AN COMMISSION ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 7 (o I CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Urban America, Inc. FINE ARTS Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024376638 lTHE zone plan _piTY PLAN COMMISSION ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI HARLAND BARTHOLOMEW ENGINEER !..» ^_« Cor J e " University Library NAC 768 .S136A25 The zone plan. 3 1924 024 376 638 Nixon-Jones Printing Co., St. Louis, Mo. June, 1919 ' LIST OF MAPS AND PLANS 1. Plan of Use Districts .page 10 2. River des Peres Valley — Present Development . . facing page 15 3-. River des Peres Valley — Proposed Development, .facing page 15 4. River des Peres Valley — Use Districts Estab- lished by Zone Ordinance facing page 15 5. Section of Map Showing Uses of Property facing page 20 6. Section of Map Showing Percentages of Lot Occupancy facing page 20 7. Section of Map Showing Height of Buildings facing page 20 8. Section of Map Showing Assessed Value of Land, .facing page 20 9. Section of Map Showing Use Districts facing page 20 10. Section of Map Showing Height and Area Districts facing page 20 11. Location of Industries page 21 12. Time Zones — Transit Lines page 23 13. New Industries page 25 14. Wind Roses page 27 15. Density of Population facing page 26 16. Unimproved Property : page 29 17. Topography of St. Louis page 31 18. Progress of the Major Street Plan facing page 33 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS No. Page 1. Back Lot Dwellings Covering Extensive Lot Area 47 2. Tenement Covers Too Great Lot Area 48 3. Private Residence Improperly Situated 49 4. Tenement Violates Building Line 50 5. Factory in a Residence District 51 6. Factory in a Residence District 52 7. Stable Adjoining Residence 53 8. Private Place in a First Residence District 54 9. Improper Development of a Street 54 10. Public Garage in a Residence District 54 11. Filling Station in a Residence District 54 12. Rear Buildings Adjoining Dwelling 54 13. Court of a So-called "Efficiency" Apartment 54 14. The Congested District — Olive at Sixth 55 15. Olive Street Canyon 56 CITY PLAN COMMISSION OP ST. LOUIS To the Honorable Board of Public Service, St. Louis, Mo. Gentlemen : The City Plan Commission has the honor to transmit herewith for your consideration a report on the St. Louis Zone Plan. It is intended as a final summary of the methods and work undertaken in connection with the preparation of the zoning ordi- nance and will, we believe, help to create a better understanding of the purpose of the zoning plan. Respectfully submitted, Ernest J. Russell, Chairman A. S. Langsdoef, Vice-Chairman J. A. Ockeeson Chas. E. Golteemann W. F. Caetee E. D. Smith W. H. Puchs Claeence H. Howaed E. R. KlNSEY, President, Board of Public Service Louis P. Aloe, President, Board of Aldermen C. M. TALBEET, Director, Streets and Sewers Nelson Cunlipp, Commissioner, Parks and Recreation J. N. McKelvey, Director, Public Safety Haeland Baetholomew, Engineer INTRODUCTION "Zoning" is that part of the City Plan which coordinates the other component parts of the plan by regulating the use, height, size and arrangement of buildings in accordance with a predeter- mined city- wide scheme of development. Zoning is a legitimate exercise of the police power in the interests of public safety, health and gen- eral welfare. The establishment and growth of cities is partly a natural and partly an artificial process. It is the function of the city plan, and particularly of the zone plan, scientifically so to promote the natural processes and so to curb and direct the artificial processes of growth that the city may become a place of safety in which to live and work, where healthful living conditions obtain, where the ameni- ties of life may be enjoyed and Avherein the physical structure of the city may be commensurate with the city's need. The appalling wastefulness of cities in human life and in economic resources has given rise in recent years to demand for remedial action rather than to depend further upon unsatisfactory palliative measures which neither cure nor completely curb existing evils. OvercroAvding of the land with its consequent increase in immorality, crime and disease is but one of the direct results of unrestrained city growth. Wholesale shifting of neighborhoods with consequent deterioration of property and depreciation of property value is but one of many more conditions that now prevail in large cities, and are in process of formation in smaller cities, as a result of undirected growth. In a single block in New York City assessed valuations of property were reduced from $17,000,000 to $7,000,000 from 1911 to 1917, and this figure represents much less than the actual monetary loss, to cite but a single specific instance of what happened over a large area in New York City and what has happened in a proportionately less degree in the district east of Grand avenue in St. Louis. Certainly no court or no group of thinking men can longer fail to grasp the significance of these conditions nor fail to give sympathetic consideration to any intelligently conceived method of correction. Let us briefly consider the elements underlying the growth of cities and the history of their development. Men have always congregated together in towns and cities for purposes of defense and to enjoy the benefits of an advancing civ- ilization resulting from the establishment and growth of those cities. 12 CITY PLAN COMMISSION The early cities of Europe were founded primarily for purpose of defense. About them a wall was built. This wall hemmed in the city and literally forced a compact form of growth, resulting often in unnecessary overcrowding of the land. The history of the upbuilding of American cities is quite different. Trade with the outside world and between themselves was the dominating factor in the location of American cities. The vigorous initiative of the early settlers combined with an almost inexhaustible supply of natural resources soon produced an extensive and profitable volume of trade and commerce. Soon the small villages became towns, the towns became cities and in the short course of a century the con- tinued prosperity of America resulted in the expansion of cities far beyond any precedent. The discovery of a practical application of steam and electricity to methods of transportation not only multiplied the number of cities and towns but increased their population by leaps and bounds. And in the comparatively short space of time when this unprecedented growth took place little thought was given to its consequences or to its intelligent control. As a result we now have large cities virtually grown up about a single thoroughfare which was once the only village street. We have railroads originally located well outside the city limits now virtually surrounded by residential districts, and the necessary expansion of industry can be accomplished only at their expense. Schools, parks, playgrounds and churches, even stores, are pressed to keep up with the populatiqn that has been forced away from the city's center by the pressure of commercial and industrial expansion and their attendant unpleasant- ness, to strictly residential districts and by the lure of suburban dis- tricts where the noise, confusion, din and dirt of the city are less obtrusive. The war has increased the importance of city planning many fold. We now realize our responsibility to our neighbor, our neighbor's neighbor and to all others with whom we expect to share a common community life, as well as their responsibility to us. America was founded upon the principles of liberty, including a liberal interpreta- tion of individual liberty. But liberty is not license, and we have long since come to realize that individual liberty must be curbed in so far as it affects adversely the health, safety and general welfare of a community. European and American cities have exerted more or less control over the unlimited use of property by individuals in the general com- munity interest, but with varying success in so far as that control shaped the city's growth. In this respect American cities have been INTRODUCTION 13 far less successful due to the more rapid growth of our cities, the new and more intricate problems of transportation and sanitation, and the reluctance of American courts to recognize the superiority of community over private interests. European cities are less ham- pered by what they term our ' ' constitutional limitations. ' ' But neither European nor American cities can yet be said to have successfully solved the problem of city growth. City Planning, or the science of city building, has advanced to the stage, however, where man could now build a more or less ideal city upon virgin ground. Unfortunately, the present problem is not so much in building new cities, though these will hereafter be prop- erly planned and built, as in readjusting the cities we have already built to meet the demands of present day life and be worthy of present day civilization. Thus city planning has two objectives, to build properly the new cities and to rebuild properly the old cities. To rebuild or replan the old cities, while a task of unlimited proportions, is a problem restricted by the ability of cities to meet the cost of changes. To tear down and build over again would be the most logical and simple procedure in many cases but unless the cost can be met, as often it cannot, we must remain content with some more or less effective remedial measure. London found it expedient and profitable to tear down -several solid blocks of slum properties and to rebuild the area with wider, better arranged streets and new buildings. Bosto'n recently did much the same thing with a single congested block in its crowded North End. But this character of replanning could not always be carried out on a large scale because of the great cost. And there are . problems of a precisely opposite nature, as for instance the scattered buildings of a remote suburban district to provide which with water, sewers, transportation, pave- ments, sidewalks, gas and other utilities becomes practically pro- hibitive, at least within the bounds of economic reason. Again, we have permitted attractive. well established residential neighborhoods, which perhaps for 10, 15 or 25 years were protected by private restrictions in the deed, to be invaded by stores or factories so that partial or complete disintegration of the neighborhoods ensued, prop- erty values declined, the city lost in the tax revenue, the residents moved to more distant suburban residential districts where addi- tional water mains, sewers, streets, pavements, transportation, gas and other utilities had to be provided, all of which represents an additional burden upon the city's treasury. Thus we burn the candle at both ends and seldom stop to consider that economic disaster awaits us sooner or later. We say that our cities grow, and there is 14 CITY PLAN COMMISSION no question but what American cities and towns have shown un- precedented increases in population, taut do we stop to consider how Jarge a proportion of our growth is at our own expense, a shift from one section to another — the proverbial robbing Peter to pay Paul. Witness, for instance, the mute testimony of idle property, vacant and inappropriate buildings in most any large city located usually between the commercial or industrial and hewer residential districts. And wit- ness too, the recent and numerous instances of large industrial corpora- tions erecting their plants entirely away from any city or town and the building for their Employees of houses, churches, schools, streets, utili- ties and everything' else entering into the construction of a modern town or village — a challenge to the big city to furnish equal advan- tages and opportunities to the industry and to its employees. City planning has for its object, as already stated, the building of new cities and the rebuilding of existing cities along sound economic lines, and not, as so often erroneously stated, to make cities merely beautiful. Tersely stated, city planning aims to taring order out of chaos and chaotic practices in city growth. It is confidently believed, and has been practically demonstrated, that to have a system of. well planned wide streets, to place the transit lines in ac- cordance with the number of people that will use them, to place the railroads and terminals where they will best perform their functions, to place recreation facilities in accordance with the demand for their use and to confine certain kinds of industry, commerce and residence to separate districts, is to systematize city growth, effect inestimable economy and promote the health, safety, comfort, convenience and general welfare of a community. These things cannot be consid- ered independently. They are all interrelated. It is the whole plan that counts, and to consider streets, transit, transportation, recreation or the creation of districts for industry, commerce or residence without considering its relation to the others, is to ignore the basis upon which the entire plan is based and to fail to, grasp the full purport of the city plan. In April 1916 the City Plan Commission set about the prepara- tion of a comprehensive plan for St. Louis. A definite program was adopted whereby separate reports were to be prepared on each of the following component and fundamental parts of the city plan — streets, zoning, transit, transportation, recreation, housing, civic art, the loca- tion of public buildings and the River des Peres Plan. These studies it was proposed to complete within three years and combine them into a single publication. The studies of streets, recreation and River des Peres have been completed and published. The zoning plan has been completed, adopted in ordinance form and is made the Map No. 2. The southwestern part of the rity has never developed extensively for want of streets and transit lines, and because of the flood sewage menace of the River dfs Peres. ap No. 3. It is proposed to straighten the River des Peres, build a sewer, an ay to absorb waste land. These improvements will cost $10,000 idle section of the city. er, an open re-enforced concrete channel for storm water, a railroad, new streets and ,000 and are an item in the forthcoming bond issue. They will stimulate development in a Map No. 4. The zone restrictions established for the River des Peres valley not only take into consideration existing development but proposed Improve- ments here. INTRODUCTION 15 subject of this report. The other studies are in various stages of completion. How intimately interrelated are these various plans is shown by the accompanying illustrations, Maps 2, 3 and 4, of present development in the River des Peres valley, new streets, railroads, tran- sit lines, sewer and channel which have been planned and the zoning restrictions established in anticipation thereof. Much of the area shown in the maps is entirely undeveloped largely because of flood and pollution in the present River des Peres Valley. The city proposes to spend $11,495,000 for a channel and sewer to relieve the flood and pollution menace, build a railroad by extending the Municipal Belt Line, construct a driveway out of waste land, extend the principal streets and connection certain of these streets with viaducts. For the purpose of voting on a bond issue to authorize such an expenditure, an election was called in 1917 but postponed because of war conditions. The election probably will be held in November, 1919. Already the city has proceeded with the extension and establishment of certain major streets, either by securing their dedication or by providing by ordinance for the necessary condemna- tion. Thus the establishment of certain areas for iudustry, for com- merce and for residence in this area by the zoning ordinance insures . a rational form of growth in accordance with the improvements to be made. Other instances of the intimate relation of the zone restric- tions to the physical comfiguration of the city and to the present and future forms of growth are the restriction of low lands for industrial purposes, the higher ground for residential purposes, the establish- ment of commercial districts on many of the major streets, etc., a fuller discussion of which will be found elsewhere in this report. Proper planning of new cities and towns and the proper replan- nig of existing cities is a national economic and social .necessity. Past methods of city building have been wasteful of money, of resources and of human lives. With proper planning and replanning we avoid excessive costs of improvements, conserve our resources and improve the health and living conditions of the community. By con- trolling the character and extent of city growth the total cost, and often the first cost of public utilities is reduced, over-intensive land development is prohibited, sanitary conditions thus improved, all of which are direct economic and social benefits, but indirectly there are thus removed many of the causes which contribute to the physical, moral and mental degeneration of the vast numbers that now fill our hospitals, jails, sanitariums and similar public and private institu- tions. Furthermore, consistency of plan insures in large degree con- sistency as well as stability of growth. American cities, because of 16 CITY PLAN COMMISSION rapid expansion, have lacked stability of growth and this has been one of the most damaging of their economic losses. The ineffective- ness of private restrictions to insure stability of growth is well known. Only through public control of a city's growth by adherence to an intelligent and reasonable city plan can the future of the com- munity's welfare be insured. Not the least of those factors that comprise the city plan is the zoning scheme whereby the city attempts to control the height, size and use of all buildings. PREPARATION OF THE PLAN The work of preparing the zone plan commenced March 7, 1917, when an ordinance, No. 29643, making an initial appropriation of $10,000 became effective. The magnitude of the work was such that an extra appropriation was necessary for the addition to the work already- being carried on by the City Plan Commission. Additional quarters were necessary and Room 229 in the Municipal Courts Building, adjoining the offices of the Commission was secured. A special com- mittee of the Commission was appointed to direct the Avork as fol- lows: Tom W. Bennett, Chairman, Chas. H. Diel, A. S. Langsdorf. B. J. Russell, Ex-Officio, Chairman of the Commission, During the progress of the work Mr. Bennett found it necessary to resign from the Commission. He was succeeded by Mr. Frank W. Carter as Chairman. Mr. Diel's term of office, on the Commission expired and he was succeeded on the committee by Judge Franklin Ferriss. This committee met regularly each week, held public hear- ings and reported from time to time to the Commission on the prog- ress of its work. A staff of fifteen employees was engaged under the direction of Mr. Harland Bartholomew, the Engineer of the Commission and Mr. Edward E. Christopher, Architect and Chief Draughtsman. At an early meeting of the Committee the Engineer presented a program of work to be followed, including preparation of certain maps and studies, conferences and hearings to be held, publicity, etc. The Committee realized the desirability and necessity of securing wide publicity and of acquainting as many as possible with the character of work and the ends which it was hoped to accomplish. A questionnaire on zoning was prepared and sent to over 200 represent- ative business and professional men. This brought replies that were highly useful to the Committee. It is interesting to compare the similarity between the restrictions of the zone plan as finally adopted and those contained in the following replies to the questionnaires as tabulated by Earl H. Davis, Municipal Librarian: Queston 1. In your opinion to what height should a. Building for one family dwelling purposes be erected? Reply: 2 stories and attic or 3 stories limit. 18 CITY PLAN COMMISSION b. Apartments and tenements? Reply: 3 stories for non-fireproof and without elevator ser- vice. For first class apartments of fireproof construction and with elevator service 8 to 10 stories limit. Great vari- ation in replies. c. Office buildings? Reply: A 12 story limit or one based upon the width of the street. d. Buildings for industry and light manufacturing? Reply: 6 stories. Varies. 3 stories to unlimited. What is the best height to erect a. Office buildings? Reply: 10 stories general, average 12 to 14 stories. b. Apartments and tenement houses? Reply: 3-4 stories non-fireproof and without elevator service. 6-8 stories for first-class apartments of fireproof construc- tion and with elevator service. Question 2. What in your opinion should be the maximum and minimum per- centages of lot area occupied by buildings for a. Dwellings? Reply: 50% by large number. b. Apartments and tenements? Reply: 66%. Varied greatly. c. Office buildings? Reply: 100% by most for ground floor. d. Industries and light manufacturing purposes? Reply: 75 to 100%. What percentage of lot area should be devoted to front yards, rear yards and interior courts? a. For dwellings? Reply: Average 20% front; 30% rear; 3 to 5% side. b. For apartments and tenements? Reply: Varies greatly. 25% interior court. c. For office building? Reply: Above first floor 207c interior court. Question 3. What evils have come particularly to your attention regarding the size and arrangement of buildings on adjacent lots? Replies: 1. Better contiguous than three or four feet apart.. 2. Too much difference in heights. 3. Tendency to crowd toward inside lot line. 4. Lack of front building line. 5. Lot lines should be perpendicular to street and building lines parallel to lot lines. PREPARATION OF THE ZONE PLAN 19 Question 4. Assuming that restrictions be established fixing special districts for residential, commercial and industrial buildings, and that these restrictions be reasonable, legal and not retroactive, what advantages would accrue? Replies: 1. Would stabilize property values. 2. More harmony in appearance of streets. 3. Insures residence property owners against intru- sion. 4. Would localize demand for rail communication, simplify freight switching and reduce teaming to a minimum. 5. Increase ownership of homes. 6. Less spreading out in detached sections. 7. More permanent construction. 8. Tend to prevent depreciation. 9. One reply — "No advantage." Question 5. What objection would there be to the establishment of separate dis- tricts as above referred to? Replies: 1. "If districts are determined judiciously, and means provided for changing character of dis- trict when conditions warrant such change, I know of no objection." 2. None — "Some might say, -Interference with the liberty of the individual." 3. Might tend to create fictitious values. 4. None — the answer by many. Conferences were held with various groups of real estate men, bankers, manufacturers, engineers and architects to discuss the pur- pose, character and probable effect of the zoning plan. Previous to the final adoption of the plan by the Commission, public hearings were held for different parts of the city. As a result of these hear- ings several changes were made in the use and area maps. The engineer and members of the Commission delivered over 50 talks, many of them illustrated, before practically all of the prominent organiza- tions of the city, including Chamber of Commerce, Real Estate Ex- change, Woman's Council, numerous improvement associations, clubs, schools and branch libraries. Approximately 100 columns of newspaper space were devoted to zoning during the preparation and adoption of the plan. The map showing the plan of use districts was printed in two newspaper.* previous to final action by the Commission. Reports containing a description of the principles, objects and nature of the zone plan to the number of 27,000 were printed and distributed. A mailing list of over 5000 names is maintained and regularly posted in the office of the Commission and the majority of reports sent to names on that list. 20 CITY PLAN COMMISSION MAP STUDIES The nature of the studies to be made previous to the preparation of the zone plan required a city map of such scale as would insure uniformity and legibility of the work. No existing map of the city was found that met these requirements so that a new city map, of scale 1 inch to 1000 feet, was made and has since been published. The first study map made showed the use of all property in the city. A section of this map is reproduced herewith, Map No. 5, to illustrate the manner by Avhich various uses were designated by colors, differentiation being made between buildings used as factories, stores or commercial purposes, public or semi-public build- ings or institutions, one family houses and two family houses, tene- ments, unused land and land used for railroad purposes. This map has proved particularly useful for purposes of the zone plan and is constantly in use for other purposes by various individuals and other city departments. The percentage of lot area occupied by each building in the city was shown on another study map, a section of which is reproduced herewith, Map No. 6. Different colors were used to show that variation in the area of lot occupied by buildings according to whether the percentage occupied was less than 30%, between 30% and 50%, between 50% and 70%, between 70% and 90%, between 90% and 99% or the full 100% of the lot. Two maps were made showing the height of each building in the city. A section of one of them is reproduced herewith, Map No. 7. The first showed heights of buildings in relation to street width, a separate color being used according to whether the building was %, 1, iy 2 , 2 or 2y 2 times as high as the width of the street' upon which it faced. The second height map showed by colors whether a build- ing was 1, 2 or 3 stories high, above 3 stories the heights were shown in feet according to color as follows 41 to 55, 56 to 70, 71 to 85, 86 to 100, 101 to 150, 151 to 200, and 201 to 250, the latter figure being the former building height limit in St. Louis. The assessed value of land was shown on another map, Map No. 8, colors indicating the various values as follows: less than $25 per front foot, $26 to $50, $51 to $100, $101 to $250, $251 to $500, $501 to $1000, $1001 to $2500, $2501 to $5000, $5001 to $7500 and over $7500. Values of land in the down town commercial district between Clark and Franklin and 18th street and the river, were shown on a separate map and compared with two additional maps that were made showing the assessed values for the same district in 1904 and 1888. Another map was made showing the assessed values of all Typical Sections of Study Maps made for the entire City showing exact relation of existing conditions of development to the Height, Area and Use Restrictions established under the Zone Ordinance LEGEND 30/oORLESS HD II 30% - 50% IZU I 50% - 70% WB |l 70% - 90% CZ3 }\90%-99%m lOO/. HI LEGEND 1 STORY 2 STORY 3 STORV «4l* ~ 55' S6" - TO' 11 71' - 65" ^ 86'- IOO' I Ol' - ISO' 151"- 200" 2OO'0R MORE . BOUC CZ3 CD CD HffH! HE3E 3BM H o " at Hffi 1 Map No. 5. Section of Map Showing Uses of Property Map No. 6. Section of Map Showing Percentages of Lot Occupancy Map No. 7. Section of Map Showing Heights of Buildings K LEGEND I $25 °R LESS 26 - 50 W^^^h ]01 ~ 25 ° 251 - 500 LEGEND 1 ^RESIDENCE DISTCD 1| Z=-°RESIDENCEDISI[=] sIcomhercialdistb* : industrial dist h unrestricted d1stiz] LEGEND 45 FT. HEIGHT DIST 60 FT. HEIGHT DIST 80FT. HEIGHT DIST . i "B' AREA DIST ' B "C" AREA DIST " C "£ AREA DIST * 6 0) Map No. 8. Section of Map Showing Assessed Value of Land Map No. 9. Section of Map Showing Established "Use" Districts Map No. 10. Section of Map Showing Established "Height" and "Area" Districts .£3 s- .3 §1 o o j " 5 ! A . E-i«OSsl| 8 22 CITY PLAN COMMISSION buildings, a separate color being used for groupings of values as fol- lows : less than $1000 ; $1001 to $1650 ; $1651 to $3300 ; $3301 to $6600 ; $6601 to $16,500; $16,501 to $33,500; $33,501 to $66,500; $66,501 to $335,000 ; $335,001 to $665,000 and over $665,000. A map showing the buildings used for industrial purposes only was made and is reproduced herewith, Map No. 11. This is an ex- cellent graphical illustration of the present location of industrial districts. The character and volume of the city's growth in new buildings was shown on a series of three maps on which were plotted, by five year periods 1902-1906, 1907-1911, 1912-1916, all new buildings erect- ed or for which permits had been issued by the Superintendent of Buildings, colors similar to those of the use map mentioned above being used for the different kinds of buildings. Map No. 12 is a reproduction of the Time Zone Map, made to determine the time taken to reach any part of the city from the Post Office at 8th and Olive streets, according to present running schedule of the trolley lines. It is an invaluable study in connection with any consideration of the present development or expansion and growth of the city. Still another map study made in connection with the zone plan was the designation of street grades by colors as follows: 3% or less; 3%-5%, 5%-7V 2 %, 7i/ 2 %-10%; 10% and over. SPECIAL STUDIES The map showing the location of all industries indicated a more widespread distribution of industries throughout the city than had generally been supposed, indicating particularly a less close relation- ship between railroads and industrial plants. As a check on this evident conclusion a study was made of the location of all new large industrial plants coming to St. Louis during the past five years, 1913- 1917. Map No. 13 shows the location selected by these plants, 170 in all. But 37.5%, or 64 of the total of 170 industrial plants chose sites with railroad connections, the other 106 being guided in their selection apparently less by railroad facilities than by proximity to labor supply ; even though it involved motor haul to the railroads in part compensated by decreased cost of land. This was indicative of the neces- sity for creating industrial districts as near as possible to centers of population even though unprovided with railroad facilities. A study of light projection* on various streets in St. Louis indicated that in general no building on the south side of an east and west street should exceed in height' one half the width of the street * See testimony of Winters Haydock, page 68. /ti ■■"'■ ' '.'! '; ■ i ; -., Y \ O to © / ■ ■ vv ■" - i S\ > ■ N QV : ' = ' ' '. •\V*V-^ If A'-* 1 . . ■", ^ v I. ^ 'g ' TO ia CO ri* K_ '■-!£■» pJ tjS™ .j \, '/. ^p £« riiiii sf «£ •~J3 C o '§2 o o 3"° S 3 ■Oj U 0) CD > tW .-, 4-1 — i Sti© as »3 B<3 24 CITY PLAN COMMISSION upon which it faced (at the street line) to permit the sun's rays to reach the first floor of a building (at the street line) on the north side of the street, while the limiting height ratio of a building on the east side of a north and south street would be twice the street width. These figures were for 12 M on December 21, the shortest day of the year. The following table gives building heights on various streets of the City of St. Louis which would permit direct penetration of the sun's rays to the ground floor of buildings on the opposite side of the street as indicated by the study of. light projection: TABLE No. 1. Building Heights on Typical Streets Which Will Permit Direct Penetration of Sunlight. Max. Height Direction Width to which bldgs. Street. of Street of Street should he erected Delmar hlvd. (West of Kingshighway) . . B-W 100 ft. 54 ft. Washington ave. (4th to Grand) E-W 80-60 ft. 46-34 ft. St. Louis ave. (West of Grand) E-W 80-60 ft. 67-50 ft. Arsenal street (West of Grand) E-W 80-60 ft. 43-32 ft. Bates street E-W 60 ft; 67 ft. California ave N-S 60 ft. 120 ft. These studies of light projection are ample justification for the building height districts established under the zone plan. From the official records of the II. S. Weather Bureau "wind roses" were plotted showing the prevailing winds for the fotir seasons of the year for the past four years. These are reproduced herewith, Chart No. 14. They indicate quite clearly the preponder- ance of northwest winds in winter, south and southwest winds in summer, and the winds of spring and autumn varying between . these general directions. A careful estimate was made of the uses of all property in the City of St. Louis. Upon completion of the zone plan a similar esti- mate was made of the extent of area devoted to all purposes. These two estimates are contained in the following table : TABLE No. 2. Extent of Use of Property for Specific Purposes and Area Available for Similar Purposes Under the Zone Plan. Present Under Zone Plan Use Sq. M. % Sq. M. % Commercial 1.7 ^ ^ lf^~ Industrial (and Unrestricted) 4.7 7.7 no ij'q Residential 16.8 2 7^4 210 34 2 Public and Semi-public (Including Streets) 19.9 32.3 24 8 40 3' Vacant or Unimproved 18.3 29.8 61.4 100.0 61.4 100.0 26 CITY PLAN COMMISSION From these figures it is to be seen that commerce and industry can both expand over an area 100% greater than now occupied, while there is still room for an increase in residential territory of 25%. Public and semi-public property which comprises more property than any other form of use can expand 25%. Thus under the zone plan St. Louis can accommodate within its present boundaries a tremend- ous increase in commercial and industrial growth and, on the basis of present intensity of residential development can accommodate 200,000 additional population. Such an increase in industry might bring an increase in intensity of residential development which would be by no means harmful iii the major portion of the city as shown by the accompanying map of density of population compiled from the census of 1910. Map No. 15. The justification of the location and distribution of the use dis- tricts is borne out by these figures. To be sure some of the area in- cluded within the industrial districts is now more or less densely populated by tenement houses but evidently these are withdrawing from the industrial districts as indicated by studies that have been made showing the westward movement of the various races in the dis- trict north of Cass avenue. The people now living in industrial dis- tricts can and within the next 25 or 30 years will be rehoused in bet- ter structures in the residential districts. It is almost startling to see that 29.8% of the present city's area is unimproved. The zone plan would be justified if it could ac- complish the occupation and development of this idle land which con- stitutes such an economic burden upon the community but its development is soon bound to occur through the development of the component parts of the city plan — River des Peres plan, Major Street- Plan and extension of the transit lines. The nature of the new devel- opment will soon justify, in character and extent, the wisdom of the city plan and particularly the zone plan. THE NATURE AND APPLICATION OF THE RESTRICTIONS The zone ordinance (No. 30199) establishes three kinds of dis- tricts — for use, for height and for area or size of buildings. These general district classifications are subdivided respectively into five, five and four districts. The types of districts and the restrictions to be enforced in each correspond closely to the existing character of development. The ordinance is not retroactive. Any building used for a specific purpose and located at the time of the passage of the zone ordinance in a district restricted against its use can continue to be so used or upon permit issued by the Board of Public Service altered in use for a purpose consistent with the provisions of the ordinance Map No. 15. The colors represent density of population per acre. Note the lack of great concentration of population density, the tendency toward over-concentration in one small section MAP SHOWING DENSITY Of POPULATION PER ACRE PER CENSUS DVSTRVCT rrom US.Cemu& >9\0- Street* \nc\uded Prepared by the Public Service Commission and the PorV Deportment 1 1 60 - 80 □ AO - 60 □ AO 4 VJirocr centration in one sm all section of the city, its absence elsewhere and how a uniform distribution of population could be attained by lessening congestion In certain districts which the zone law attempts to do. "WIND &05£<5 TQL CITY OF 5TLOUI5 CITY PLAtf COWMI35IOW KAfcLjUtt aALTMOLOMtW- tWeiKttt, ?C*.LlJl 7 ■ JO 11V.1 SWL1K6 li»M aujiMll \ *i\s \ ° \
IBI NOTE,:- CHA3LT3 E.2,PB-JbSAWT GRAPHICALLY' THE, CltLfcCTtOir 0) 1 THE, WINDS, ACCOE,DIN& TO THE NTJMBM, Of DAYS THJ1 WIND BLOWS FJL.OM. THX EJS3PLCTIVL MCtCTIOWS. Map No. 14. Seasonal and annual wind charts platted graphically here show the preponder- ance of south and southwest winds in spring and summer, and south, southwest and northwest winds in autumn and winter. 28 CITY PLAN COMMISSION for a district in which such building could now be located, the altera- tions not to exceed in cost 75% of the assessed value of the building. The Board of Public Service has also the authority to issue permits for the temporary erection of a building for commerce or industry in a residential district; reconstruction within twelve months of a build- ing destroyed by fire or other calamity to the extent of not more than 75% of its assessed value where such building is located in a district restricted against its use ; also the enlargement of existing buildings or erection on same lot or plot of ground of additional buildings for a trade business or industry located in a district re- stricted against its use where such enlargement or expansion is not detrimental to or tends to alter or change the character of the neigh- borhood. The foregoing provisions are believed to be most lenient, so much so in fact that where a district contains several buildings which do not conform to the present restrictions for that district a considerable period of time will elapse before the district will become homogeneous through conversion of the non-conforming buildings to correspond with the restrictions for the district. The period of time required for non-conforming buildings to be changed to conforming use depends entirely upon the character of the building and its present age. Prom five to fifty years is the estimated period of con- version with a probability of the latter figure being more nearly correct in most cases. However, the plan was prepared not to revo- lutionize present city growth but to stabilize it, guide future growth and let present growth gradually adjust itself to its most natural functions. A further provision of the zone law (Sec. 29) provides for the flexibility necessary to adjust the zone plan to any change in condi- tions. The owners of a majority of property in any given district may petition the City Plan Commission for a change in the restric- tions for that district, or the City Plan Commission may of its own initiative cause to be prepared and introduced an ordinance provid- ing for a change in the restrictions for any given district. Thus the zone plan not only leaves undisturbed all present forms of develop- ment but provides, for its reasonable continuance and also provides for a change in the zone ordinance as conditions warrant. THE USE DISTRICTS There are five classes of use districts : (1) first residence dis- trict; (2) second residence district ; (3) commercial district; (4) industrial district; (5) unrestricted district. Any use permitted in the first residence district is permitted in all the other districts, a use 5 .a *■< tf °'> 1.2 * 5 3 g p. o .So 3 3 SB ■5 s 3 S S S 30 CITY PLAN COMMISSION permitted in the second residence district is permitted in the com- mercial, industrial and unrestricted district, and a use permitted in the commercial district is permitted in the industrial and unrestrict- ed districts. FIRST RESIDENCE DISTRICT In the first residence districts all land and buildings are restrict- ed to the use of one family dwellings only and the usual accessories located on the same lot and including the office of a physician or dentist, and a private garage containing space for not more than four automobiles. The first residence districts contained in the zone plan as adopted are not numerous or large and are scattered about the northern, western and southern residential areas. In practically all cases the first residence districts are areas that now have restric- tions in the deeds prohibiting the erection of any other than one family dwellings though the first residence districts contain by no means all the property in the city so restricted. The first residence districts do not embrace high value or exclusive residence property only though they do contain much valuable residence property. Greater areas would have been included in the first residence districts but for the fact that where property was of low value and occupied chiefly for one family dwelling purposes, it was found that the invasion of a multiple family house did not destroy the value of surrounding land or improvements. This was not found to be trite of the higher value one family dwelling house properties. Here the invasion of a multiple family house usually destroys some of the values of neighboring property and invariably destroys much of the values of neighboring improvements. This destruction of values is a matter of city "wide interest as well as of individual concern for destruction of such values produces instability of growth, a loss in tax return, a constantly expanding city with ever greater expenses for all forms of public utilities. Probably no city has suffered more through decline of property values in the former good residential districts and the present uncertainty of property values in residential districts than has St. Louis. Against the day when private restrictions expire on our present limited single family dwelling house districts and before decay sets in it seems absolutely necessary, logical and reasonable to establish permanent restrictions which will continue to preserve those districts in their present condition, assuming always that the way is open for a removal or relaxation of those restrictions as conditions change and such relaxation becomes necessary and reasonable. Character of Local Topography <- .City fcAA/ Commission km Aitd. 1916: Mao No. 17. The darker shading shows low ground. Note the Mississippi River front and the Mill Creek and River des Peres valleys which, under the zone plan, are restricted for industrial development High land shown in white is generally restricted for residential development. Compare this map with Map No. 1. 32 CITY PLAN COMMISSION SECOND RESIDENCE DISTRICTS All forms of dwellings, tenements, hotels, lodging or boarding houses, churches, clubs, hospitals, sanitariums, eleemosynary institu- tions and their usual accessories, physicians' and dentists' offices and private garages are permitted in the second residence districts, also farming, truck gardening, nurseries and greenhouses. Lodging houses, tenements or boarding houses, however, cannot be located in a district occupied exclusively by one and two family houses without the unanimous consent of the Board of Public Service. The second residence districts comprise a large percentage of the city's area. Their location was determined chiefly by the character of present development and where no development has yet occurred their establishment was fixed by reason of the topography of the ground and the nature of future development as will result from the gradual execution of various features of the city plan. It is a commonly known and generally accepted fact that in any city where the topography is rugged, the railroads . and industrial plants seek low ground and the residential districts are found on the high ground while commercial enterprises and the lighter forms of manu- facturing not dependent upon railroads seek the intermediate dis- tricts between the industrial and residential districts, their nature and extent dependent entirely upon existing circumstances. Thus in St. Louis a comparison of Map No. 17, which shows existing topo- graphical conditions, with Map No. 1, showing use districts, indicates quite clearly that the various types of use districts have all been located in accordance with this general law, the industrial and unre- stricted districts occupying all of the lower ground along the river front and in the Mill Creek and River des Peres Valleys and the resi- dential districts occupying in general the higher ground in various parts of the city. Another determining factor in the location of the second residence and commercial districts, and one which greatly sim- plified their boundaries, was the Major Street Plan prepared by the City Plan Commission and now being followed by the City of St. Louis in all of its improvement work. In the districts devoted principally to residential purposes the inter- mediate or minor streets have been or are now being provided with less expensive pavements and of less width since the traffic they will ac- commodate will be of local character only. Hence, on these minor streets will come a more stable development than under the uncertain conditions of the past while by placing them within the second resi- dence districts they may acquire still greater stability of development and the ultimate and necessary objects of protection from invasion of j iiiiitiimhif 1 ^iri ii i l in ii i i iiuiiiniln jiiiiiniiiimrm im M ii^ miami -OF THE. • -SHOWING- PROGRESS OF MAJOfc. 5TBEE.TPLAM -CITY-PLAtf C0UMJ55I0N"- -M.MIWB-- HAlLlA»«-l>A«.TKOLOMl.*r-L»re«-- Map No 18 The City of St. Louis Is following a definite plan for perfecting a complete system of main traffic streets. Numerous openings, widenings and extensions are now in various stages of completion amounting to several million dollars. The logic of the restrictions for commercial districts is seen when It is to be observed that most of these streets are made commercial districts outside the Industrial zones. USE DISTRICTS 33 structures or occupations of foreign, incongrpus and damaging charac- ter will have been accomplished. > COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS A commercial district is one where stores and shops for the con- duct of a wholesale or retail business may be located, also places of amusement, office buildings, police or fire department, station houses, studios, etc. No building in the commercial district shall have more than 50 per cent of its floor area devoted to storage or industrial pur- poses incidental to the primary use and no more than five employes shall be engaged in an industrial occupation incidental to the primary use. Upon permit issued by the Board of Public Service a telephone exchange, electric sub-station or car barn may be erected in a commer- cial district where such structure will not be detrimental to or tend to change the character of the neighborhood. The Board of Public Service may also issue a permit for the erection of a public garage in a residential or commercial district upon presentation of a petition where such garage will not be detrimental to or tend to change the character of the neighborhood. Map No. 18 shows the Major street plan prepared by the City Plan Commission which is being carefully followed by the City of St. Louis in all its public work. Widenings, openings and extensions of these main streets as suggested on the plan are now in various stages of progress, their total cost being estimated at $10,000,000. On these streets will be laid heavy traffic pavements, the roadways will be increased in width so far as possible, transit lines will be placed on them, during the next five years 20 miles of major streets will be cleared of poles and wires and on these streets a uniform lighting standard will be placed. An examination of the -major street plan will reveal that in addition to the large radial streets leading outward from the business district certain other crosstown streets are designated as major streets, these latter being located approximately no more than one-half mile apart, some being streets having a north and south direc- tion and others running east and west according to the rectangular method or system of street plan that has been followed so generally in the upbuilding of St. Louis. All these major streets were so selected and their various extensions and widenings so planned as to make a complete and cohesive system which would not only facilitate the movement of all forms of traffic between any two points in the city in the most direct and easiest manner, but to facilitate the normal and natural growth of all parts of the city gradually and systematically. It is therefore quite evident that on these major streets will be lo- cated the great majority of the city's commercial and industrial activi- 34 CITY PLAN COMMISSION ties. Outside the industrial districts these streets will be what are now termed the "business" streets. Their development is not a question of future speculation for they already exist in fact, as illustrated for instance by present development on Grand avenue, Kingshighway, Gravois avenue, Easton avenue and numerous other similar streets. The designation of "commercial district" therefore with its specified restrictions, is merely the perpetuation and regulation of the majority of present tendencies. In only exceptional cases will there be found an existing use in the districts classified as "commercial" which dif' fers materially from the restrictions for such district. The only real departure from existing practices in the establishment of these com- mercial districts is to confine the location of stores to these major streets. It may be contended that to exclude stores from residential districts and from the closest contact with their trade, best illustrated by the "corner grocery," is to deprive the owners of certain land of some value that would otherwise obtain. While this may occasionally be true it is doubtful if this very often holds, especially as a general rule. More often are land values reduced and destroyed by the placing of a single store in what would otherwise be an exclusively residential district. In the examination of the entire city that was made in per- son by the Engineer and Assistant Engineer of the City Plan ComnnV sion it was estimated that 75 per cent of the store buildings in the iiorthern and western part of the city and 40 per cent of the store buildings in the southern part of the city that were located in resi- dential districts were vacant. There are also many vacant stores in the main streets now designated as "commercial districts." This in- dictates an over-building of stores and indicates further that there is more than sufficient room for all necessary commercial growth within the commercial streets. This statement is further borne out by the figures contained in Table 2, showing that whereas there are but 1.7 square miles of the city's area at present devoted exclusively to commercial purposes there is possible under the zone plan an area of 4.6 square miles — an increase of over 250 per cent, a proportionately greater increase than for the other kinds of districts. The "corner grocery" which is the most common of all the stores found in residence districts is a result of speculation, bad practice and economic fallacy rather than of necessity or convenience. Few such stores have ever been located by reason of a demand for them. Their actual construction is due to the fact that usually when land is first subdivided for residential purposes the restrictions are not imposed on the corners, the corner is held for a somewhat higher value because of its supposed potential commercial value and more often than not the corner does not sell. The land developer then must sell at a lower USE DISTRICTS 35 price, build a building containing a store or hold the land. This ac- counts for the many unimproved corner lots in the city away from the main streets, and the many idle stores in residential districts. INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS In the industrial districts are permitted all forms of use permitted in the residence districts, commercial districts and all other uses in- cluding manufacturing excepting only those trades, industries or uses which may emit smoke, noise, odors, gas fumes or dust. In other words all forms of use are permitted in the industrial districts except those which are generally considered to be or might become nuisances. The industrial districts include in a general way all those sections of the city where light manufacturing takes place or where the growth and development of the city indicates that it will take place. The two largest and principal industrial districts are east of Grand avenue, one immediately north of the Mill Creek Valley and one immediately south thereof. In these two districts are now the most densely pop- ulated sections of the city. Industry has crowded in, either to be nearer its source of labor supply or because of lower land values than are to be found immediately adjacent to the railroads and possibly, too, because these locations are more accessible and convenient than the usual industrial districts along the railroad. The .growth and ex- pansion of industry is an important and serious problem. Map No. 11 shows the location of all the new industries for which building permits were issued during the past five years. It will be seen that they are quite scattered over the city's area though most of them tend to congregate in certain general localities. This is particularly true of the heavy type of industry which is dependent upon the railroads for the transportation of materials and manufactured products. The automobile truck has of recent years reached such a stage of efficiency that the lighter type of industrial plant can afford to fore- go railroad connections and seek a site closer to its labor supply and on cheaper ground, thus more than offsetting the extra cost of hand- ling or shipping its materials and products by the motor truck. This tendency is particularly apparent in St. Louis because of the lack of low priced industrial land along the railroads. The map above re- ferred to (No. 13) shows the tendency of industries to invade new districts which now have dense populations. The intermingling of factories and homes is not conducive to good health.* Furthermore the invasion of residential districts by industries has a depressing effect upon property values. Of a certainty industry must expand and * See testimony of Dr. M. A. Bliss, p. 62. 36 CITY PLAN COMMISSION the lighter forms of industry most naturally and quite fortunately will absorb the older sections of the city, formerly used for residential purposes but no longer so useful because of the city's expansion and more desirable residential suburban districts. The danger confronted in St. Louis is that the industries are spreading promiscuously and too far into residential districts to the great danger and detriment of the latter. In the great district between Twelfth street and Grand avenue and from Market street to Cass avenue was once contained St. Louis' finest residence district. Today the fine houses once built at great cost and long well hiaintained, are either boarding houses or they are idle and fast falling into decay. In the northern part of this district is the city's densest population while throughout the whole area are now located numerous industries (see Map No. 11). In this whole district from 1911 to 1916, inclusive, only fifteen permits for resi- dential structures were issued, of which eight were for repairs to ex- isting buildings, while 142 permits were issued for commercial and industrial structures. Though many of the buildings now used for residential purposes in this district will be long used as at present there is nothing to stop the constantly depreciating condition of the district for residential purposes. The houses are old and more or less unfitted for substantial housing quarters of any type. Hence it was believed inevitable that this district would fast become industrial and should be so designated under the zone plan. By making it in- dustrial instead of unrestricted the most objectionable uses were thus excluded from a district which is still occupied by a large and densely settled population. To a less extent what has just been said of the district north of the Mill Creek Valley and east of Grand avenue is true of the district south of the Mill Creek Valley and in. general east of Jefferson avenue and 18th street. Here the deterioration has been less pronounced and the influx of industries less pronounced. However, industries are in- vading this district and the boundaries of the industrial district have been so fixed as to permit the most reasonable expansion of industry and at the same time preserve so far as possible the residential dis- tricts that still remain. In other sections of the city where industrial districts have been established there already exists, or because of the nature of the city's growth, there will exist manufacturing of the lighter type which is not dependent upon the railroads for materials, supplies and shipping facilities. An examination of existing conditions seems clearly to in- dicate that most often there is a fringe of light manufacturing sur- rounding the districts occupied by the so-called heavier type of in- USE DISTRICTS 37 dustries. This fringe district acts as a buffer or intermediate zone be- tween the heavy industries on one side and the residence districts on the other. It is a most desirable and most fortunate condition and one which the zone law has taken advantage of. In but one or two isolated districts where certain industrial development had become firmly established over an area of several blocks was it necessary to establish industrial districts other than adjacent to the railroads and their immediate unrestricted districts. Where railroads traversed land more or less suited to residential development either by reason of topography or location, industrial instead of unrestricted districts were established adjoining such railroads. UNRESTRICTED In the unrestricted district are permitted all forms of use what- soever. In general the unrestricted districts are located on the lower ground of the city which is traversed principally by the railroads. The unrestricted districts are primarily for industrial purposes and their special function is to accommodate all those forms of industry which by reason of the emission of smoke, noise, odors, gas fumes or dust may become nuisances. The unrestricted districts are located along the river front, in the Mill Creek Valley, along the west belt of the Terminal Railroad and in the River des Peres Valley, where it is proposed to construct a new railroad. THE HEIGHT DISTRICTS There are five classes of height districts, as follows: (a) 45 foot district; (b) 60 foot district; (c) 80 foot district; (d) 120 foot district and (e) 150 foot district. Grain elevators, gas tanks and towers or spires on buildings may be erected to any height provided that the maximum horizontal dimensions of the spire or tower shall not exceed *4 of the maximum frontage of the building on any street, or have a base area greater than 2500 square feet. Wherever terraces exist the height of the terrace can be added to the maximum height limit, providing the building is set back from the street line a distance equal to the height of the terrace. The height limitations are designed to insure adequate light and air for buildings and to prevent so far as possible undue congestion of population. Practically all of the height restrictions established were determined in accordance with the theories of light projection elsewhere described* and in accordance with existing land values where these reasonably seemed to dictate the height of building. * See testimony of Winters Haydock, on p. 68. 38 CITY PLAN COMMISSION The map showing the height of all buildings in the City of St. Louis is unusually interesting in that it shows that St. Louis is vir- tually a city of one or two story buildings. Except for the small down town high value business district where buildings up to 250 feet have been erected and the comparatively narrow strip of the* city extending Avestward from the business district between the Mill Creek Valley and Easton avenue, in which district there exists numer- ous three story apartment houses and some three and four story in- dustrial buildings, there is no place in the city where buildings over two stories in height have been erected except as isolated structures. Occasionally a public, or semi-public institution and now and then a commercial or industrial building has been erected to three or even four stories but this is an unusual exception. The height limits that have been established therefore and which are described below are be- lieved to be entirely reasonable and thoroughly in accordance with existing conditions. 45 FOOT HEIGHT DISTRICT The 45 foot height districts include the majority of the city's residential areas, the first residence districts and most of the second residence districts. Within the area designated as 45 foot height districts there is practically no building which exceeds this limitation. Forty-five feet will allow a four story building but will not prohibit the usual church, public school or similar institution. It permits the usual type of one and two family house as well as the prevailing three story apartment house. 60 FOOT HEIGHT DISTRICT The 60 foot height districts include principally the more important commercial districts, a few of the less congested industrial districts and certain portions of the second residence districts, particularly where these districts are on wide streets where apartment houses of four to six stories in height might reasonably be expected either be- cause of higher land value or where they might be constructed with- out creating undue congestion of land. This limitation of 60 feet will permit a commercial, industrial or apartment house structure 5 or 6 stories in height, which is virtually the present maximum limit of even the exceptional structures in the districts above mentioned. 80 FOOT HEIGHT DISTRICT The 80 foot height districts include principally the industrial districts in the Kiver des Peres Valley and along the river front where the values of land are such as to warrant buildings of six or eight HEIGHT DISTRICTS 39 stories in height. One provision was made for an 80 foot height dis- trict along Kingshighway where the highest values in any residential district obtain and where there now exist several hotels, apartment house hotels, apartment house structures, eight to ten stories in height. This* latter district faces a street 100 to 150 feet in width adjoining Forest Park so that the question of light obstruction is materially lessened and the higher value of land warranted the construction of additional buildings similar to those that have already established themselves in this district. 120 FOOT HEIGHT DISTRICT The 120 foot height district embraces the industrial and unre- stricted districts immediately surrounding the highest value business district of the city extending eastward from 21st street to the river and from approximately Chouteau avenue to Franklin avenue west of Broadway, and from Carroll street to St. Louis avenue, east of Broad- way, excluding the high value business district bounded by 12th street, 4th street, Clark and Lucas avenues. In this district is some of the high value property of the city and there now exist several buildings, 8, 10 and even 12 stories in height. The 120 foot height limitation will permit buildings of approximately 10 stories in height which seemed to be justified by reason of existing land values. 150 FOOT HEIGHT DISTRICT The highest value down town business district so-called, is bounded by 12th street, Washington avenue, 4th street and Market street. Some interesting figures were compiled with respect to the height of buildings within this district. The number of buildings hav- ing different heights by stories is shown in the following table : TABLE No. 3. Heights of Buildings in Business District. No. of No. of No. of No. of Stories Buildings Stories Buildings 21.. 1 10 9 20 1 9 5 19 1 8 21 18 3 7 47 17 4 6 45 16 3 5 94 15 1 4 75 14 1 3 293 13 5 2 123 12 3 1 51 11 6 — — 791 40 CITY PLAN COMMISSION From this it will be observed that the average height of buildings in this district is 3.42 stories. There was formerly a height limitation of 200 feet on buildings in St; Louis but this was increased in 1913 to 250 feet. There are now 34 structures within this district over 120 feet in height, of v/hich only 17 are- over 150 feet in height, only 11 over 175 feet and but 6 are over 200 feet in height. The question of maximum height limita- tion within this district received considerable attention. From the questionnaires sent out by the Commission and in the public hearings held there was but one protest made against a height limitation of 150 feet. Owners and agents of all buildings were in apparent agree- ment that buildings of over 12 stories in height were not desirable either from an economic standpoint or for any other reason. Among those well informed on question of land value and high building con- struction it seemed to be the consensus of opinion that 12 stories was an economic maximum height limitation. Certain it is that the in- creasing congestion on the present narrow .60 foot streets of the busi- ness districts is a clear indication of the fact that additional buildings of unusual height will but serve to increase this congestion and to drive it beyond the saturation point: Sooner or later it will be neces- sary to remove transit lines from the surface of the streets and even then with the ever-increasing volume of automobile traffic, were a substantial number of 150 foot buildings to be erected, congestion on the streets of the buisiness district would still be prohibitive. It is therefore believed that the 150 foot height limitation is a reasonable maximum limitation. AREA DISTRICTS There are four area districts, A, B, C and D. The purpose of the area restrictions is to regulate the arrangement of building on lots so that, supplemented by the height restrictions, an adequate amount of . light and air may be insured in all parts of buildings especially where buildings are used for living purposes. The area of a lot which a building may occupy is largely influenced by the character of the building and the value of the land. In the high value business dis- tricts, buildings are built not only to great heights but over practic- ally the entire lot. In residential districts where the value of land is low, buildings occupy but a comparatively small percentage of the lot area and seldom exceed two or three stories in height. Through- out the City of St. Louis examination has disclosed that one and two family houses rarely occupy more than 50 per cent of the lot area and usually considerably less than this percentage. The tenements and apartment houses occupy on an average of from 50' to 70 per cent of AREA DISTRICTS 41 the lot area. Store buildings in the outlying commercial districts sel- dom occupy more than 70 per cent of the area of the lot. Industrial buildings vary considerably except in the high value business district. They do not often occupy over 90 per cent of the lot area. The area restrictions have been designed to obtain what is con- sidered to be good practice for various classes of buildings and they conform to the present general development and value of land. A general description of the restrictions in each of the area districts follows : A Area Districts : The A district embraces all of the high value business district east of 21st street from Chouteau to Franklin and all of the territory east of Broadway along the river front from Carroll street to St. Louis avenue. The A district includes a small portion of the 80 foot height district and all of the 120 and 150 foot districts. "Within the boundaries of the A district is included the great majority of the. buildings in the city which occupy more than 90 per cent of the lot area. There is no restriction with respect to the percentage of lot area that may be covered by the ground floor of a building in the A dis- trict. A rear yard must be provided for all buildings on interior lots above the first story which rear yard shall have a depth equal to 10 per cent of the lot depth and in all cases be two inches deep for. each foot .of building height. In determining the depth of rear yard, all lots over 100 feet are considered to have a depth of no more than 100 feet and one-half the width of an alley may be considered as rear yard. B Area District: The B area district embraces all of the principal industrial and unrestricted districts not included in the A area district. It contains a. portion of the 60 foot height districts and the majority of the 80 foot height districts. Few buildings contained in the B district oc- cupy more than 90 per cent of the lot area. In the B area district buildings may cover 100 per cent of the lot area on the first floor, 90 per cent of the lot area above the first story on corner lots and 80 per cent of the lot area above the first story on interior lots. A rear yard is required above the first story with depth equal to 10 per cent of the lot depth and in no case less than three inches deep for each foot of building height. C Area District: The C area district embraces that portion of the second residence district intended to be occupied by apartment and tenement houses, 42 CITY PLAN COMMISSION also all of the commercial districts. The restrictions of the C area district are only slightly more stringent than the present building code provision for apartment and tenement houses. Commercial buildings which heretofore were unrestricted with respect to area of lot occupied, will readily adjust themselves to the new restrictions since few such buildings now exceed the provisions of the C area district. Within the C area district land values are comparatively low and thus will not make it prohibitive for commer- cial buildings to conform to the restrictions. Within the C area dis- trict is included the majority of the 60 foot height districts, that por- tion of the 80 foot height district indicated for residential purposes, and a small proportion of the 45 foot height district. In the C area district buildings may not occupy over 75 per cent of the area of a corner lot nor more than 60 per cent of an interior lot. A rear yard must be provided having a depth equal to 10 per cent of the lot depth and in no case less than 4 inches deep for each foot of building height. D Area District: Within the D area district are embraced all of the first and most of the second residence districts. This includes by far the great ma- jority of the residential areas of the city. Few buildings within these areas now occupy more than 30 per cent of the lot area and practically no buildings occupy more than 50 per cent of the lot area,. Within the D area district is included practically all of the 45 foot height dis- tricts. In the D area district buildings on corner lots may occupy 60 per cent of the lot area on the first story and 50 per cent of 'the lot area above the first story. On interior lots, buildings may occupy 50 per cent of the lot area on the first story and 40 per cent of the lot area above the first story. A rear yard is required having a depth equal to 15 per cent of the depth of the lot and in all cases not less than 4 inches deep for each foot of building height. At least one side yard is required having a minimum width of 3 feet for lots 30 feet in width or less and no less than 1V 2 inches wide for each foot of build- ing height, and no less than % f an inch in Avidth for each foot of building length. On lots over 30 feet in width a side yard is re- quired at least four feet wide and not less than 2 inches wide for each foot of building height and no less than one inch wide for each foot of building length. A provision of the zoning ordinance obviates any conflict with the present building code as follows: "Wherever the provisions of this ordinance require larger open spaces, less height or less area of the lot to be covered by a building than the building code, this ordi- AREA DISTRICTS 43 nance shall govern, but where the provisions of the building code re- quire larger open spaces, less height or less area of the lot to be cov- ered than does this ordinance, the building code shall govern." Another provision of the zone law respecting light and air in rooms is contained in the zoning ordinance, as follows ; "Section Thirty -five. All rooms or open spaces in any building hereafter erected in which persons live, sleep, work or congregate, shall have a window, windows or skylights, opening on to a street, alley, legal court or yard, said win- dow, windows or skylight shall have a net glass area of at least ten per cent of the floor area of such room or open space ; provided, that if it be impracticable to provide such windows as aforesaid, such rooms or open spaces shall in lieu of such windows be ventilated by an approved mechanical system, which shall affect at least six complete changes of air per hour, during occupancy; provided further, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to rooms in which the unoccupied space exceeds one thousand cubic feet for each occupant; and provided further, that the provision of this section shall not apply when the introduction of such light' or ventilation would prove injurious to the manufacture or storage of any article or commodity." CONSTITUTIONALITY OF ZONING By Herbert S. Swan, Executiye Secretary, Zoning Committee, New York. Zoning is an exercise, not of the power of eminent domain, but of the police power. When property is taken under the power of eminent domain compensation must be paid the owner if damage can be shown. No compensation is paid for property taken, or for limita- tions imposed upon the use of property, under the police power. The two questions of fundamental interest to property owners in a municipality adopting a comprehensive plan controlling building development are : 1. Whether such regulations come within the purview of the police power; and 2. Whether the particular regulations adopted can be sustained as a competent exercise of that power. In answering the first question, it may be stated that it is no longer open to doubt that cities in this country can apply different building regulations to different districts. The decisions of various state courts as well as the United States Supreme Court are conclu- sive upon this point. In Welch v. Swasey, 79 N. E. 145 (1907) for instance, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts sustained the validity of the act limiting the height of buildings differently in dif- ferent districts in Boston. In Cochran v. Preston, 108 Md. 200 (1908) the Court of Appeals in Maryland sustained a somewhat similar act limiting the height of buildings in Baltimore. The decision of the Massachusetts court was confirmed by the United States Supreme Court in Welch v. Swasey, 214 U. S. 91 (1908). Zoning limitations on the use of buildings have also been sus- tained as being within the scope of the police power. Such regulations have been sustained by the courts in half a dozen states (Arkansas, California, Illinois, New York, Texas and Washington) as well as by the United States Supreme Court. Even retroactive regulations, which have weeded out undesirable business establishments from certain districts, have been approved by the highest courts in Arkansas and California, and on appeal, by the United States Supreme Court. How broad a scope has the police power? Answer to this ques- tion is of the greatest interest to those who have the future planning of a city at heart for so much city improvement depends upon what may or what may not be done under the police power. The police power, of course, extends to the public health, morals and safety. But the power of the state by appropriate legislation to provide for the public convenience stands upon the same ground pre- cisely as its power by appropriate legislation to protect the public health, the public morals, or the public safety (Lake Shore and Michi- gan Southern Ry. Co. v. Ohio, 173 U. S. 285, 1899). In Bacon v Wal- ker, 204 U. S. 311 (1907) the United States Supreme Court held that the police power of a state embraces regulations designed to promote the public convenience or the general prosperity, as well as those to promote public health, morals or safety ; it is not confined to the sup- pression of what is offensive, disorderly or unsanitary, but extends to what is for the greatest welfare of the state. The same view was expressed m Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway Co v Drainage Commissioners, 200 U. S. 561 (1906) ; and in Eubank v. Richmond 33 CONSTITUTIONALITY OP ZONING 45 Sup. Ct. 76 (1912). A still more extensive scope was given to the police power in Noble State Bank v. Haskell, 31 Sup. Ct. 186 (1911). In this case the Court stated : "It may be said in a general way that -the police power extends to all the great public needs. It may be put forth in aid of what is sanctioned by usage, or held by the prevailing morality or strong and preponderant opinion to be greatly and im- mediately necessary to the public welfare." The fourteenth amendment to the constitution does not curtail the police power of the states when properly exercised. The United States Supreme Court stated in Barbier v. Connolly, 113 U. S. 27 (1885) that it was not designed to interfere with the police power of the state "to prescribe regulations, to promote the health, peace, morals, education and good order of the people, and to legislate so as to increase the industries of the state, develop its resources, and add to its wealth and prosperity." Zoning is designed to promote not only the public health, morals and safety, but also the public convenience and general prosperity of the community. If the police powers extended only to the public health, morals and safety, it might be difficult in certain instances to show conclusively that every detail of a zoning scheme came within a competent exercise of the police power. But with the scope of the police power so extended as to include the promotion of the public comfort and convenience, the addition of wealth ^and prosperity to the state, the increase of its industry, and the development of its re- sources, it is hoped that every feature of it can be shown to be a legitimate exercise of the police power. Although the United States Supreme Court refrains from any attempt to define with any exact precision the limits of the police power, its disposition is, nevertheless, to favor the validity of laws re- lating to matters completely within the territory of the state enacting them. It will interfere with local legislative authority, especially when its action is approved by the highest court of .the state whose people are directly concerned, only when it is plain and palpable that it has no real or substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals or general welfare (Cusack v. City of Chicago, 37 Sup. Ct. 192, 1917). The answer to the second question it seems will depend upon, first, whether the height, use and area classifications can be shown reasonable ; and, second, whether their application to specific districts can be shown reasonable. If the reasonableness of both the classifica- tion and the application of the several regulations can be demonstrated then the victory will be complete. The attitude of the United States Supreme Court toward such regulations as have come .before it fur- nishes strong ground, for the hope that zoning will be upheld in full. Zoning is not designed to operate oppressively upon any owner or upon any group of owners. Each scheme is framed with the greatest consideration for property rights commensurate with the public welfare. But despite this fact certain owners will no doubt feel themselves aggrieved. This, however, does not make the law any less valid so long as its provisions are not arbitrary. It is believed that the regulations adopted in any city may meet all the tests of constitutionality laid down by the United States Supreme Court. In 46 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Barbier v. Connolly, 113 U. S. 27 (1885), the Supreme Court dis- cussed the question as follows : ' ' Regulations for these purposes may press with more or less weight upon one than upon another, but they are designed, not to impose unequal or unnecessary restrictions upon" any one, but to promote, with as little individual inconvenience as possible, the general good. Though, in many respects, necessarily special in their character, they do not furnish just ground of com plaint if they operate alike upon all persons and property under the same circumstances and conditions. Class legislation, discriminating against some and favoring others, is prohibited; but legislation which, in carrying out a public purpose, is limited in its application, if with- in the sphere of its operation it affects alike all persons similarly sit- uated, is not within the (14th) amendment." The attitude of the United States Supreme Court toward zoning was discussed in concise and clear language in sustaining the consti- tutionality of a zoning ordinance in Little Rock, Arkansas (Reinman v. Little Rock, 35 Sup. Ct. 511 (1914). "So long as the regulation in question," said the Court, "is not shown to be clearly unreasonable and arbitrary, and operates uniformly upon all persons similarly sit- uated in the particular district, the district itself not appearing to ■ have been arbitrarily selected, it cannot be judicially declared that there is a deprivation of property without due process of law, or a denial of the equal protection of the laws, within the meaning of the 14th Amendment." In Hadaeheck v. Sebastian, 36 Sup. Ct. 143 (1915) the United States Supreme Court gave frank expression to the view that a city's expansion and growth are superior to the whims of a few capricious land owners who might wish to thwart the greater welfare of the com- munity: "The police power of a state cannot be arbitrarily exer- cised. The principle is a familiar one, but in any given case it must plainly appear to apply. It is to be remembered that we are dealing with one of the' most essential powers of government — one that is the least limitable. It may, indeed, seem harsh in its exercise, usually in on some individual, but the imperative necessity of its existence pre- cludes any limitation upon it, when not exerted arbitrarily. A vested interest cannot be asserted against it, because of conditions once ob- taining. To so hold would preclude development and fix a city for- ever in its primitive conditions. There must be progress, and if in its march private interests are in the way, they must yield to the good of the community." An examination of the decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and especially of the four great cases on zoning Welch v. Swasey, Reinman v. Little Rock, Hadaeheck v. Sebastian and Cusack v. City of Chicago— offers every encouragement for the belief that zoning may be sustained by the highest court in the land. Care must, however, be exercised in drafting the regulations for each lo- cality so that they fit local conditions, that they are not arbitrary or discriminatory, and that they do not fall within the ban of class legis- lation. Above all, reasonableness must be the test of both the classi- fication and the districts established. Whether the legality of any particular zoning scheme will be sustained seems to depend more upon the carefulness and fairness put into the preparation of the regula tions than upon a lack in the forward-looking attitude of the court Illustration No. I. This row of- six two-family dwellings was erected on the rear of a 45x125 lot having three similar two-family dwellings on the street front. These rear dwellings happen to face an alley, but a similar set of structures on an adjoining lot have no alley frontage. Each building actually .occupies a lot of size 15x45 and con- stitutes 100% occupancy, affording no opportunity for light and air. While the build- ings are only two stories high, the rate of occupancy is over 700 persons per acre. Be- cause of poor light, many of the buildings were vacant at the time this photograph was taken. This is a splendid example of the necessity for the yard and court provisions of the zone ordinance that now prevents 100% occupancy of the lot for residential struc- tures. Illustration No. 2. This tenement is a twin structure, 420 feet long, covers 60% of its lot, has interior rooms without windows, »nd built too close to the lot line of adjoining owners. If several such structures were built on adjoining lots, they could not be rented. Its commercial value is predicated entirely upon its light and air obtained from adjoining property. Under the zone law a structure of this kind would be obliged to provide adequate light and air from its own lot, thus causing less damage to adjoining or abutting property. Illustration No. 3. This residence has been vacated as a result of being flanked on one side by an apartment, on the other by a hotel. There should be some definite means of planning growth so that tremendous losses may be saved by curbing inappropriate growth. The zone plan will accomplish this end. Illustration No. 4. This tenement is the first multiple-family house in a block of single-family homes. It has ignored the building line, and covers a great proportion of its lpt. Several similar structures are now being erected, to the great detriment of whole neighborhoods. Illustration No. 5. Factories in residence districts not only cause decline of property values, but often render adjacent buildings almost uninhabitable by curtailing the supply of light and air. Illustration No. denee districts at will, immediate vicinity. 6. Previous to the adoption of the zone ordinance, factories could invade good resi- The factory shown above has caused an appreciable decline in property values in the Illustration No. 7. This stable has been erected in a residential district. It is not only a detriment to the neighborhood, but there is little necessity for locating it here. The zone law prevents a repetition of this condition. Illustration No. 8 An example of private places, which are usu- ally placed in first - residence use districts. Illustration No. 9 Improper development of a street ; residences on one side only, with factories encroaching on the other, discouraging the home builder, for lack of proper restrictions. Illustration No. 10 A public garage invading a residence district, which uses the public street for a repair shop as well as congesting traffic. Illustration No. II Gasoline filling- stations and automobile repair shops in residence districts depreciate property values. Illustration No. 12 Rear yard buildings, a result of improper land subdivision and lack of proper safeguards in the form of yards and courts. Illustration No. 13 A typical court between the modern so-called efficiency apartments. Little opportunity here for the necessary privacy of a home. Illustration No. 14. Streets in the principal business section of the city, with but few exceptions, l\ave ii uniform width of sixty feet. Traffic congestion has already become so great that many one-way streets have been established. If unduly high buildings are continually to be constructed the street room will soon be wholly inadequate. The established height of 150 feet permits buildings of approximately 12 stories in height. The average height of all buildings in the business district today is 3.42 stories. Increase this average by per- mitting unlimited building heights and traffic congestion in the streets of the business- district will reach the saturation point. Illustration No. 15. OLIVE STREET CANYON. This is one of the prin- cipal high building groups of the main business district. ' High buildings on nar- row streets, such as these, do not permit the sun's rays to reach the lower floors of these buildings as they should. E X PE RT TESTIMONY EXPERT TESTIMONY HIGH BUILDINGS NOT JUSTIFIED The unsettled value of real estate is primarily caused by the lack of in- telligent building laws in the City of St. Louis. One may construct any kind of building down town, regardless of height, provided he has money enough to make the investment. The result is that when a new large office building is constructed it denudes the other office buildings, temporarily at least, and for a time sufficient to make them an unprofitable investment, while the new building itself during the process of being filled up barely meets the interest on its bonded debt. We do not seem to learn from the older countries. For instance, in Lon- don and Paris it is against the law to build anything higher than a six or seven story building. If that law was applicable to St. Louis you would have the old rookeries around town at present all reconstructed, and you would also have everything built up between Fourth and Twentieth streets. A careful analysis of the office building situation in St. Louis has demon- strated the fact that no building higher than three or four stories, as an office building, will pay for a period of twenty-five years if proper depreciation on the building is charged against the property. This seems to be an extravagant statement, and yet it is one worthy of careful consideration. An analysis of the net income for the office buildings between Third and Twelfth streets will prove its correctness. It is almost a crime the way they are constructing apartment houses in the West End, fire traps in many instances, six and seven stories high. Apart- ment houses should be limited, first: to absolutely fireproof buildings; and, sec- ond: to four stories in height, to the end that the vacant land throughout the West End may be gradually consumed. The attempt to create business zones in the city, following the general idea practiced in New York is a most admirable one and should have the encour- agement and support of all people who love to see the development of the City of, St. Louis. FESTUS J. WADE, President Mercantile Trust Co. CONSERVATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH The observing person must be impressed, in contemplating the arrange- ment of the average city, with the very distinct advantage of some supervisory control which would prevent the haphazard go-as-you-please conditions that continually meet the eye. Canyons formed by skyscrapers on either side of whole city blocks, result- ing in darkened streets, never, or for most brief periods, bathed by sunlight, the interior rooms of such buildings darkened and dependent upon artificial light and lacking proper ventilation; in other blocks one or two very tall buildings adjacent to buildings of two or three stories; boulevards whose beauty is destroyed by shops, factories and offensive industries; residential districts invaded by industries that impair property values; irregular arrange- CONSERVATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH 59 ments of streets, congestion of living and transportation, all cry out for some supervising power that will prevent chaos and restore order, or at least pre- vent further chaos. Aside from the offense to the eye, which is the first impression, it is vital that regulations be established to conserve and protect community health, for no one thing is as valuable to a community as the health of those who compose it. Good health is conserved and promoted by environments that will tend to keep at or above par the individual's power of what is known as resistance, that is the ability to throw off disease germs that find lodgement and growth in the body tissues whose power of resistance is low. To maintain high resistance many things are essentially necessary, among the most important of which are, sunlight, pure air, which means largely sun- bathed air, pure water, pure and wholesome food and quiet and restful sleep. In all forms of life, animal and vegetable, sunlight is essential; the rays of the sun are the most powerful and destructive of disinfectants, fatal to all disease germ life. Living and working quarters bathed in sunlight are neces- sarily healthful quarters, and quarters occupied for either living or working which are not, for at least a portion of the day, exposed to sunlight, or at least strong daylight, cannot continue to be healthful. Disease germs preserve their vitality for a long time in dark rooms but perish quickly in those well lighted, and very quickly when exposed to direct sunlight. Ventilation, or free circulation of air, applies to enclosed spaces, such as rooms, workshops, etc., and is essential for the reason that persons in breathing air contaminate and render it poisonous. Such air thrown again into the outside atmosphere, is purified by the sun and by its circulation, giv- ing off its impurities and again becomes pure. Nothing is so essential to man as pure air, not even food and drink, hence proper ventilation, or the supplying of fresh or pure air is vitally important. Pure water is very essential, but fortunately this has long been recognized and St. Louis has a splendid supply of the best of water. Pure food, another essential, is an item, as is water, under separate super- vision and does not come under the regulation, of City Planning. Quiet, undisturbed sleep is as essential as any other one thing; no in- dividual can be deprived of this for any length of time and remain normal. Let us see now how supervision may contribute to furnishing the essen- tials to health which have been set forth. Buildings should be so restricted and controlled that in no manner should they be allowed to become an obstruction to free access of sunlight and strong daylight, either in themselves or in buildings or open spaces which adjoin them. They should not interfere with free and full ventilation, either in them- selves or in adjoining buildings. The home or residence district should be assured as pure an atmosphere as possible, and to this end such districts should not be contaminated by the odors, smoke and dust of factories and should be free from the noise incident to- such. Factories that produce smoke, odors, gases, dust and other objec- tionable features should by all means be segregated, and they should as far as possible be adjacent to the river, in order that their sewer service may be short. Sewer discharges from factories are sometimes very offensive, and, as ven- tilating manholes are a necessity, such discharges often create very objection- able conditions in neighborhoods through which the sewer passes. 60 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Congestion of individuals is always a health menace and is also a moral menace. Congestion facilitates the spread of communicable diseases and robs the individual of proper air space, and this applies in all places, in the homes, places of worship, amusement and transportation; it is also a danger to health and life from accidental and fire standpoints. G. A. JORDAN, Asst. Health Commissioner. DEPRECIATION CAUSED BY UNSTABLE GROWTH I have lived in St. Louis all my life; first at Sixth and Chestnut streets, then at Ninth and Chestnut, then at Sixteenth and Olive, then at Thirty-second and Washington avenue, then at Thirty-sixth and Delmar avenue, and at present in Westmoreland Place. I have moved therefore my residence six times in the course of my life. The result of each removal was the loss of money invested in the abandoned home. I cannot tell you the actual amount received for the first two of the houses occupied by my father, but I know that the house on Sixteenth and Olive was sold for one-half what it cost my father; that the house on Thirty-second and Washington avenue was sold for less than one-half its actual cost; that my father's house in Vandeventer Place was sold for one-fifth of its cost; and my residence on Delmar avenue for less than half. The causes which induced these various removals were simple: coal- smoke, dirt, dust, noise, the intrusion of various retail establishments, livery stables, saloons and other objectionable businesses, and the wish to live under comfortable conditions. We were groping toward the sunlight. That the same influences are still operating, I know. My nephew lives in Brentwood and moved there actuated by the same motives. Westmoreland Place, where 1 now reside, was twelve years ago a charming, clean and quiet retreat; it i% to- day as unclean atmospherically, and almost as noisy, as was my boyhood's residence on Chestnut street in the year 1860. I have for a long time been keenly interested in the growth of the city and in the abnormal influences which seem to desolate it. I attribute the dis- tention of the town more to the improvements in traction than to any other cause. It takes little more time now to get down from Union avenue to an office than it used to take to go from Sixteenth and Olive. There is a limit to the time which a man can afford to spend going and coming in the morning and evening, and when that limit shall have been reached the inflation of the town will cease. The motive to be clean is a human motive, in all respects praiseworthy. The financial consequences of what I have mentioned can be seen best between 17th and 14th streets on Olive. There seems to be no use for this property. It cannot be rented for enough to pay taxes; the neighbor- hood is deserted; business will not thrive there. My own solution, diffidently arrived at, of the very serious problem which confronts us, is the gradual reclamation of these abandoned districts by the building of shops with con- venient, decent flats above them. No retail store can flourish where no people live; and somehow we must bring the population and the facilities upon which they depend together. •I heartily hope that as a result of your effort some general plan may be adopted which will insure the success of a useful experiment. Thousands of men work in the wholesale stores between 18th street and Broadway. I can- DEPRECIATION OF PROPERTY 61 not conceive that convenient homes, respectable and pleasant to live in, should be undesirable to them. They now pay car fare and live remote from work and absorb much time on the way. Some one must be taught how to make a profitable investment in homes. We have not yet solved this prob- lem. -Homes are today like suits of clothes; soon worn and soon abandoned; and the waste involved is enormous, for there is none to use an old house, whereas one can at least give away an old suit of clothes. Your districting plan has much to recommend it. I think the crying need of the time, however, is cleanliness, noiselessness and something pleasant to look at. The town is a very ugly town, and the downtown part of it is not only excessively ugly but excessively dirty. The Gas Company has made an effort to so reduce the cost of gas as to make it available for many domestic purposes. In time I think the atmosphere may be bettered in this way. In time also I think the Terminal system of the town will be electrified. The smoke consumer is an economical thing when applied in a large way. If you can clean up the air, provide comfortable places to live, something decent to look at, prevent the intrusions of undesirable pestering businesses such as the saloon, garage, etc., I think any part of the city can be made pleasant; and until it is made pleasant I do not believe that any of the desolated parts will become habitable and profitable to the owners. I. H. LIONBERGER. ZONING SIMPLIFIES TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM The Zoning Ordinance, as proposed by the City Plan Commission, will, as a matter of course, tend to produce a uniform development of the various sections of the city; i. e., certain sections will develop as residence districts, others as apartment house districts and others as commercial or industrial districts, and there will not be the overlapping and encroachment of one dis- trict on the other as is now common. It is obvious that the type of district will, in a large measure, determine its car service requirements. One of the most difficult problems in connec- tion with the proper development and extension of street railway systems is that of extending facilities so as to most efficiently serve the public. Were the city to continue to develop as it has done, without the restrictions im- posed by the Zoning Ordinance, it would in the future be not only difficult, but in many cases impossible, to extend transit facilities to some sections of the city. There is always more or less objection to placing tracks on a residence street, but there is no objection — on the contrary, it is highly desirable from the standpoint of the property owner — to have tracks placed on a street given over to business or industry, and on such streets it will be possible to lay the car tracks that will be required to efficiently serve the now undeveloped sec- tions of the city, which will sooner or later be fully developed and need and demand street car service. It is always desirable, both from the standpoint of the Street Car Com- pany and the passenger to deliver the passenger as near as possible to his desired destination. Under the present scheme of unrestricted development, many small industries of various kinds, and oftentimes employing a compara- tively large number of people, have sprung up in what would naturally be residence districts, and as a result these industries are frequently a consid- erable distance from the street car line. This causes inconvenience not only to the industry but to the individual and to the Street Car Company. Trans- 62 CITY PLAN COMMISSION fers from one line to the other are made necessary and unnecessary conges- tion at certain points results. If the industries which are thus scattered throughout the city had been permitted to locate only in certain districts and on certain streets, they would naturally have been located on or near the streetcar lines and they could he served much more advantageously and-much of the time now consumed in useless, long distance riding on two or more lines, and in walking, perhaps, comparatively long distances, could be con- served. The zoning ordinance will mean the development of the city along cer- tain well defined lines and those responsible for the necessary extensions of the street car system can make definite plans for such extensions. The car service requirements of the district will be known in advance and streets on which car tracks will be desirable will have been previously determined. This should make it possible to serve these districts on an investment which should be made productive both as regards service to the public and returns to the investor. E. D. SMITH, Chief Engineer, United Railways Co. UNREGULATED CITY GROWTH INDUCES NERVOUS DISORDERS Districting or zoning presents to a worker in nervous and mental disease many very attractive possibilities. Nervous disease is largely a product of cities; it does not flourish in the wide, sunlit, quiet country. As a matter of common observation, nervousness produced by conditions in large centers disappears if the sufferer is removed to the country. Why? Any ohe will reply: fresh air, sunshine, quiet sleep, freedom from noise, dust and smoke. By taking thought we now provide ourselves in cities with as good water and food as are to be had in the country. We attempt by ordinance to limit smoke and dust. Where we have failed to provide the condition necessary for sunshine, free air, quiet places to live and sleep are largely in the indiscrim- inate jumble of factory, store and residence and in attempting to crowd into a space adequate for ten people ten times that many. Those of us who grew up in the country remember vividly the impressions produced by the countless noises, the pell mell of traffic, the pall of smoke, the odors of factories, when we made occasional visit to the city. In a short time we got very tired and were glad to return to the peaceful, quiet and safety of the open country. There our weary ear drums and more weary receptive centers had opportunity to rest. How, by planning, may we save ourselves from the irritation to our ner- vous systems produced by the incessant blows of countless little hammers which never cease day or night? Westmoreland and Portland places are quiet spots where one may rest and sleep in quiet exclusion, but not many of us can live in either. If we make a clear separation of business and' factory from the places where we live and where our children play; if we get away for twelve to six- teen hours from the rattle of machinery, the grinding of cars, the pounding of hoofs, the slamming of boxes on and off trucks, then has nature time and opportunity to restore the fatigued nerve cells and we issue from our homes in the morning fresh for another turn on the front line. As the urban tendency has increased more and more people attempt to occupy the limited area of cities; as the squeeze increases we find ourselves struggling up into the air to get breath and light; the result is the skyscraper. ZONING AS AN AID TO PUBLIC HEALTH 63 Then we produce deep valleys, ever shadowed by the tall structures respon- sible for them. If left to our choice we would prefer what would be called "gently rolling country" where the hills are not so high nor the valleys so deep; where the air spaces are wider and the sun. may shine on every spot. Within the recollection of the middle-aged the systems of rapid transpor- tation have scattered the people of cities over large areas, but no consistent plan has been adopted in our large cities to secure a separation of living from working areas. The man who establishes his home on a modest street, expecting to live in quiet and free from nuisances where his children may play in floods of sunshine and open air and in safety from the hurried traffic of business, is entitled to protection from the encroachment of livery stables, garages, factories and stores. The nervous stability of the worker and his family will certainly be enhanced by such protection. Work will be better done, and more of it. Children will grow up in better health and less inclined to nervous instability which so' often finds its expression in the feverish pur- suit of excitement. Let us not sacrifice every thing on the altar of business, but let us better fit ourselves for our work by more thorough rest. M. A. BLISS, M. D. ZONING AN ESSENTIAL PROTECTION TO THE CITY AND THE PROPERTY OWNERS There is no justifiable criticism of the principle of community control of real estate use except in the interest of the predacious or of that personal privilege class that preaches law and order for mankind but reserves exemp- tion for itself. The creation of restricted streets and subdivisions by conveyance and their popularity with the investor; the high values of centers of business and industrial districts in which transportation facilities are a factor, are proof of the economic advantages of use segregation. The zoning idea or use classification may also be called the application of the police power to protect investors in real estate from the sandbagging designs of the unscrupulous speculator. The specific uses of segregated districts are now so well understood and agreed on by city planners that it remains mainly a question of localization or territorial application in the respective cities contemplated in the survey and to educate the people to the advantages of the plan. Individual losses, through indiscriminate use, to real estate owners have already convinced many of the economic value of a proper zoning scheme and nearly everything that has been written on the subject has featured this side of the question to win converts. It is, of course, quite easy to win over a person who, after having acquired a home in an unrestricted district, has, by the intrusion of a depreciating factor, experienced a substantial loss, which sometimes, in the case of a heavy debt on the property, amounts to dissolu- tion of his life's savi-ngs. These intrusions need not necessarily be adjoining to his property nor even on his particular street to cause depreciation, but sometimes such an intrusion on an adjoining street or even several blocks removed, according to the gravity of the case, may blight streets and neighborhoods, and cause con- sequent loss to many owners. Fancy the effect of a large stable or livery barn, authorized at that by city ordinance specially passed, on a nice resi- dential street separated only by an alley from the intrusion. In this case the 64 CITY PLAN COMMISSION stable is not on the street about to be affected and yet property immediately opposite the unwelcome use experiences a decided drop in value and becomes almost unsalable for the purpose it has theretofore been used and as the speck in an apple causes the whole to rot the depreciation spreads to the whole side of the street and then crosses to the other. Many will recall the location of a laundry, mill, factory, or lumber yard, or even flats or apart- ments in one-family districts, as the beginning of the downward trend in values. Zoning can be made to control rational expansion of the city to take the place of the present day senseless waste in building up new by the abandon- ment of old sections. This applies to central business and semi-business dis- tricts more than to the residential, since no remedy has yet been devised to overcome the desire, in many cases snobbishness, of many of our people to live in new houses. When we build more substantially than now, with more correct ideals to architectural merit, and learn, as this war has already taught us, the lessons of conservation, this startling practice of the dissipation of our wealth may be materially reduced. While quite convinced that city planning in its general scope should con- cern itself with smoke abatement I am inclined to the belief that to stabilize values in residential localities the question of a smoke-free atmosphere is a determining factor to conserve the continued use of these neighborhoods and with it of course the values, and in the case of a soft coal using city like St. Louis it has become a most serious question to prevent the pollution of one of our tonic essentials to life by charging it with vitiating waste from tens of thousands of chimneys. No better expenditure can be made by the city than to vote a subsidy for the scientific solution of this perplexing problem and it may be, as has been the case with our water supply, the day will not be far away that the brand of atmosphere we breathe will be as wholesome and pure as the water which science has separated for us from the murky fluid of the Mississippi. • The confinement of business, wholesale and retail, and manufacturing and warehousing, to limited localities is important not only to preserve old sections but to the rational expansion and building up of a new city. St. Louis has today endless miles of real estate waiting the touch of industrial rejuvenation that cannot come in a century and yet miles are being added until the mind reels as to its future. Not only is this the case over wide areas but in the very heart of the city where the section east of Fourth street has to a large extent been abandoned. We boast of our great area, the miles of water front, and yet would you appraise a large stock of merchandise as first class in which there is a large percentage of shoddy and unsalable goods? Zoning can rehabilitate much of this in time and if we will submit to certain requirements of civic surgery I am sure the reaction will come earlier than if we refuse. While the extension of the central business section to the west was in- evitable, yet much of the loss in the east end could have been avoided if the city and property owners had had the vision to anticipate the transportation changes and the courage to carry out the necessary program. Even today there is no more fertile field for private real estate exploita- tion nor greater opportunity for civic enterprises with its splendid economic returns than in this almost forgotten and shunned front terrace of St. Louis. Plans and pictures of its possible beautifi cation and practical service to commerce have been made and published and excited the reading public of A PROTECTION TO PROPERTY 65 our Sunday papers only to follow, the first of the kind, into the cobwebbed re- cesses of the artist's or engineer's archives. The practicability of the rehabilitation of this section with its stimulating influence on Fourth street and Broadway can be worked out as truly as a problem in mathematics and yet we wait and speculate, and speculate and wait; and the city's life keeps flowing away leaving in its path a trail of decay and disappointed hopes. The reclamation of the east end is one of the first claims for an industrial zone; one that will not overlook its possibilities for an inviting impression from the river, but will make its commercial facilities sufficiently attractive to business and real estate investors to tone up the entire city. Zoning is not so much a principle of restriction as one of stabilization; not to encourage speculation but to confirm value; to make it in fact as near as human foresight and ingenuity can, as it is on the farm, the basis of values. It will act' as an insurance to the investing owner and loaner since the future of the property traded in can be foretold for many years in advance. Not to be used as a football of shifting values that causes increases as sudden and illegitimate as are the losses it is responsible for, but as a guaranty of permanence and stability and with the promise of such reasonable, increment as time and individual enterprise shall warrant. There is, however, still another side of zoning that has been but little discussed and that is its economical effect on the city as a whole, on the life • of its people, in the impression made on visitors and homeseekers and the efficiency and cost of administering the functions of the city. We all testify to the inspiration of a city or parts of one in which cleanli- ness, order and rational arrangement of civic features are dominant. One in which orderly arrangement is absent is likely to be dirty, unsanitary and above all, commonplace; the expression of chaos; while the one in which conflicting interests are segregated and the development of each is given its limit of opportunity will show not only conservation of wealth, but of life; and prove inspirational to its people. Districts like Cupples Station and its environing commercial establish- ments constitute an impressive picture of commercial segregation such as no other part of the city, except Washington avenue, can show, and yet there are many more establishments of a similar character scattered in isolation throughout the city where no marked effect is produced. There are few today who will say the skyscraper obsession was a good thing economically or aesthetically for the city, and the losses recorded in the New York districts where this species of insanity ran riot are as much a warning for the future as they are startling. If metropolitan centers are to grow to material greatness at the expense of the rational living and health of its people, these marvelous modern crea- tions will constitute a menace to the race, but if common sense with courage will persist over the indifference of the public and the craft and assertiveness of special and ' predatory privilege, the city can be made through its great co-operative power the vehicle for the very highest enjoyment of individual life. Light, sunshine, pure air and water are as necessary to the city dweller as they are to the resident in the village or to the farmer; and failure to give this due recognition in city building is not merely an indictment of our intelli- gence but criminal. Largeness of area means little if not associated with quality, and with 66 CITY PLAN COMMISSION respect to the cost of administration of civic functions is a positive detri- ment unless all of the area is desirable and in useful occupation in a graduating degree from the heart of the city. A contracted St. Louis from which was re- moved the many decaying blocks of former glory and in which there were found more frequent spots of oxygen centers such as small parks and play- grounds would mean less cost in fire and police protection, street paving and cleaning, etc., than a city of magnificent distances and straggling ugliness, and what is more, the work could be done better. And more than that the city's revenue per unit would be higher since much of the loss by depreciation now experienced would be avoided. To assume the courts will not favor drastic regulation of the use of real estate is to believe that this branch of law enforcement will not respond to present day demands of social and municipal economics nor that it appre- ciates the gravity of a situation which bitter experience teaches must be im- proved. Regulation is the plea of the people for protection from unscrupulous mercenaries whose self interest seeks to override the welfare of the masses as did the feudal lord of old. It is the weapon of industrial efficiency and the economic hand maiden of the municipal organization and with the increased light of democratic justice illuminating the world at present the prediction can well be made that the judiciary will add its support. When we learn that patriotic service to the state is essential, not only during a time of war, but at all times, we will have advanced to a period of acquiescence to community regulation that our better nature tells us is fair • play for all. This will open to us a new era of the city in which will be found a more radical and also more ethical view of life and property and an abiding place of the joy of living as we have not experienced before. J. H. GUNLACH. Realtor. ZONING AS AN AID TO PUBLIC RECREATION • The proposed ordinance prepared by the City Plan Commission for a zoning system for the City of St. Louis will be of great value to the Division of Parks and Recreation. We have had from time to time considerable trouble in the operation of our playgrounds on account of the shifting of the population from the different localities within the city. We have gone into certain districts, made careful surveys as to the number of children in each block, recreation facilities available and with data that we ordinarily use be- fore establishing a playground, and then have selected a plot of ground and established a playground in this district. We have found in one or two instances that within five years the popula- tion we had planned to serve has moved from around this playground and the property in this district has been purchased by manufacturing or industrial organizations, and the value of that particular playground to the community has been lessened instead of having been increased. I believe that the creating of residential districts which will have some degree of permanency, will simplify the problem of locating playgrounds and will eliminate the uncertainty of the shifting of neighborhoods. In this way we will be able to purchase ground and establish parks and playgrounds that will serve the best interests of the people in each individual community. The confining of factories and industries to certain definite districts in St. Louis will simplify the play problem to a great extent. No matter how many playgrounds are established in St. Louis, there will still be a great ZONING AND PUBLIC RECREATION 67 number of children who will have to depend upon the streets for their play spaces. Our observation has been that there is a great deal more vehicular traffic in industrial districts than there is in residence districts. Consequently, the streets where children live, providing they are in a residential district, will be more free from vehicular traffic and will therefore be a safer place for them. What is true of the playground is true of the park. We have in St. Louis today several parks, of which Lyon Park is a notable example, entirely sur- rounded by factory and industrial property. The children and the grown people who visit this park and playground have to go through the industrial district which surrounds the park, crossing streets upon which there is a great deal of heavy traffic, including street car and railroad tracks, in order to avail themselves of the privileges and opportunities that they have on this park property. While this plan of zoning will not rectify the conditions applicable to Lyon Park, because it is not retroactive, it will be of value to us in allowing us to plan for future development of parks and playgrounds in a way which will give the greatest service and bring closer to the homes of the people a place in which to spend their leisure time. NELSON CUNLIPP, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. ZONING PROMOTES THE PUBLIC WELFARE The idea of a zoning plan for St. Louis should commend itself to every citizen who thinks intelligently concerning the welfare of our city. 1. The preservation of property interests will be facilitated by such a step. Numberless instances have occurred where people have invested their hard earned savings in homes where they thought the territory would be safe from invasion by enterprises, thoroughly legitimate, but which impair the property for residential purposes. 2. The protection of homes from damage by factories, garages, livery stables and other business enterprises, is a matter of righteousness in that it preserves the rights of owners and also becomes an incentive to thrift in the possession of a home. The dead districts of our city are witnesses to the folly of an absence of regulation. It is the ignoring of this right that has largely contributed to the colonization of certain peoples who ought other- wise to be comfortably provided for, but whose advent into a community has depreciated property to such an extent that it has been almost community robbery of an individual. 3. Sanitation will be promoted because residential districts can be more easily inspected, business districts more carefully looked after, factories more thoroughly cared for and all other classes or assemblies of buildings more carefully guarded. 4. Convenience is also a great item in a city. The knowledge that a wise zoning has been made and the provision of facilities for reaching the kinds of buildings confined in zones, will be well worth the establishment of belts for specifically defined purposes. 5. The general principle that the welfare of a community is above that of an individual ought to be ample to enable a city to do whatever is best for 68 CITY PLAN COMMISSION its entire population. It is only by adherence to this principle that the real welfare of individuals can be promoted. Every person prospers most when the whole community is prosperous. Therefore, the financial interests of single persons "while they should not be ignored, ought not to stand in the) way of the largest general prosperity. That the pi^Jject for zoning St. Louis will minister to the general prosperity, is unquestionable. The general dis- tribution of territory into residential, manufacturing and mercantile districts, and the setting aside of certain localities for specific purposes, is in the in- terest of financial values, convenience, health, municipal control and morals. No man who ignores the general welfare of our city is entitled to parti- cipate in the great benefits and blessings we have. Citizenship is more than an opportunity to make money. It is a chance to serve the public. He who exalts, his personal interests above the welfare of the entire community, should be penalized for his selfishness by being deprived of the benefits that community life confers. A city is more than an assemblage of buildings with streets between them. It has a soul, and an atmosphere, and a social signifi- cance to which all material things should be made to minister. I hope that the plan of zoning the city may be accomplished, for it will not only protect citizens in their rights, but it may also be the means of pro- moting a better,' cleaner, more moral municipality. W. C. BITTING, D. D. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON THE HEIGHT AND AREA OF BUILDINGS AND SUNLIGHT. It is unnecessary to enter into a lengthy discussion of the importance of sunlight to the social and industrial life of a city. The value of its physiological and psychological influence is well recognized and its economic importance is too obvious to need discussion. In spite of this long standing recognition of the importance, benefits and necessity of ample sunlight, it has only been comparatively recently that attempts have been made by American cities to provide by adequate laws for the prevention of its undue obstruction by build- ings and for the insurance of its proper distribution within buildings. In Europe, however, such laws have been in effect for some time in many cities. The control of sunlight distribution through the control of building con- struction on private property may have either one or both of two purposes: first, the insurance of proper sunlight conditions within the building itself, and, second, the prevention of undue obstruction of sunlight to adjacent private property or public ways. In either case the public health, safety and economic welfare is involved and therefore such regulatory measures properly come within the police powers of a municipality or state. This principle has already been upheld in the courts. Another justification for governmental regulation of sunlight conditions in private building construction is perhaps not recognized in the courts as such, but, to the mind of the writer, is in fact equally a justification with the considerations for public health and safety. I refer to the effect upon the stability of real estate values which sunlight conditions unquestionably have. This effect is particularly marked in the case of residential, apartment and tenement property. There can be no doubt but that the rapid decline in the value of property in many districts is due to the shortsighted policy of real SUNLIGHT AND AIR 69 estate owners in not providing proper sunlight conditions in their buildings. The speculative intentions of the owners cause them to crowd the buildings so as to make the proper lighting of all of the rooms impossible. While such a district is new, the fact of its newness may be a sufficient attraction to over- come for a time the objections to its lighting conditions, but when this first freshness wears off these conditions will become more in evidence and the sell- ing and revenue value of the improperly lighted buildings will rapidly decline, pulling with it the value of all other property in the district. This deteriora- tion of whole districts in a city is surely a matter in which the public has an in- terest and to prevent which it surely has a right to adopt effective measures. It is the opinion of the writer that, at least in a residence district, no one in- fluence will be as effective in the prevention of such deterioration as the in- surance by proper legislation of ample sunlight to all buildings. The ancient common law of England recognized the principle that "an in- terference with the space superincumbent on a man's land is an injury for which the law provides a remedy." In England the deprivation of light is re- garded as such an interference, actionable at law. In this country,, however, it it only recently that any application of this principle has been attempted. In order to show the degree of interference of buildings of various heights with the sunlight of buildings on the opposite side of the street therefrom, the writer has prepared the following data. I will consider only the effect of build- ings upon direct sunlight, the matter of diffused light being a somewhat more complicated question. The figures given are for latitude 38° 38', which is the latitude of St. Louis, and they are for the shortest day of the year, as this is the period at which the obstruction to direct light is a maximum and at which the quantity of diffused light is a minimum. The direction of the street upon which the buildings front has obviously a marked effect upon the degree of interference of these buildings with the sun- light of the buildings opposite. It is apparent that if a street lies at an angle with the meridian which is less than the angle which the sun makes with the meridian at sunset, there will be a certain, time during the day when the sun's rays'will reach every portion of the street irrespective of how high the abutting buildings may be. This time will be when the angle made with the meridian by the sun is the same as the angle made with the meridian by the street. This is based upon the assumption that the street is straight and that there are no obstructions to the sunlight in line with the street. If the only consideration were the possibility of sunlight reaching all parts of the surface of the street at some period of the day on the shortest day of the year, and if the possibility of this sunlight entering buildings and its effectiveness in lighting them were to be ignored, then there would be no reason for limiting the height of buildings, in so far as the question of sunlight is concerned, on streets being at an angle with, the meridian which is less than the angle made with the meridian by the sun at sunset on the shortest day of the year. However, as the lighting of the interiors of buildings is the main consideration, we must determine or assume some limiting angle which shall be taken as the least angle at which the sun's rays may strike the wall of a building and be considered as effective for in- terior lighting. The determination of such a limiting angle is largely a matter of opinion, but a reasonable approximation may be made by determining the angle at which the sun's rays will enter an ordinary window in a wall of ordinary thick- ness. If we assume an opening 40 inches wide in an eight-inch wall and as- sume the wall to be ten inches thick, including plaster and window trim, then 70 CITY PLAN COMMISSION the sun's rays will enter the room when the vertical plane in which they lie makes an angle of 14 degrees with the wall. This assumption gives a minimum value of this angle, as in this city all buildings of more than one story must have thicker walls. Therefore, in order to cover slightly smaller openings, I have assumed an angle of 15 degrees as the smallest angle which the vertical plane through the sun must make with the wall of a building in order that the sun's rays may be effective for interior lighting. With this assumption I have prepared the following table, which shows the ratio which the height of a building may bear to the width of the street when such building abuts upon the street line, or to which the width of the street plus the distance of such build- ing from the street, when such building is not built upon the street line, in order that there may be no interference with the sun's rays reaching the build- ings on the opposite side of the street at the level of the street on the shortest day of the year, the angle made by the vertical plane through the sun with the street line being in no case less than 15 degrees. This table has been worked out for streets having directions varying by 10 degrees increments from those which lie north and south to those which lie east and west. In order to give an idea of the position of the sun, and hence of the effect- iveness of its rays, at the time of day when the limiting conditions indicated exist, I have included in the table the angle of the sun with respect to the meridian and the angle which its rays make with the horizon in each case. In the following table, K is the angle made by the street with the meridian; R is the limiting ratio of the height of buildings to the width of the street or to the width of the street plus the distance of the building from the street, in order that the sun's rays may reach the street line on the opposite side of the street at street level and at an angle of not less than 15 degrees with the street line on the shortest day of the year; I is the angle which the vertical plane though the sun makes with the street line at that time; A is the angle which the sun makes with the meridian; and H is the angle which the sun makes with the horizon: • K . 0° 10° 20° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° R . 1.91 2.03 2.03 1.91 1.69 1.34 0.88 0.61 0.55 0.53 I . .. 15°- 0' 15°- 0' 15°- 0' 15°- 0' 15°- 0' 15°- 0' 15°- 0' 43°-18' 67°-42'- 90°- 0' A . . 15°- 0' 5°- 0' 5°- 0' 15°- 0' 25°- 0' 35°- 0' 45°- 0' 26°-42' 12°-18' 0°- 0' H . 26°-20' 27°-45' 27°-45' 26°-20' 23°-36' 19°-05' 12°-54' 22°-59' 26°-50' 27°-54' The above figures are for latitude 38° 38', which is the latitude of St. Louis. The angle with the meridian made by the sun at sunset on the shortest day of the year at St. Louis is 59°-21' The proposed districting ordinance for St. Louis divides the city into five classes of districts for the restriction of the height of buildings. In each class of district a different ratio is fixed as the limiting ratio which the height of buildings at the street line may bear to the width of the street. For buildings or portions of buildings not on the street line increases above the heights as determined by these ratios are provided for. The five classes of districts are districts where the allowable ratios of the height of buildings at the street line SUNLIGHT AND AIR 71 to the width of the street on which the buildings front are, respectively, one- half, one, one and one-half, two, and two and one-half. Whenever these ratios are greater than the values of R given in the preceding table, then the walls of the buildings on the opposite side of the street will receive no effective sun- light for a certain distance above the street level on the shortest day of the year. Effective sunlight is defined as sunlight reaching a wall, the rays of which are in a vertical plane which makes an angle with the wall of not less than 15 degrees. The following table gives the height above the street level of the portions of walls on the opposite street line which will receive no effective sunlight on the shortest day of the year in each of the five classes of districts and for dif- ferent values of K, K being the angle between the street and the meridian. The heights given are in terms of the ratio which they bear to the width of the street: K 0° 10° 20° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° 0.5 Dist. 1.0 Dist. 0.12 0.39 0.45 0.47 1.5 Dist. 0.16 0.62 0.89 0.95 0.97 2.0 Dist. 0.09 o 0.09 0.31 0.56 1.12 1.39 1.45 1.47 2.5 Dist. 0.59 0.47 0.47 0.59 0.81 1.16 1.62 1.89 1.95 1.97 This table shows that in all but the first of the proposed classes of height districts, buildings on the opposite street line on streets approaching east and west in direction would receive no effective sunlight on the shortest day of the year for a considerable distance above the street level, the term "effective sun- light" being used as above defined. WINTERS HAYDOCK. Civil Engineer. EFFECT OF ZONING ON SEWERAGE The cost, of sewerage depends on three main factors; first, the size of the sewers; second, the length of sewer per acre; third, the average depth. It is interesting to take up these factors in order and note what the effect of districting might be on each of them. Sizes The first item, the sewer size, will itself vary with the amount of rainfall to be carried off, with the area to be drained inversely with the slope and finally with surface characteristics of the area. The first three are natural conditions, predetermined for any district, the last is an artificial condition which through the class of development, fixed the amount of surface to become impervious, and thus affects radically the amount of rainfall reaching the sewers. It can be shown that for the same rain the amount of water to be carried in the sewers may be twice as much 72 CITY PLAN COMMISSION in a business district completely occupied and impervious as in a suburban district of well separated homes. Taking the required sewer capacity per acre of the office building dis- trict as 100 per cent, the capacity required for a solidly built apartment house district, such as Waterman avenue, east of DeBaliviere avenue, would be 75 per cent, for an average residence district, such as Academy and Cates avenue, would be 65 per cent and for a residence district with large yards, such as Goodfellow and Julian avenues, would be 55 per cent. Industrial districts may vary from a required capacity of 90 per cent, for manufacturing largely under roof to as little as 40 per cent for manufacturing requiring large yard storage. While this factor of proportion of impervious area, vital to the sewer designer, will be generally fixed by occupancy restrictions, it would undoubt- edly be of great advantage to have it even more definitely fixed by area limitations. This would.! not be of immportance in the mercantile district where areas unoccupied by building would undoubtedly be paved, but would be of great advantage to the apartment house and residential districts, as such limitations would fix quite definitely the proportion of the grounds in lawns. With the combined sewer system (95 per cent of the St. Louis system carried both sewage and storm water), the height" restrictions are of import- ance only in extreme cases. This is for the reason that they will not affect the amount of rainfall reaching the sewer but will only affect the amount of sewage, which in ordinary residence districts is less than one per cent of the amount of rainfall and is neglected. In solid apartment house districts it is a factor but will affect the total very little. In the mercantile district, how- ever, the difference in the amount of sewage from a five-story building and from a twenty-story building would be an appreciable percentage of the total capacity required. Length of Sewers In a mercantile or residential district sewerage facilities must be pro- vided for every lot. In an industrial district it is sufficient to provide one or two sewer connections for a block and sometimes for two or more blocks. It has happened more than once that after an area has been sewered in such detail as would be required for subdivision into residence lots, and when this has been done with the full consent and approval of the owners, that this dis- trict is then developed as industrial property; that some of the streets are either not dedicated, or if already dedicated, are vacated; that the location of sewers required for the industries are entirely different from that laid out and generally that a much smaller length of sewers is required. This is a direct waste that could have been avoided but remains as a charge against that particular property. Area and height limitations will have little effect on this factor in the cost of the system. The Depth of Sewers The cost of excavation for sewers will generally be about one-third of the whole cost of the sewer system, therefore any appreciable saving in ex- cavation will be a real factor in reducing the cost of the system. In purely residential districts, even in apartment districts, if there are no stores, we find that the basement floors are about four and one-half feet below the yard level, and as the yards, as a rule, are somewhat above the ZONING AND SEWERS 73 street, a system of sewers averaging four feet, or at most five feet in depth, will be sufficient for all purposes. The basement of stores on the other hand will be from seven to eight feet below the sidewalk and to allow for their drainage, sewers must be laid from nine to ten feet deep. If these two classes of building could be kept in separate districts, it would be entirely possible to lay the sewers in the residence district with an average depth of five feet. Unfortunately, it has been the custom in St. Louis to build up many of the corner lots in residence sections with stores, forming isolated mercantile centers. Because of the possibility of the occur- rence of such centers it has in the past been necessary to construct practically all sewers in the residence district for the full depth required for mercantile districts. If the zoning will eliminate, or at least fix definitely the possible locations of the isolated street corner retail centers, saving in excavation of the sewer systems alone would be enormous. In the office building district, sewers of great depth are required to drain the deep service basements of the tall buildings. Such basements were nat- urally not contemplated when our present office building district was sewered and it has therefore been necessary for the owners of the large buildings to construct deep sewers privately, or to install and operate pumps. Eventually the city must resewer' this section. Even here the effect of districting on sewer design might be felt if the tall buildings with their consequent deep basements be confined to as compact an area as possible. I have attempted to show above how the various phases of districting might affect the three principal factors in the cost of the sewer system, which are the size, the length of sewers per acre and the depth. To summarize this from the standpoint of districting, it has been shown that both occupancy restrictions and area limitations tend to fix a definite percentage of impervious area from which the sewer designer must be pre- pared to carry off practically the whole rainfall. It has been shown that oc- cupancy restrictions tend to indicate points at which sewerage service must be given and thus prevent waste or loss through the construction of a too great or of an insufficient length of sewer. It has been shown further that occupancy restrictions, aided possibly by area limitations, will indicate definitely the depth at which sewers must be laid. While it would not be expected that the districting regulations would fix absolutely any of the factors mentioned, yet they would undoubtedly make it possible for the engineer to choose a basis for his design with a reasonable prospect of seeing it accomplished. Our sewerage system, as it now stands, has cost over $20,000,000. Many of our sewers are too small and relief sewers must be built; a few of them are too large and a portion of the original, investment has been wasted. It does not appear to me at all impossible that ten or fifteen per cent might have been saved on the cost of this system if a definite plan for the develop- ment of the areas had been adopted when the system was designed. W. W. HORNER, Chief Engineer, Division of Design and Construction, Dept. of the President Board of Public Service. ED ITORIAL COMMENT EDITORIAL COMMENT THE ZONING ORDINANCE In the ordinance for the zoning of St. Louis, which is to come before the Board of Aldermen for approval, there is recognition of all rights and interests to be affected by the proposed changes, so far as these may be seen and dealt with in advance. There have been a number of public hearings, including all quarters of the city. The plans proposed have, in larger outline, been freely discussed, in open meeting and the public press. Nobody has been denied either hearing or consideration. Yet it may not be presumed, and is not pre- sumed, that the measure is so perfect as to admit of no future modifications as results of experience. The present necessity is the one of making a begin- ning in what is now universally conceded to be a work of vital necessity. The nature and extent of the necessity are well known. The evils it is necessary to deal with here are such as it has been found necessary to deal with in every great and still growing American city. The problems are such as all progressive municipalities in the country are now meeting. The avoid- ance of ever-increasing traffic congestion, obstructive trade and commerce and numerical growth, is but one angle of a many-sided problem. Better sanita- tion, provision for more open spaces, better housing facilities, better defining of residential districts, and better placing of small industrial establishments and retail traders in ways to increase the sale of dealers and the convenience of buyers, all have had to be, and have been taken into consideration. The action proposed can, in no sense, be termed precipitate. Members of the Board of Aldermen, through following the discussion of these topics, must be well advised in the premises. In some cities where zoning plans have been formulated and undertaken, and are now being worked out successfully, litigation has followed the enact- ment of law. The pending St. Louis ordinance has had the consideration of the municipal department. That fact may now prevent litigation, but fehe experience of New York, which affords the best test, proves that some liti- gants, after practical demonstration of the benefits of zoning, have abandoned all efforts at obstruction. It is necessary to go forward, and, to go forward it is necessary to make a start. — Ed., Globe-Democrat, June 14, 1918. St. Louis is sufficiently cursed with blighted districts — residence areas of former times that have been made desolate by the unrestricted spread of industry — to recognize at once the wisdom of such districting regulations as were discussed by the City Plan Commission on Thursday with members of the aldermanic legislation committee. The City Plan Commission has worked out tentatively a set of regulations whereby every block of the city would be definitely classified as residential, commercial or industrial property. Within a short time, it was announced, a complete report on the subject will be made, after which it is proposed to prepare an ordinance which would put into operation the restrictions contemplated. Districting restrictions in St. Louis would afford a guarantee of intelli- gent growth in the future. They would give real estate values stability. Homes could be built with an idea of permanency, because the builder of a home could be assured against being driven out, after a few years, by the in- vasion of commercial or industrial structures. While the City Plan Commis- sion does not propose to interfere with present development, to rout present factories from districts which should have been conserved for residential sections, it does mean to provide safeguards for the future. The Supreme Court of the. United States has sustained the principle of districting, and has upheld its operation as a police power. The profit of districting on an in- EDITORIALS 77 telligent basis is so apparent that St. Louis should not see need of hesitating about adopting such legislation as is necessary for its operation. —Ed., St. Louis Star, 2/28/18. ZONING NOW IN FORCE St. Louis now has a zoning ordinance in force. By it every block in the city is definitely established as belonging to a particular class of property — residence, commercial, limited industrial or unrestricted. The ordinance is sufficently elastic so that any weaknesses that may be developed in future years may be corrected. In the meantime, owners of homes may feel suffi- ciently protected against the spread of industry which might destroy both the value and the environment of their property. The enactment of the zoning ordinance is an evidence of progress in St. Louis. It puts St. Louis among the first of the large cities of the country to take this important modern step in building a city properly. New York took the step first. St. Louis is the next to follow that lead. The operation of zoning is not likely to demonstrate its effect at once. It will not correct mis- takes already made in the development of the city. But it will, to a large extent, put a barrier in the way of future mistakes. The real force of intelli- gent zoning regulations in a large city has future generations as its bene- ficiaries. —Ed., St. Louis Star, July 17, 1918. PASS THE ZONING ORDINANCE Before the Board of Aldermen adjourn for the summer it Should pass the ordinance for establishing in St. Louis the zone system of improvements as prepared by the City Plan Commission. That plan is not perfection, but de- tails may be changed at times. What we want now is to establish the prin- ciple of control of building improvements on the zone plan. Certain resi- dence districts need to be protected from undesirable structures which lessen the value of surrounding property. Certain commercial districts need to be protected from the incursion of factories. All modern cities are now trying so to direct and regulate their growth that property values once created shall not be destroyed, and there shall be both a harmonious and a prosperous de- velopment of all elements that go into the making of a city. It is too late to cure much damage that has already been done by the absence of any sort of regulation of the place and character of improvements. Commercial buildings and apartment houses have been constructed in strictly family residence districts and industries have been located in strictly com- mercial sections. These cannot now be removed, but further invasion can be prevented, while districts not yet invaded may be preserved from invasion. The board should act on this ordinance before it adjourns for the summer. —Ed. St. Louis Star, June 13, '18. THE ZONE PLAN ORDINANCE With the adoption of the pending zone ordinance by the Aldermen, only a beginning will be made in applying a beneficent principle tending to stable and symmetrical city growth. Many changes have already been made in the scheme since it was first elab- orated by the City Plan Commission. Undoubtedly many changes will be made in it from time to time after enactment, to conform with the needs of the future. Its legality is yet to be determined. That it might be held reasonable in some of its details and unreasonable in others is entirely conceivable. To represent the consensus of neghborhood opinion in a great multitude of streets and parts of streets and provide for all conditions in St. Louis' 61% square miles of territory was obviously a difficult task. 78 CITY PLAN COMMISSION But as giving recognition to the principle of city control of city develop- ment — community building to serve the greatest good of the greatest num- ber — the adoption of the ordinance will mark an important departure. It is a measure for the conservation of values. It will tend to prevent violent fluc- tuations in the price of real estate. It applies to the city at large through municipal legislation regulations which, as made operative by common con- sent in outlying districts and suburbs, are universally conceded to be an asset contributing to neighborhood desirability. It is not to be regarded as laying down a hard and fast rule, but as a meas- ure of promise in a matter on which St. Louis has already delayed too long — as a help, not a handicap, in future municipal progress — it should receive alder- manic sanction before the adjournment for the summer recess on June 28th. — Ed. Post Dispatch, June 13, 1918. A ST. LOUIS LONG STEP IN ADVANCE With the signing of the zone measure by the Mayor, St Louis takes the longest step yet recorded in any large city for the protective control of city growth. Other cities have regulated the height of skyscrapers, have prescribed a minimum ratio between the size of site and building, on premises designed for human occupancy, have deereed that a few lines of property-depreciating business shall not invade residence districts without the consent of the prop- erty owners. But St. Louis is the first city to embody not only these regula- tions, but others designating the use that may lawfully be made of frontage and other property, setting aside certain areas for business, for residences of various classes and for business combined with residence uses. The meas- ure is so comprehensive as to include the entire territory of the city, and sup- plements an excellent building code already in force, imposing Are and sanita- tion safeguards, with provisions designed to conserve values, promote harmo- nious city development and preserve and encourage attractive physical fea- tures. Confessedly its more advanced features involve some new legal problems, but the scheme has been devised after wise co-operation with property ow%ers and deference to their desires. Its flexibility and evident purpose to secure the greatest good to the greatest number are expected to minimize dissent and resistance to the interesting experiment it inaugurates. It is really an associ- ated, voluntary effort for making the city a better place to live in, to which has been given the force of a city ordinance. It is a model on which city beautiful legislation in other large cities will undoubteldy be based. Ed Post-Dispatch, July 16, 1918. A GOOD "ZONE" PUDDING An old saying to the effect that "the proof of the pudding is in the eat- ing" acquires new importance out of an agitation in New York over what is feared to be a possibility that "zoning," now fairly under way in that city, may be abandoned, or harmfully modified, by the new mayor. Having tried the experiment of regulating the height and construction of buildings, dividing the city into business and residential districts, and conserving sanitation and hygiene, as well as appearance, in a multitude of ways, the real estate inter- ests are practically a unit in opposition to any material change in method of management. And out of the mayor's office are coming reiterated assurances that there is there neither disposition nor intention to impair the efficiency of ordinances which are steadily demonstrating their usefulness and value. The pudding having been tasted, there is no dissent, in any quarter, from the opinion that it is very good. Remembering the protests at first made in New York against contem- plated changes, and future restrictions, the case for the zonists appears to be EDITORIALS 79 proved. And yet it remains to be said that protest and opposition were less in New York than in other large communities where the evils of haphazard building have not run such a long course, in restricted building areas, as to demonstrate themselves and the continuing losses which grow out of them. The New Yorker could see, in the condition existing there, their past mis- takes and follies. When, about a year ago, a movement was started to re- move the cloak and suit manufacturers from that part of the city north of Twenty-second street, between Third and Seventh avenues, a house-to-house canvass met co-operation instead of opposition, and the like result has at- tended similar work in other quarters. Zoning in New York has now pro- gressed far enough to have proved its great and continuing worth. The out- spoken fear of any possible termination of the work is the result. One opinion expressed by all the leaders of thought and action who have been speaking for publication, is that zoning has already resulted in stabilizing real estate values. —Ed., Globe-Democrat, Feb. 27, 1918. PLAN COMMISSION'S ZONE SYSTEM Restrictions on the uses to which the real estate in areas of considerable extent may be put have been made familiar by the terms regulating subdivi- sions in the newer sections of the city and in the suburbs. These restrictions are made operative by the collective action of owners' and by stipulations in- serted in deeds that become binding on those to whom a transfer of title is made. What the City Plan Commission would do under its scheme to divide St. Louis into zones is to apply to the city at large similar restrictions minutely particularized to designate areas reserved for single residences, for apartment houses, for tradesmen's shops and for industrial establishments. The map printed in the Sunday Post-Dispatch showing what is contemplated presents evidence that the commissioners have devoted much thought and labor to the subject. Examination of details in the map indicates that so far at least as certain streets and districts are concerned, the commissioners have also per- formed their task with a knowledge of the conditions now existing therein and with judgment. As to the value of some such zone system, no question can be raised. To center certain uses and activities in certain areas would promote convenience. It would prevent the price of realty from being depreciated by the encroach- ments of undesirable lines of business and serve a high purpose in protecting the surroundings of St. Louis homes. Just how restrictions of such scope are to be made effective by legislation may not be apparent when the courts enforce with restrictions imposed by the voluntary agreements of owners and construe doubtful points in favor of the full privilege of the owner to make any use he desires of his property barring, of course, suggestive and educational quality of the commission's work is not to be minimized. — Ed., Post-Dispatch, March 5, 1918. FOR THE "ZONING" OF ST. LOUIS "Zoning" cities is a term coined to include many things in the regulation and control, by municipal authority, of the building activities in a growing community. Much less than a generation ago, even the initial efforts of municipalities in taking precautionary means of safeguarding life and prop- erty, in measures of sanitation and for mechanical inspection of building work, were being challenged. But the unprecedentedly rapid growth of nearly all large urban communities in the United States has emphasized the necessity of community action for the public safety. Accordingly, "zoning" has come to be recognized as a legal and legitimate municipal activity. When the St. 80 CITY PLAN COMMISSION Louis City Plan Commission began, something more than a year ago, to pre- pare a plan of zoning for St. Louis, the work was undertaken by municipal authority and it is to the St. Louis Board of Public Service the first reports of the commission is now made. We have seldom seen illustration used to better advantage in connection and co-operation with the printed word, than we find in this report. The pic- tures are co-ordinated with the text in most effective ways. The argument for preventing, in the future growth of St. Louis, such haphazard building de- velopment as must complicate both the present and the future traffic conges- tion problems, is strengthened by the view called "The Olive Street Canyon," showing one of the principal high building groups of the main business dis- trict. The commission has attached to the title line of this picture the com- ment: "High buildings on narrow streets such as this do not permit the sun's rays to reach the lower floors of these buildings as they should." That fact is obvious enough, but the commission relies on no mere ipse dixit to sustain its reasonings. It reasons logically from conceded premises to clear conclusions in the discussion of inequalities in land values owing to congestions largely encouraged by earlier negligence in the prevention of con- gestion. It makes even clearer than it has been, that comparatively inflated values growing out of permitted congestions are unstable, because of the very conditions their inevitable defects must breed, and points the fact that the stability of such values breeds instability of all land values in a community. — Ed., Globe-Democrat, February 17, 1918. THE ZONING ORDINANCE Before the present session of the Board of Aldermen ends it is probable that the proposed zoning ordinance will be taken up and disposed of. It is time St. Louis has some such regulatory law. Large portions of the city have already become a sort of No Man's Land, where any sort of structure may be built and any sort of business established, though no sort of structure and no sort of business exactly fits the surroundings. The purpose of the bill is to preserve such districts as already have a well-marked character and keep them for the purposes to which they are al- ready devoted. Residence districts will be kept as residence districts and re- gions where commercial enterprises are now established or developing will be set aside for future commercial development. Around such districts bars will be erected to keep out such forms of industry as tend to reduce values, but ample space will be set aside as unrestricted territory, where any industry tolerable in a city will be free to establish itself. In order to make this general plan effective many zones must be marked out and many exacting regulations must be made. All of these will have to be considered with care, and some of them may be open to dispute, but as to the general purpose of the measure there is no room for controversy. The same good reasons which cause land owners to market their property subject to restrictions as to its use should move the city to establish general restric- tions with a view to conserving values, promoting public health and securing the best possible development of the city. Perfection in the new ordinance is not to be expected, but in considering the bill the members of the Council should remember that any good ordinance is better than none. It is better that the city should grow according to in- telligent regulation than by chance. —Ed., Republic, June 11, 1918. INDEX Application of restrictions Area Districts "A" District "B" District "C" District "D" District Purpose Page 26 40 41 41 41 42 40 Section of Map facing 20 Area, dwellings covering extensive lot illustration 47 Area, tenement covering extensive lot illustration 48 Area occupied, percentage of lot 20 Area occupied, section of map facing 20 Area of buildings and sunlight 68 Assessed value of land 20 Assessed value of land, Section of map facing 20 Building heights* and sunlight on typical street 24 Building line, tenement violating illustrated 50 Building : Height and area and sunlight 68 Height in business district 39 Height — section of map facing 20 High — not justified 58 New industrial 22 Rear yard illustration 54' Business District, height of buildings 39 City Planning, objectives 13 Commerce in Residence Districts 34 Commercial Districts 13 Committee on Zoning 17 Comprehensive Plan for St. Louis 14 Congested District illustration 55 Conservation of Public Health 5S Constitutionality of Zoning 44 Court in a tenement illustration 54 Depreciation Caused by Unstable Growth.. 60 Development of River des Peres Valley.... map 1. Present facing 15 2. Proposed facing 15 District : Congested illustration 55 Height of Buildings in Business 39 Districts, Area 40 "A" 41 "B" 41 "C" 41 "D" 42 Purpose 40. Section of Map facing 20 Districts : Economic Value of Height 40 General Classification 26 Districts, Height 37 45 foot 38 60 foot 38 80 foot 38 120 foot 39 150 foot 39 Section of Map facing 20 Districts, Use 28 First residence 30 Second residence 32 Commercial 33 Industrial 35 Unrestricted 37 Section of Map facing 20 Page Dwellings Covering Extensive Lot Area.... 47 Economic Value of Height Districts 40 Editorial Comment 75-80 Globe-Democrat 76, 78, 79 Post-Dispatch , ... 77, 78, 79 St. Louis Republic 80 St. Louis Star 76, 77, 79 Expansion of Industry 35 Factories 1913-1917, Location map 25 Factory in *■ Residence District illustration 51, 52 Filling Station in a Residence' District illustration 59 First Residence District 30 Flexibility of Zone Law 28 Garage in a Residence District. illustration 54 Growth : and the Zone Plan 15 Depreciation Caused bv Unstable 60 Unregulated 62 Health, Conservation of Public 50 Height District, Economic Value of 40 Height Districts 37 45 foot 38 60 foot 38 80 foot 38 120 foot 39 150 foot 39 Purpose 37 Section of Map facing 20 Height Map — Deductions 38 Height of Buildings 20 and sunlight 68 In Business District 39 Section of Map facing 20 High Buildings Not Justified 58 Illustration, List 7 Industrial Districts 35 Industries 22 Distribution 22 Map 21 Industry : Expansion 38 In Residence District 35, 36 Introduction 11 Letter of Transmittal 9 Light Projection 22 List of: Illustrations 7 Maps and Plans 5 Major Street Plan 33 In Commercial Districts 34 In Residence Districts 32 Progress map 33 Maps and Plans, List of 5 Map Studies 20-22 Nature of Restrictions 26 Nervous Disorders 62 New York City, Decrease in Valuation of Property 11 Non-Conforming Use of Buildings 28 Objectives of City Planning 13 Olive Street Canyon illustration 56 82 INDEX. Page Open Spaces, Restriction Upon 43 Plan, Preparation , 17 Plan for St. Louis, Comprehensive 14' Plans, List of Maps and 5 Population, density map facing 26 Power, Zoning a Police 44 Preparation of the Flan 17 Property owners. Zoning a Protection.... 63 Property, "Unimproved map 29 Publicity of Zone Plan 19 Questionnaires and Answers 17-19 Recreation, Zoning as an Aid 66 Residence : Improperly Situated illustration 49 Stable Adjoining illustration 53 Residence District : Factory in a illustration 51 Factory in a illustration 52 Filling Station in a illustration 54 Garage in a illustration 54 Street in a illustration 54 Residence Districts : Commerce in 34 First _ 30 Industry in 35-36 Second 32 Restrictions : >,ature and Application 26 Upon Open Spaces 43 Upon Rooms 43 Rever des Peres Valley : Development 15 Present Development map facing 15 Proposed Development map facing 15 Use Districts map facing 15 Rooms, Restrictions Upon 43 Second Residence Districts 32 Sewerage and Zoning 71 Special Studies 22 St. Louis : An Advance 78 Comprehensive Plan 14 Prevailing Winds 24' Stable Adjoining Residence. . . .illustration 53 Street : Car Lines and Time Zones, Present, map 23 Grades 22 Improper Development illustration 54 Plan, Major, Commercial District 34 Plan, Major, Residence District 32-33 Plan, Major, Progress map facing 33 In a Residence District illustration 54 Studies, Special 22 Sunlight : And Building Heights on Typical Streets 24 And Height and. Area of Building 68 Tenement : Covering Extensive Area 48 Court in a illustration 54 Violating Building Line illustration 50 Testimony, Expert 57 Page Testimony of : Bitting, W. C, D.D 67 Bliss, M. A., M.D 63 Cunliff, Nelson, Com. of Parks and . Recreation 66 Gundlach, J. H., Realtor 63 Haydock, Winters, Civil Engineer 68 Horner, W. W., Engineer, Bd. of Pub. Service 71 Jordan, G. A., Asst. Health Com 58 Lionberger, Isaac H. . . . ; 60 Smith, E. D., Chief Eng., United Rys. Co 62 Wade, Festus -T., Pres. Mercantile Trust Co 58 Time Zones 22 Time Zones and Street Car Lines.... map 23 Topography, Character of Local ....map 31 Transmittal, Letter of 9 Transportation, Zoning Simplifies 61 Unimproved Property map 29 Unrestricted Districts . . r 37 Unrestricted Location of 37 Use Districts: Commercial 33 First Residence 30 Industrial 35 River des Peres Valley map facing 15 Second Residence 32 Section of Map ..facing 20 Unrestricted 37 Zone Law map 10 Use of All Property 20 Section of map facing 20 Use of Buildings, Non-Conforming 28 Use of Property : Present 24 Zone Law 24 Valuation of Property New York City, De- crease 11 Section of Map facing 20 Welfare, Zoning Promoted Public 67 Wind Roses, Map 27 Winds, Prevailing in St. Louis 24 Zone Law : Flexibility 28 Map of Use Districts 10 Use of Property 24 Zone Plan : Globe-Democrat Editprial 78 Growth of the City and the 15 Post-Dispatch Editorial 77 Publicity 19 Zone System, Post-Dispatch 79 Zoning : A Police Power 44 A Protection to the City -. . . . 63 Protection to Property Owners 63 Aid to Public Recreation 46 Committee 17 Constitutionality 44 Definition ll Now in Force (editorial) 77 Of St. Louis (editorial) 79 And sewerage : 71 Ordinance (editorial) 80 Ordinance (editorial) 76 Ordinance (editorial) 76 Ordinance (editorial) 79 Promotes the Public Welfare 67 Purpose 45 Simplifies Transportation 61 ' ■ I t ■ . • - ^1