Paris, France.—The decree of 1852 gave to the city of Paris the power to use excess condemnation in its improvements. It is not only provided that fragments of land, unsuitable for development, were to be condemned, but also that land outside the lines of an improvement could be taken where needed to replat these remnants. Between 1852 and 1869, among others, Baron Hausmann, as prefect of the Seine, executed improvements which left the city of Paris indebted to the extent of some $193,200,000, 56.25 miles of new streets being constructed with an average width of about 80 feet. The city condemned land worth $259,400,000. In 1869, the city had sold part of the land which it did not need for $51,800,000 and had on hand 728,000 square yards valued at $14,400,000, 390,000 square yards of surplus land having been acquired by the discontinuance of old streets which had cost the city nothing. Therefore, in the building of 56.25 miles of streets, the city had recovered about one-fourth of what it had paid originally for the land.
Brussels, Belgium.—In 1867, a law was passed in Belgium granting cities the right to condemn land, not only needed for public improvements, but also for a surrounding zone to improve sanitary conditions or to protect public improvements. To relieve the congested city of Brussels, the statute facilitated the construction of a through highway. The work, commenced in 1868, was completed in the late seventies and forms the present new or inner boulevards. Many of the loans which were advanced by the city to encourage development of adjacent properties were never repaid, the public being forced to take over half-finished buildings and complete them. As a net result, a public debt of some $50,000,000 accrued. In 1904, the city had title to about 400 buildings with a net debt of $6,400,000, about a million dollars in excess of a resale price. Several similar undertakings in the early eighties resulted in a like financial loss.
Montreal, Canada.—The city of Montreal, Canada, has carried out three excess condemnation projects.
The first of these improvements was the extension of St. Lawrence Boulevard from Notre Dame Street to the river front. This new highway covered an area 67 feet wide and about 650 feet long. In 1912 the city condemned all land lying between the north line of this highway and the next parallel street for an average depth of about 75 feet. A similar zone was taken on the south side of the new thoroughfare. The purchase price was $690,850 for 102,002 square feet of condemned land. Of this 49,258 square feet were used for street purposes, the surplus being sold at public auction for $722,194; the cost of sale amounted to $6,344; the city therefore, made a profit of $25,000 which could be applied to construction costs. The area of land taken in the two other projects was somewhat larger than in the St. Lawrence Boulevard instance, but the profit accruing was small, being $12,817 for one sale and $16,780 for the other.
In 1913, Montreal embarked upon a fourth project, in the opening of the St. Joseph Boulevard Improvement. About 794,000 square feet of land were acquired at a cost of about $2,500,000. The surplus land constituted an area of about 100,556 square feet.
The Massachusetts Back Bay Flats reclamation project.—Over 60 years ago, the State of Massachusetts reclaimed the so-called Back Bay Flats, which were lowlands washed by tides from Boston Harbor.
