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NEW BUSINESS
<br />
<br />March 9th, 1954.
<br />
<br /> 54-73. The following letter from -Mrs. Mari~nM. Martin was read:
<br />
<br /> '~hen we decided to sell our property at 112 Greenway Drive, Grove Park, we asked.a real
<br />estate man to inspect the property and discuss the possibility of selling. When he entered our home, he asked,
<br />"How do the people next door get by running a mzsplaced tourist court?" He added such property would decrease
<br />the value of our property. Around-that date, Mrs W.B. Oarden, owner of the property next door, moved a half
<br />finished garage from the rear of her property to the side of her house and as near our property as possible. Mrs.
<br />Darden informed me she was building the room and bath for her daughter in Washington, andwhen her daughter was
<br />not here the place would be rented. Having self-respecting people in our duplex apartment onthat side, and know-
<br />ing that such people would not tolerate such proximity, I called .the City Engineer's office and ~sked what Mrs.
<br />Darden's permit was for. She had no moving permit - no building permit. After calling the office four times,
<br />some one from the office came out and my next information was that Mr. Darden stated he didn't kn6w he was suppose¢
<br />to have a moving permit and that two years ago he applied for a permit to build a garage. I asked the man in the
<br />City Engineer's office if he checked to find the application. The answer was "No". I v~s informed by Mr. Berger-
<br />on that the building was moved without a permit and his office could do nothing about it. Plnmbing.wasinstalled
<br />and I was informed hy Mrs. Darden that she was building a toilet at our dining room window for her colored help,
<br />maid and yardmen. Again I talked to the City Engineer's office-and then £o the Building Inspector. Sincebeijg
<br />taken into.the City, Mrs. Darden has changed the exterior of one entire side of her house, added a room making an
<br />additional apartment. A dormer window has been installed in the roof, her kitchen enlarged, enlarged her "B"
<br />apartment and probable other changes. For these changes, she had a permit for a back porch June t, 1948, and the
<br /> permit for a storage room secured last week after I called the City, Engineer's office four times. The moving Der-
<br /> mit has been overlooked. Mrs. Darden has eight apartments rented.
<br />
<br /> I discussed this building with Mr. Houghton, our city councilman and he told me.he would
<br /> secure a complete report. He informed me today, March Stb, that Mr. Darden assured him no exterior changes had
<br /> been made and permits had been secured for all work done.
<br />
<br /> My husband, before leaving Portsmouth, was employed by the same company for twenty-liTe
<br />years and served the'City of Portsmouth at any time he was called on. I have taught in your school System where
<br />.citizenship is stressed; We have been law-abiding citizens and have respected the property rights of others. And
<br />now, as a taxpayer of your city, I would like an explanation as'to why a condition of this kind exists i~ the Cit'
<br />of Portsmouth. I would also like to know what assurance I can give any person interested in buying our house that'
<br />the tourist court will not continue to grow.
<br />
<br /> Respectfully yours,
<br />
<br /> Mrs. Marian N. Martin, 112 Greenway. Drive"
<br /> Motion of Mr. Houghton to refer to the City Manager, was adopted.
<br /> 54-74. The following letter from Edwin J. Rosenbau]nwas read:
<br />
<br /> "On February 1st and on February 23rd, I sent you complementary articles on the present
<br />tunnel bus routing and I requested your presenting them to the City Council for proper actions. Up to the present
<br />I have had no reply from you as to their final disposition. I consider the matter discussed of major importance to
<br />Portsmouth. interests, and.in c~se you do not plan to present the articles~I would greatly appreciate their immediat~
<br />return to me. In any event, I would like very much to learn your personal reaction to my recommendation.Thanking
<br />you for your trouble."
<br />
<br /> "The Tunnel Authority enjoys annually an estimated increase of 660,000 passengers at
<br /> ten cents each through the routing of tunnel buses to High,Street. At ghe rats of approximately 2,000 per day or
<br /> 1,O00 rotuud~rips per day on every business day of the year, the majority of these actual, and potential shoppers
<br /> are induced to go to Norfolk by the convenience of City bus lines connected with tunnel buses, landing them in the
<br /> virtual heart of Norfolk's shopping.district.
<br />
<br /> Rental values and businessreal. ~state values ~re determined largelyby traffic count.
<br />T~e merchants' dzcily loss of one thousand round trips per day of actual and potential buyers eats at the heart of
<br />business anal real estate values. The majority of these 1,000 daily passengers are immediate buyers as differentiated
<br />from average pedestrial traffic such as employees in or outside the business district, people on other business,
<br />window shoppers and actual buyers. These round trip shoppers have substantial amounts to spend; they are not paying
<br />twenty cents for round trip tnnnel fare just to buy fifty cent or one dollar articles in Norfolk. Their spending is
<br />in a high bracket - some of the business cream.
<br />
<br /> I estimate the loss of gross business to Portsmouth merchants at a mmnimum of $2,000,00~
<br />to ~3,000,000. or more per ~ear.At a 50% mark-up, this means n loss in gross proXit of $667,000. to $1,000,000. per
<br />year. The salvage of this gmoss profit would go into rent, clerk hire and all the other incidental costs of run -
<br />ning business.This gross business also makes a big difference ~n inventory at the end of the year. Loss of gross
<br />profit means the difference between net profit and net loss to many individual mercB~nts; it could mean the differ-f
<br />ence between solvency and bankruptcy to some; it makes a big difference to all.
<br />
<br /> ~ No amount the tunnel bus company could afford to pay would compensate the merchanats,
<br />the property owners or the City of Portsmouth for the loss of business resulting from bringing the tunnel buses to
<br />High St. The.loss to the ferry caused directly by bringing the tunnel buses runs into thousands of dollars per
<br /> yea~,
<br />and this loss is paid for by ail the ~axpayers of the City of Portsmouth. The tunnel buses must be redistricted to~
<br />the plaza of the tunnel." :1
<br />
<br />On motion filed.
<br />
<br />Onmotion adjourned.
<br />
<br />Approved -
<br />
<br /> President.
<br />
<br />
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