.) Fairground Park, street crossing. 59 Fifteenth street, Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 (See also Twelfth St.——Flor- issant Ave.) Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26 Financial condition of St. Louis, 26, 23 Florissant avenue, Widening and connection with ‘Carter Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 (See also Twelfth St.—Flor- issant Ave.) Forest Park, entrance at Billon Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fourth St., major street . . . . . . . . . 53 Franklin Ave., widening . . . . . . . 71 Fyler Ave., major street . . . . . . . . . 68 Glasgow avenue, Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 (See also Nebraska—Ewing— Glasgow Aves.) Goodfellow Ave., connection at Frueh Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Grand avenue, Business centers . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 24 Major street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 57 Gravois avenue, Extension to Twelfth St. . . . . .. 38 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Widening, payment for . . . . . 45 (See also Twelfth St.— Gravois Ave.) Hampton avenue, Connection with Sulphur Ave... 63 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 High street, Arcading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 (See also Twelfth St.—Flor- issant Ave.) Hodiamont avenue, _ _ Connection with Kingshighway system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Extension . . . . . . . .- . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Illustrations, list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX Industrial street, Des Peres val- ley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Viaduct, McCausland Ave. . . . . . 66 Instability ofdistricts in St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . .18, 20, 22, 24 Installment method of payment of special assessments . . . . . 32 Jefferson avenue, Major street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Traffic relief by parallel street. . 56 _ Page Jennings Ave., widening .~ . . . . . . . . 52 Kingshighway, Connection with Hodiamont Ave. 62 Report on completion . . . . . . . . . 60 Lafayette avenue, Extension, present . . . . . . . . . .. 69 Major street . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . 69 Lawton Ave., connection with ' West Pine Boul. . . . . . . . . . . 7 0 Lee Ave., trolley line, extension . . 52 Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26, 74 Necessity for new . . . . . . . . . 26, 23 Lewis, Nelson P., On permanent assessment boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34 On widening of streets and cost distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Lighting, major streets . . . . . . . .. 14 Lillian avenue, Connection with Carter Ave. .. 51 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Lindell Boul., widening . . . . . . . . . . 4S Locust street, Major street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 70 Traffic relief, need . . . . . . . . . . .. 48 Loughborough Ave., widening . . . . 66 McCausland Ave., major street .. 62 McKinley Bridge, Salisbury St. approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Major street plan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 Preparation and purpose ....10, 12 Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Major streets, no changes pro- posed, Cass Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Chestnut St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Chouteau Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Columbia Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 DeBaliviere Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61v Fourth St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 53 Fyler Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Grand Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Jefferson Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Lafayette Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Locust St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 McCausland Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Manchester Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Page Boul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Prairie Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Russell Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Tower Grove Ave. . . . . . . . . ‘. . . . 59 West Pine Boul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Manchester Ave., major street. . . . 43 Maps, list . . . . . . ._ . . . . . . . . . . . . .. VII Market street, ' Arcading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 47 Widening, payment for . . . . . . . . 47 Meramec St., widening . . . . . . . . . . 67 Metropolitan district, relation to business district . . . . . . . . . . 24 Michigan—Compton Aves, con- nection and widening . . . . . 57 Morgan Ford Road, ' Connection with Tower Grove Ave. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46, 59 INDEX 85 ' Page ' Page Morgan street, Russell Ave., major street . . . . . .. 69 Connection with Delmar Boul... 50 Connection with Easton Ave. 50 1 St. Louis Ave., Widening and Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 71 { straightening . . . . . . . . . . .. 72 R d ' Salisbury St., widening . . . . . . . . . . 72 Natural Bridge 0a , 3 - - . - Connection with Florissant Ave. 40 Eknllgel Roidr’ extsgslcinof " Industrial development . . . . . 51 Du ‘West ‘9-’ “1 enmb - - ' ' ' '- Widening and extension . . . . . . . 51 ; Spgclaé assessments, 29 T 1 _ ' _ o- | S - . - . u - - . . - . . . . - . . . - - . . - c -: Aeblaska EV-vmg Glast’ow Aves" ~ l City’s share of cost . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06 l . . -. I J ustlficatlon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 New York Cltyi 1 Payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 32 Benefit districts . . . . . . . . . . . .. 29 St_ t 1 . 2 Widening of streets, cost distri- lee D an’ Ina-l0? ' g ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' " bution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30 (See also Ma-lor bu'eet Plan) Newstead avenue’ Street plan, existing, St. Louis .. 2 Connections with Tower Grove Streets, . _ Ave, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 60 Classes 1n St. LOUIS . . . . . . . . . ..4, 6 Widening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 60 Fixing on city plan . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Nineteenth St., impractical as a INnelarorta'nce ' ' ' ' ' - ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' " 1 _ I maJoi stleet . . . . . . . . .. 55 (8,68 Extension of Streets) Nottingham Ave, extension . . . 61 Planning for probable use _ _ I , _ . (M Manchester Road, T333311??? .................. .. 34 (See Southwest Ava) Plats for, filing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34 Olixyredstreet, - Proposed law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 l ening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘ubu ba aeeads CO t*01 b 1a Widening, method of _payment- - 40 i b r colfnmlissio’ns .11.}. . . . 8 Wldenlng, recent proposal . 49 : Subways, I Page Boul., major street . . . . . . .. 50 I (See Translt) . . l Sulphur avenue, Palm St" Connectlon with Natural ' Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6: Bridge Road - - - - - - - - - - -- 51 l Viaduct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 03 Park Ave., widening . . . . . . . . . . .. ea [. Paving, major streets . . . . . . . . . .. 14 Théxlgtgenth Street, _4 Philadelphia’, . 1 emng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .y_. . 0 Building line method of Widen- (See also Twelfth St-—F1°“S- ing streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 sant Ava) Street plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ‘ Tower Grove avenue, Pine street.’ Crossing of Tower Grove Park. Connection with West Pine Boul. 70 i MaJOl street ~ - - ' ~ - ' ~ - - - ' - - - - - 95 Removal of car tracks . . . . . . . . 70 l (‘see also Vandelrenter Ave‘) Plan commissions, counties and l Tower Grove .Park’ (_ small cities . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 37 l Street “958mg ' ' ' ' ' ' - ' ' ' ' '- 5" . ' Trolley line crosslng . . . . . . . .. 59 Plans, 11st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..VII , . . l Traffic, Poles and Wlres’ Ina-"101‘ Streets~ - - - 14 l Business district . . . . . . . . . . . . .8, 10 Population, distribution by dis- i Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 tricts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10 l Circulation about business dis- _ Prairie avenue, l trlct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Crossing of Fairg~r0und Par1{. . ’ 1 . . . . . - . . . - ' u . . . . . . . 1 Major street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ~58 Transit, I (See Rapid Transit) - - . . . - . . . . - . . . . -.6, l R-.In‘1(11)o€tanc_ec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 4 i (see Rapid Transit) ap1 rans1 , Business district . . . . . . . . . . ..2=i, 26 l Twelfth street, _ Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..14, 16 I , Wldenmg’ present and ploposed . . . l p ans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recommendations for immediate l (See also Twelfth St.__F1m.iS_ action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Sam Ave’; Twelfth St._ Rectangular street system . . . . . . . 65 i Gravois Ave.) " Replanning in cities . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 l rrwelfth Stu—Florissant Ave" Wid_ Residential streets . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 ening and extension . . . .38, 54 River desgeres1 Twelfth St.—-Gravois Ave, widen- (See es Peres) I ing and extension . . . . . ..38, 53 River front, streets near. . . . . . . 2 .. . . . . ' Twentieth street, Rivervlew Connection . . . . . . . . .. 61 I Major Street _ _ _ _ . _ . _ . _ _ _ _ _ . __ 55 Roadway, widt_h,' streets . . . . . . .. 6 l Straightening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 55 o 86 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Page - Pa. ‘'9 Union AVG“ Widening‘ - - - - - - - - - - ‘ E1 Wideningof streets—Continued. g Utah St, straightening . . . . . . . . . . as D6101“ St - - - - - - ~ - - - . - - - - . - . - - . . 67 Easton Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 50 Vandeventer Ave., widening . . . . . . 5S glol‘lislémtAAve. - - - . - ~ - - - - . - - - - Ve- e - e . e e e n e e e - e - o e '- Pra’irie Aves.’ GlaasgQw Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘)7 and Connection 58 Giavols Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 45 Viaducts ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ‘ Iillaénpton Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , o iamont Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘ Carter AVG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 51 Jennings Ave _ _ _ _ _ , _ _ _ , _ , _ _ _ _ 52 Ewing Ave- - - - - - - . - - - - - - . . - -- 57 Lillian Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 52 Industrial St. . . . . . . . . . - - - - - -- 66 Lindell Boul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4S Sulphur Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Loughbogough Ave“ _ _ . _ _ , _ _ _ _ _ 66 Mark t t. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..24, 47 W'al‘ne AVE-i Connection between Merarenec St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Carter and Florissant Aves. 52 Morgan Ford Road _ . , _ _ _ _ H46, 59 W'ashington avenue, Morgan St. ., . . . . . . . . .> . . . . . . . . . 71 Ixemoval of car tracks . . . . . . . . . ‘Tl llsrlatural dBridge Road . . . . . . . . . . idening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38, 70 ewstea Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ) Widening, report of commission- Old Manchester Road (South- ers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 _ west Ave.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Watson Road, widening . . . . . . . .. 46 ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' "40’ Weber Road, widening and connec- St Lauis' ' I I I I I I I I I ' ' ' ' I tion WithDeS Peres driveway 65 Salisbury St. 72 West Pine boulevard, Southwest Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Connection with Lawton Ave. . . 70 Twelfth St.——Florissant Ave. . .38, 54 Connection With Pine St. . . . . . 70 Twelfth St.——Gravois Ave. . . . .38, 53 Major street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Union Ave, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Whol S 1 -S .- . _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ H 2 Vandeventer Ave. . . . . . . . . . . .. 58 . 6.8‘? d1 met 20’ 2 Washington Ave. . . . . . . . . . ..38, 70 Widening of streets, Watson Road 46 Arsenal St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 ' ' ' ' ‘ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' -' Beaumont St. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 56 Weber Road ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ‘ ' ' ' ' " b" Benefit districts . . - . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Width, Billon Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 64 Major streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..16, 18 grangon Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 63 Major streets, in relation to roa way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 transit plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Building line method . . . . . . . .. 33 Major streets. standards . . . . .. 18 ShIDpFWELASt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 68 Streetls, differentiation by omp on ve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 e asses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Cost distribution . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30 Streets, St. Louis . . . . . . . . . ..16, 1.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII AN