100 The RedttaBLe B@k of Cakfornia

W. A. HETTMAN
 The Reoltu BIueBouk ol Cdifornia 101

Subdivisions
Bfl w. A. HEITMAN

Subd,ioiding Through the Ages-EquipmelLt ol the Sub-

d:1)ider-Forecastingtlrc T|end of Detelopment-Corkwta-
tion ol Cost-Suburbo'n Propertl'Res4iLence R6trict'ions'

IVILIZATION besanwith thc first subdivider.Primitive man.

onlva liltlp abovttle ape,wsnderedfrom cavelo cave withoul
ownershipor setlledhabitation.But whenthe firci grgup Pal-
uD a tract of land.' when the head of each fanily was able to look
an area of land and say "This is mine, here I can make improve
which will be mv own. here I will raise my habitation," right
the first rung of the ladder of human progress was climbed.

SUBDTVIDINC THROUCI{ THE AGES

Ati early history is the history of real est4te opelations, Bp]'rng
a new regiron,moving in upon it, subdividingit. Readin Exodus
the movement of the Israelites upon Palestine, aDd you have par-
ed a sreat
-among real estatetransaction,even to the parceling out of
lends the vanous t bes, and further directions as to the
livision among famili6.
Down through all the ageswherevera city has b€enbuilt, a road
out, an irrigation ditch dug, a wilalemesssubduealand made into
le fields, a ;ubdivider hss led the way-a real estate man has
at work.
Present day aclivities of the subdivjder are govemed by the fact
by far the largesl class ol pofential in\estors in real estat€ is
io of rcople w:hodesireto 6avea plol of ground upon vrhich to
uheirown homeswith a litlle spacefor a gardenand flowers.
Thosebuyers of rFal estale who plan-to se.ure land for the erec-
of buildingsfor rentalpurToses. and {hospotheN.whobuy land
."tv for speiularion,also deai largely rvith Ihe subdjvider' but for
neril punlosesll, is the fillin-gof Lher ants of lhe homeseekerthat
thoushtoi in connection with the acli\iLiesot lhe subdivider.

EQUIPMENT OF TIIE SUBDIVIDE&

As in other lines of business, the golden rule is the best keJmote
the oDerationsof the subdivide!. His experiencewill have taught
the important parts played in land values by such featu-resas
conditions, tianspirtition faciliti€s, proximitv to the line of
of the better residential sections of a town or city, neamesg
LOz Thc Re( ta BlueBook of otllifornh,

to schools,clurches, stores and markets, and freedom from the rleiqh-

borhoodof objectionableindustrial activities such as noise-producing
factories,foundriesor slaughterhouses.
Foresight, built upon a solid foundation of experience,next to t]1e
golden rule, is a valuableassetin the equipmentof the subdivider.
He should keep a close watch on the development of his town or city
and should infom himself of all the factors ihat will enable him to
estimateits populationten and twenty years ahead.

FORECASTINGIHE 1REND OI! DEYELOPMENT

Industdal developmentnowadays is the most important factor in
fignring on the future gTou'th of a city. If new manufacturing enter-
prises are coming at a rate that is.speedyin comparison with the nor-
mal development of other cities, it is absolutely certain that the
grcwth in population r rill be prcportionatety rapid snd that the resi
dential districts are bound to expand and flll up vacant spaces in
surroundingterdtory.
. While the businessdistricts, analpalticularly the bestretail shop-
ping districts of rapidly growing cities, shift ileir locations, it is
a well establishedrule that the area of highest value movesfrom the
first businesscenter tow'ard the best residential district, with the crest
of the wave of edvancingvalues usually in the middle of the retail
shoppingdistricts.
Knoi.ledge of geneml real estate history will have shown the
subdiviiler that apart from any unusual in{iuencesthat may deflect
lhe linc.oflhis growth.thF landlyinc in thc path ot this de\elopmenl
is certain to increasein value. So the experiencedsubdividerwish-
ing to sell his property on a basisof advancinEvaluesseeksto swim
with the culrenLof his ciry'sgro$4h.
- lf lhe subd;viderwill lakc an up{o-datemap of his city and its
suburbshe wjll nnd il worth his white to draw uponit a skejih of his
idea of whal it will be ten yearc and twenty years in the future. A
chart showing the_ci1y'sgro\rth over s period of years brought up
to daje and carricdinto the future alongthe line of an ascinding
curve basedon past annual percentagesof grotr'th will be useful.
Let him study the trends of gros.th and the trenalsof travel. He
vrill find that there are avenueswhich are almostunDoticedtoday that
'will be busy businessstreets.
There are cross mads that wil blcome
businesscente$. There are fields analslopes that vrill be coveredwith
homes.
He should ask himself 'where these additional thousands of ner
populationwill live, how many will be infiltrai,edw.iththe presentcil,v.
increasingthe density aId the exl,entof ihe apar.imenihouseand
tenement distdcts.
How maDywjll go aneld? Wherewill t}le new manufacturins
plarls be located? Where wjll the peopleiive who work in thesene;
manufacturing plants? What residencesectionswill becomeaparh
ment housedistricts, or tenementdistricts, or indust al districtsi
- ..One great chara(Leristi. oI popularion developmenttoday is
facility of movement. cmwth of someof the jndGtrial center; oI
the middle West has surpessed an]'thing in the history of mankind.
 TheRealta Blue Book of Cdilornia 103

The sstablishment or removal of a gleat industrial llart can cause

the changing of the abiding place of a population equaling that of a
feir*ized city.
It has been estimated that for €ach thousand dolla.rsexpendeclin
the building aDd equipment of a modern factory five thousand dollais
wil be lpent upon housing faciliti€s for its workers. Fortunate is
the working man who takes time by the forelock and from being a
rent payer becomesa homeowner, evenupon the most modestscale.
HOI4ES TIIE CERTAIN MEASIME
Th€ home is tfie rcal theranometer of human progress. The tiny
thread of mercury rising and falling in t}Ie bulb measureathe expan-
sion o! contraction of the whole bodv of metal in the bulb. So vhile
the e-\psnsionof civilization involves manyigreat works outside of the
homeit is in the domestic establishment that we see its prlgtess
What more constructive work car be taken up than that of ma&-
it possible to establish a new home? I{as anyone ever built a
housebut that, before the last coat of paint was dry, he has thought
someway to have made the housea little better, a little prettier, a
e more convenient?
Doesthere exist any architect's "last word" in house design?
building is an art as progressive as civilization itself. Few are
men and womer who do not carrv in their minds a set of ldeas
the "perfect home." Let the subdivider encouragethis natural
ire to build a home. Let him help by every means in his powel
reduce the dreams of years to the valuable concentrates of
lishment. Let him say to his prospective purchaser:
"Put your plan, your idea, your thought, into the almost imper-
fonn of a'well built home. If well designed,if well built, if
located,you may be sure that it will continue long after you are
as an evidenceof your energy and of your thought. It will be a
of the world, as much as a tree or a rock or a river or a
It takes leadership of a superior order to create out of a grain
a developmentof homes \a'ith streets and pipes and lawn and
, with all the details of firunce and organization which accom-
each transaction. Generally speakingthe results of the sub-
s labors in ever] g"owing cily jn America, testedlhtough the
have proven to be gooaland permanent results.
The subdividershouldconsiderhis primary duty that of seNice
the home seeker. Making money out of him shoulclbe secondary.
ting new areas of grovrth for his city should also be subordinate.
fiIst and most important thing to be done is to see to it that each
ive buyer may get the best and most advantageousbargain at
rates and on the easiostconditions.
COMPUTATIONOI COST
Subdividers,in selectingproperty as suita.blefor their activities,
alvays bear jn mind dral a greal deal oI city land is held idle
a great deal nut to inferior use becausethe owner does not
104 The ReaItA BLueBook of Ca,l,i.furnia,

properly estimatethe cost of so holding it. The usual reckoning,that

of allowing merelyJor the laxes each year, should be added to by a
computation of a fair retum of the mo4ey put into the land if invesied
in someother form. That is, ta"\esand compoundinterest shouldbe
ligured, whereasthe averageowner bearsonly the taxes in mind. It
is as if.a merchantshouldneglectto lhink of the lime that a pieceof
goodsIjes on a shelf as being a palt of the costof selling. A }iundred
dollars' worth of goodsheld lor a year costssevendo ;rs in interest
chargesalone.
It shouldalso be borne in mind tbat sincetlle rctums from land
held out of use cannot be realizeduntil the land is sold or put to use,
all the costs must be consideredbefore a profit can be clairned. These
costsincludecomnounded intereston mo;ey tied up, includingcost of
all improvements.taxps. compoundedin[erest oir taxes p;id and
conrlngencres.
La:ndihaLis heldour of useshouldbe requiled l.odoubloin sellinc
value wilhin five years to make it worth wliite lo hold it. The subl
divider, by making it available for imhediete use, helps to avoid the
appalling wasle involved in holding larg€ blocksof uidesirable land
aclJacenlto cities in idleness. Vacant land not put to any use is a
nuisance-.crown up with weeds,littered with tra;h. bespa;gledwith
-oluooarda,rt ts an ouense to the eye and sometimesa menaceto
health ancleven to public safety.

SUBURBAN PROPM,TY

- In developingsuburban acreageinto residencelots it should be

borne in mind thal owing to the faat that Innd occupiedby stre€ts
mears a pr:opodionatelossof availablearea,the expeniesof platting,
street improvemenls.taxes, Ioss of inlerest and incidenlals,_ experls
haveestimated.tha[-propertybougbl by the acre shouldbe pricid by
rne ror on a bastsat teas1, doublethe acle price in order to avoid loss,
and to this shouldbe addeda liberal allo,i.ancefor sellins expense.
Changingconditionsdue to tle spreadingof induslriaf and busi-
nessseclionsso thai lhey ennroach on thp leshionable residencesec_
liola causelhe wpahhy [o move to suburbanlocalilies with rosiden-
tial restrictions in keeping with the desires of farnilies with much
lnoney. These high class suburbs usually are found on high eleva-
tions as free as possible from natural conditions of an u;pleasant
rtature.
General use of the automobile rende$ these suburbs more or less
independentof trolley oI"rajl lines. Sincethe greatestsingle element
iD the value ot r€sidentialproperty is social au$ounding;. land ih
rasnlonaDre subdtvlst0nssomelrmessoarsto amazingheights.
.In direct ratio to the cost of lots, however,thdnumiber of pros-
pective investors who may be interested is increaseal. This is also
ttue of easy. terms of payments. Where one family might be in-
terestedin a buiiding site costingseveralthousanalalollirs,tthousanal
might think of buying a lot for a few hundreddollars, And whereoDe
fatnily might be in a positionto pay all cashfor a lot. a hundredmisht
be iDteresled in its purchase with a small payment down and a fiw
dollars a month.
 The Real,tgBl,ueBook ol Oal,ifornia r05
DSTIMATING I'UTUED VALI'ES N(/I CI'ESS WOR(

.. Since lractically every city in lhe country is g?owing in popula_

uon anctsrnce populal,ion causesincreasing values, real eslate bousht
ln tJle-rlght places is bound to increase in value. Subdividers kn;w
ttlat tiere is-no need for guessing about the future of la"nd values.
Keal 61a[e. crcvetopmentis govemed by a few sjmple rules.
.. fresrrab tly govelns the selling value of real estate as well as all
oiher com-modities. This elpmentof desirability is basedon conven_
rence,lvhrch ts l,hekeynote of development,and conveniencejn thjs
connpcl,roflmay be deEned as |JI9 nomparative saving of time and
ellol.lin theuseof tand. tl invoivesthF availabilily of the lu]l ranse
0r up-[o-datecrry convenien.esas well as transnor{arionfacilitiesa;d
socialsurroundings.
Th€ value of aly pieceof iand is dercrminedby its comDarative
convenrencc tn rplalion to the number ol peopiein a posilionlo lake
aovanrageot,,rt.. A city and suburbanland valups range lrom that
vbrcJl grvps the teast service to the smallest numbpr ol ie leasl pros_
p€rouselement up to that which combines a -"*imrrn1 o1"""uiie-to
ue mort rughty prosperous people.
.. All eities are built up from the inffuencesol growth awa,yfrom
the poinl oforigin in a[ possible directions and fr"om agg"ee;ii; ;
the,edges.cente,rsof devetopmenL o""o" ;a ihtl;i;;?:;i;&'i;:
plFant,thoroughlares. trolley lines and rajlroads. From
js each of these
sub<entersg?owrh made in all airections. nesiaencesa.e ariuii
to th€.outside,r||hile business remains at the ceDter.

"":iiT,:H,Ti::"'""""""1'6lo,,.iTif i:l,.xl"":rl
"i"i"ili: T'1";lly
desirable'other condilionsbei;s
:1""Tfiff"1i""":"f i"";:1 lmore.
RESIDENCE N.ESTRICTIONS
Character of buildings 6rst to be erectealon suburban residential
livisions.is an.important elementin deiermining futu"e a"uefoi_
.1.. rr ts lDaovsabteto attempt to force suburban tracl,s on uic
rl,l .gl1,n"" oI any real demand,with a frequent resull that
-"!rwitl litlle money,al.tracl.edby low prices, -itt toifA-"fr"io
ano crearea more.or lessrepulsivedisl,rict which may act as ;
to the cit/s grosth in that djiectjon.
r€str,tcJions,
such as those providing that the premiser
lf9per
LIIbe occupied for
r.esialence
p"rpoi"J only,-i}r'J.o
erecleoeostrngtesslhan a givenamountand tbat""""id";;;ffff
no residence
be placedwithin a c€rtain dislanceof lhe fronl line of the lois-
ry ennan.ectestrabitiiy
of residpnlialsubdivisions.
Improvements. in transpoflation such as lhe trolley, the automo_
aDopossrbty,rn trme lo come,the fying machine,lend 10 afrect
v€tu€s of Ioeations.
dependins uponr;*fio""lv oiiiii"i-t"iripiil
Dlrlacrlrtres
S:l,ti'ld:.1"^
yl9 ?"t e.astudyo[rhesener-al lawssovernins city
,llli:-!Ii,r19 m mind tlat a law of lire is constant ch-ange,
be enabledio tarselyetiminatech;;; ;n; ;;;il;;'Tiff;