PARKS INCREASE LAND VALUES 



South Park Districts for the year 1898 (before Benton Boule- 

 vard from Independence Avenue to Thirty-first Street was 

 completed) was $18,421,000. In the year 1910 the combined 

 assessed land valuation in the North and South Park Districts 

 was $31,283,130, or a natural gain of assessed land valuations 

 in the period 1898 and 1910 amounting to $12,862,130, or 69.82 

 per cent. 



In the year 1898 (before Benton Boulevard from Indepen- 

 dence Avenue to Thirty-first Street was built) the land fronting 

 on what is now Benton Boulevard from Independence Avenue 

 to Thirty-first Street was assessed at $131.415. In the year 

 1910 this same land frontage was assessed at $372,690, pro- 

 ducing a gain of $241,275 assessed land value, or 183.62 per 

 cent. 



In 1898 as well as in 1910 all land was assessed on the theory 

 of 40 per cent, of its marketable value. This ratio would make 

 1898 assessed valuation, as recited above, show a theoretical 

 marketable value of $328,537 for land fronting on Benton 

 Boulevard from Independence Avenue to Thirty -first Street. 

 All frontage improvements of Benton Boulevard from Inde- 

 pendence Avenue to Thirty-first Street amounted to $229,- 

 996.44, or 70 per cent, of marketable value (based as above 



The land fronting on Benton Boulevard from Independence 

 Avenue to Thirty-first Street increased in value in the period 

 1898 to 1910 183.62 per cent. Of this per cent, of boulevard 

 land gain 70 per cent, is absorbed for frontage improvements 

 and 69.82 per cent, for natural gain of all land through- 

 out the North and South Districts from 1898 to 1910, thus 

 leaving the land gain of Benton Boulevard frontage 43.78 

 per cent, net in excess of the land in the North and South 

 Park Districts not fronting on Boulevards. 



(Report of Park Commissioners of Kansas City, 1910.) 



Kansas City (2) 



Let us discuss the question, then, from a purely practical 

 standpoint, a business point of view, if you please. I would 

 add to the park reservations the boulevard and connecting 

 parkway plan, affording fine pleasure driveways upon which 

 desirable residential frontages may be obtained. If this plan 

 is followed, and a comprehensive connected system of parks, 

 parkways, and boulevards commensurate with the size, impor- 

 tance, and civic spirit of your city be adopted (this work should 



[38] 



