COMMISSION ON BUILDING DISTRICTS 



ings and from the public streets, to prevent unwholesome and danger- 

 ous congestion both in living conditions and in street and transit 

 traffic and to reduce the hazards of fire and peril to life; and 



" Whereas, Under the provisions of Section 407 of the Charter, 

 the height and size of buildings may be regulated by city ordinance, 

 but such ordinance must first have the approval of the Board of 

 Estimate and Apportionment ; therefore be it 



" Resolved, That the chairman be authorized to appoint a com- 

 mittee of three members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment 

 to take this general subject under consideration, to inquire into and 

 investigate conditions actually existing, and to ascertain and report 

 whether, in their judgment, it is desirable to regulate the height, size 

 and arrangement of buildings hereafter to be erected or altered within 

 the city limits, with due regard to their location, character or uses, 

 to examine into the practice and the comparative experience of other 

 cities either here or abroad, and to consider and report upon the 

 question of the legal right of the City of New York to regulate build- 

 ing construction in the manner proposed ; and be it further 



" Resolved, That such Committee may also investigate and report 

 whether, in their judgment, it would be lawful and desirable for the 

 purposes of such regulation to divide the City into districts or into 

 zones, and to prescribe the regulation of the height, size and arrange- 

 ment of buildings upon different bases in such different districts 

 or zones ; and be it further 



" Resolved, That the Committee, when appointed, may in turn 

 appoint an advisory commission to aid in its work, such commission to 

 consist of as many members as the Committee may determine, serv- 

 ing without pay, if not already in the employment of the City, but 

 including representatives of each of the several boroughs, and that 

 either the Committee or its advisory commission may hold public hear- 

 ings in each of the boroughs and may use all appropriate means to 

 bring the subject to the attention of the taxpayers and to other 

 persons who may be interested ; and be it further 



" Resolved, That the Committee be empowered to employ a sec- 

 retary, who shall also be the secretary of the advisory commission, 

 to secure such expert or technical advice as it may require for its 

 proper guidance, and to incur such other incidental expenses as it 

 may from time to time find necessary, such disbursements to be made 

 from the contingent fund of this Board, but not to exceed in the 

 aggregate the sum of $15,000; and be it further 



" Resolved, That the said Committee be instructed to submit, if 

 practicable, in advance of any general report that it may make, sug- 

 gestions and recommendations with relation to the proposed limitation 

 of the height of building;? upon Fifth avenue, between One Hundred 

 and Tenth street and Washington Square, in the Borough of Man- 



