Minutes 09/26/1922 - Laserfiche WebLink

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September 26, 1922 Then Mt. Stewart offered the following resolution and moved that the s~me He laid on the t~ble to be taken up at a future meeting of Council: The motion was adopted. ,Resolution Relative to the Development of the Portsmouth Flat Lying Between the North- eastern Part of the City and the Naval Hospital Grounds. 'Chereas, the Portsmouth flats, which occupy a large acreage of waste land, cause a break in the water-front line of the Oity of ~Portsmouth, and the dmedging and filling in of these Flats would develop a fine location for an additional residential sectio~ a~d also a favorable water Pont property reaching from the foot of Crawford street to the U. ~. Naval Hospital Grounds, where it would be convenient f~r large vessels to berth, and the whole proposed proposition would tend to beautify the city and add much to the availability of this port in a business way, and be conducive to the public health, besides increase the taxable v~l- ues of the city to a large extent, as the said territory has more possibilities, if developed, than any other section of the city in this regard; and Whereas, These Flats contain a very shallow depth of water from I to 2 feet in the main and possibly 3 feet ~t the eastern extremity, and the project, it is believed, would not be as costly an undertaking as supposed, provided the portion now owne~by private parties could be acquired by the city at a nominal cost, Therefore be it RESOLVED, That the CITY NANAGER is hereby authorized ~o investigate, and if he thinks ~the projee~ worthy of consideration, to n~gotiate with the owners of the s~id property and ascer- ~ . · e fo~ the information of the Council, with an estimated cos~ of the rain the cost of ~he.s~m .... edging (bu eadin to be o~ the inexpensive Eheadin and f~ll~ng ~n ~ne pro~ert~ by ~ ~kh g ~ true to the city after ~i~nd, not ~oncreted), and the possmble profmt, mf any, that would e reclamation and the s~le of the property to private interests, the city reserving sufficient water-front space to meet its demands for commerce. And the City ~anager to work out a plan whereby the whole shheme could be financed, possibly ~ bond issue predicated upon the value ~ ~eb~uPeUtun~ln~h~ excep~ to guarantee the pay- ~ ~J~ ~d~n~st~ ~ ' " obligation has been met and of that a e i merit of e c the debt oancelled~ and to be a paying investment to the city instemd of ~ possible burden upon its resources. After the proposed improvements are made, it is further understood that, with the except- ion of the immediate wa~er-front property, and sufficient spmoe to open the necessary streets, the originml owner, or owners, of any particular t~act of l~nd, may purchase it back from the city, if desired for residential purposes, at the originml cost to the city plus the cost of improvement mhd interest upon the same at a fi~e that will insure the city,against any loss in the particular transaction-~ On motion, a, djourned. CITY