INTRODUCTION O 



hattan, and within certain prescribed areas on either side of the said 

 avenue, as proposed in the resolution presented to this Board on May 

 9, 1912, and now pending ; and be it further 



" Resolved, That such Committee shall submit its final report and 

 recommendations to the Board not later than six months from the 

 date of its appointment, and shall thereupon cease to exist." 



In accordance with this resolution the Mayor appointed a Heights 

 of Buildings Committee with George McAneny, President of the Borough 

 of Manhattan, as Chairman. This Committee appointed an Advisory Com- 

 mission consisting of the following members : Edward M. Bassett, Chair- 

 man; Edward C. Blum, Edward W. Brown, William H. Chesebrough, 

 William A. Cokeley, Otto M. Eidlitz, Abram I. Elkus, Burt L. Fenner, 

 J. Monroe Hewlett, Robert W. Higbie, C. Grant La Farge, Nelson P. Lewis, 

 George T. Mortimer, Lawson Purdy, Allan Robinson, August F. Schwarzler, 

 Franklin S. Tomlin, Lawrence Veiller and Gaylord S. White. 



On December 23, 1913, this Advisory Commission submitted its report. 

 The Commission, through its technical staff, made extensive investigations, 

 both of existing conditions in New York City and of the practice and experi- 

 ence of other cities, both domestic and foreign, including an intensive study 

 of the zone regulations of German cities. The Commission held an extended 

 series of hearings and of conferences with leading experts and others rep- 

 resenting the civic, social, professional, business and real estate interests 

 of the entire city. The Commission's report of 295 pages contains a thor- 

 oughgoing and authoritative discussion of the problem of regulating the 

 height, area and use of buildings. The Commission states that it finds 

 conclusive evidence of the need of greater control over building develop- 

 ment. " The present almost unrestricted power to build to any height, 

 over any proportion of the lot, for any desired use and in any part of the 

 city, has resulted in injury to real estate and business interests, and to the 

 health, safety and general welfare of the city." The Commission found 

 that any complete system of building control necessitated the application of 

 different regulations to different parts of the city and accordingly recom- 

 mended that the city be divided into districts and that the restrictions for 

 each district be worked out with reference to the peculiar needs and require- 

 ments of that particular district. 



The resolution under which the Heights of Buildings Commission was 

 appointed directed it to investigate and report on whether in its judgment 

 a districting plan would be lawful. The Commission gave much attention 

 to this problem and considered carefully the various laws and decisions 

 bearing on the subject. As a result of such consideration the Commission 

 gave as its mature opinion that reasonable and appropriate regulations for 

 the districting of the city are constitutional under the general police powers 

 of the State. The Commission submitted a draft charter amendment per- 

 mitting the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to divide the city into 

 districts for the purpose of regulating the heights of buildings, the area of 



