Bristol County, Massachusetts - Chapter 14: City Planning Board, 1924

Fall River has for some time now arrived at a point in the municipal journey where it is observable to the least observant that to proceed with the future lay-out of the city) along the ancient and long-utilized lines and methods, would be continuously destructive of economy and public safety, to say nothing of convenience. The old plan, once suitable and feasible enough for the purposes of the small town with little outlook for growth, now with a decade's great increase in population, and cumulative business and transportation problems, is a revelation of present-hour unfitness. The former hit-or-miss way of constructing stores and business houses along little lanes that end nowhere, or whose continuance might perchance be discovered a block or two farther down on the other side of a main thoroughfare, had but little noticeable ill effects even upon the city of two decades ago. The need of more than one big central highway through village and town was never given a thought. City-planning science, that it is now obvious should have been accessible and made an applied science a score of years ago, was not in evidence to parry the difficulties and obstacles that suddenly present themselves in the path of the growth of the city of Fall River.

But engrossed as are the captains of the city's industries with their own concerns, loyalty to the expanding city and its needs is aways foremost, too. Hence, the City Planning Board arrives upon the scene today, late, it is true, for any of those preliminary enterprises that should have been put through years ago to create the ideal, clean-cut, four-square metropolis, but in full time to prevent the repetition tomorrow of the mishaps of any of yesterday's plans; and not too late for a certain reconstruction and much re-planning, though expensively in that regard, at least. Its most practical labors and application are for the future, and for the nearat-hand future. It is the most recent of public utilities - the City Planning Board, yet one of the most necessary, and absolutely the most comprehensive of all, since it is inclusive of the main interests of all.

Through the medium of this historical work, whether it relates to Fall River or any other city or town, there is uniformly set forth the means and the manner of the progress of the community by the various strata of its beginnings and settlement, its public utilities, its benevolent and social institutions, its industries; and correlative with the plan of such historical narrative is the allied topographical plan and argument of the City Planning Board, and that may well be considered a crowning portion of the entire narrative. For the establishment and the gradual development of the city planning opens up a new era for the advancement of the city, making for the betterment of every other utility.

Now city plannir& is well underway here, with its elaborate report from the town planner that has not neglected to investigate any department of public interest, in order exactly to show how such departments, strengthened, added to and probably 'rehabilitated, can be of greatly added value to the community of the future. This may be taken as sign of the new and larger progress of the city, a turning-point toward the arena of the Greater Fall River. Literally, the Planning Board's purpose is to halt wasteful methods of growth; to guide the expansion of the city upon rational lines; to secure business-like economy and convenience, and to make of the community a place in which business can be carried on to best advantage. The present board was established in January, 1920, when the following-named members of the Fall River City Planning Board were appointed by Mayor James H. Kay: Nathan Durfee, chairman; Spencer Borden, Michael T. Hudner, Richard G. Riley, James Tansey. No time was lost to secure the services of town planner Arthur A. Shurtleff, so that in 1923 the city's board of aldermen ordered that the completed report be accepted, with the reservation that at any time it might be subject to change in whole or in part. 'Therein are shown results of the study of the city as a whole, its streets, its railroads, parks, schools, public buildings, business houses of all descriptions; and the plan has been submitted as a constructive and practical scheme for the future widening, extension and growth of any new thoroughfares that may be accepted, of the location of additional parks and of the inter-relation of playgrounds and schools and allied matters.

The main purpose of the board is the prevention of the haphazard in all things that pertain to city building, whether it be in the laying out of streets or in the construction of apartment houses. The city planner, after careful survey concludes that the city, starting out as it did, with a confused and inconvenient plan, is now suffering from its consequence, in congestion of its business sections, for example. The city's valuation, it is pointed out, has doubled since 1909, and the city's population has doubled since 1905. The valuation goes hand in hand with the development of streets, parks, playgrounds, schools, transportation, the construction of single-family houses, tenements, apartments, stores and industrial plants; and it is shown that Fall River, while experiencing enormous valuation increase has been unable to co-ordinate the development of the city, for want of a city plan. With the still further increase of the city's valuation, it lies within human power to control the physical development of all utilities - to secure a convenient, economical city and one satisfactory in the highest degree both for residence and industry. The report of the board remarks: The present streets of the city do not carry through; most of the irregularities in the lay-out of the streets are actual breaks in the street system; the city lacks a system of continuous through streets, and thus is lacking the first essential for the better handling of street traffic. The streets of today have been built at haphazard, and many of them are too narrow.

One street only, the City Planning Board indicates, runs continuously from the north part to the south part of the city - - North Main street, the old Newport and Taunton road. Originating as a cart path, it is still only a country road, forty feet in width from Wilson road north to Freetown. From Wilson road to the City Hall it is fifty feet in width, with two street-car tracks, and room for but two lines of vehicles, one on either side. And today, the mills and the traffic of business are handicapped by such old lay-outs of village streets. The board points out that four additional north-south streets can be provided, in the linking of Davol with Bay street; Plymouth avenue and Laurel street with Robeson street; Stafford road, Jefferson and Quequechan streets with Oak Grove avenue; and the extension of Meridian street. Only three streets now cross the city from east to west; but five additional east-west streets can be linked together. Again, the city-planner decries the fact that the broadest streets in the city are useless as thoroughfares, such as Plymouth, Eastern, Brayton and Rhode Island avenues, which "begin nowhere and end nowhere"; and it is true, as shown, that the narrowest streets in the city are used as main thoroughfares, such as Second, Fourth, Hartwell, Warren, Rodman (between South Main and Plymouth avenue), Ridge, Stafford Road, Rock, Purchase, County and parts of Pine street and New Boston road.

Out of the total mileage of Fall River's accepted streets, of one hundred and fifty-six miles, it is stated that only fifteen miles are sufficiently wide for the accommodation of modern traffic. And right there is one of the obstacles that must be overcome, according to the suggestions of the city planner, that the city is confronted with the fact that a street system that could have been widened years ago without cost, has now become an incumbrance, and must be widened locally, at almost any cost, to prevent the city from decline. All Fall River citizens, the board shows, are familiar with streets that fail to connect, or which connect with dangerous jogs; and with wide streets that merge into narrow ones at most critical points, thus causing congestion; each landowner was a law unto himself in that regard, at first. This city, in general, has made a thoroughly satisfactory start with her park system of one hundred and thirty-two acres, but it is indicated that the city now needs to apply to its outskirts and to its seriously congested districts the principles of park location and design which have been successfully applied already to the general residence districts.

These are but a few of the statements made in a very extensive and detailed report of the city planning board. It can only be at great expense and by very gradual means that changes may be brought about from existing conditions; but it is the leading aim of the board to exert every effort to prevent any similar conditions from arising in the future topographical progression of the city.

The Fall River city planner, at the instance of the City Planning Board, lays stress upon the statement that the city's chief concern should be the development of the Quequechan river for industrial purposes. The maintenance of convenient approaches to this area are required for industrial convenience. It is patent to anyone, stranger or citizen, that the present approaches to the river from within the city are becoming congested with traffic, that within a few years are bound to hamper approach to the industrial plants. To remedy this condition, a highway extension is proposed for the margins of the Quequechan, in order that the present street system may be made more effective; a new street is' proposed, also leading from near the junction of Hartwell and Borden streets, along the Quequechan, to provide greatér accommodation for local and for through traffic.

Looking to the Fall River of the future, and the possibilities of enhancing its attractiveness both as a city of greater business prosperity and as a city of homes, the report of the board, from which liberal quotations are made to emphasize the surpassing value of the new movement for city planning, has these trenchant declarations of comparison of the things that are, with those that ought to be, in the progressing city, thus:

Fall River is not generally regarded as an attractive city; although the title may be unjustly applied, the opinion is more or less prevalent that the city is unattractive. To what degree the industrial success of Fall River has been influenced by this appellation is doubtful; but there can be no doubt that the city is not sought as a place of residence on account of its reputation for charm. 'That the title "unattractive" hurts local business by keeping visitors away, cannot be questioned. In comparison with other mill centres like New Bedford, Lawrence and Nashua, which are gradually earning, or which have earned already, the title of "attractive", Fall River obviously suffers.

The site of Fall River is exceedingly attractive - the city lies on high ground between a fine river and a chain of beautiful lakes; few cities are as charmingly situated. The industrial plants of the city are attractive - they are well designed, well built, and admirably well maintained. They are of noble size. Many of them are impressive architecturally, and they are famous over the world for excellence. The parks are attractive - they are the finest in the State. The cemeteries are attractive - they are at-~ tractively laid out and carefully maintained. The water reservations are unrivalled for beauty. The churches, schools, public buildings, stores and dwellings are attractive. They compare favorably with similar structures in cities which are considered attractive. The railway station and its grounds are distinctly attractive. In general, Fall River need have no solicitude for these important aspects of the city. Unfortunately, many of these attractive features are not seen from the main routes, and they cannot contribute to the general impression received by visitors.

On the other hand, many of the important down-town streets of Fall River are narrow, poorly connected and crowded. 'Tangles of motors, street cars and cabs greet the visitor who is forced to traverse these streets, which are the only route through the city. To strangers, these streets seem confusing, inconvenient and dangerous. Compared with the wider and better connected 'business streets, and the attractive public squares of other well-known mill cities, the streets of Fall River seem out of date and disagreeable. Great improvements have been made in these streets, however. There is now smooth-running pavement for the main roads north and south, east and west, through the city, and traffic interference has been reduced as far as possible within these narrow streets, by the application of modern traffic control methods. The report continues in reference to the undeveloped district of Fall River, between City Hall, the postoffice, the Troy Mill and Borden street; the narrow, crooked and confused conditions of street connections at the local freight yards near the river; and the lack of local playground space for some of the crowded and poorer residence districts near the main motor routes through the city. The city needs only to adopt and follow a sensible plan to guide its growth toward the best convenience and the greatest long-time economy. If that need is Satisfied in a business-like way, Fall River will become a conveniently arranged city, and cannot fail, as a consequence, to become, at the same time an exceedingly attractive city.

The published report of the Planning Board that was issued in 1922 is a very elaborate and detailed work, and in its entirety may be considered a forecast of the Fall River of coming generations, indeed of a generation near at hand, - with its carefully wrought maps and plans, photographs and drawings. Among the latter is a general plan of the city water front that shows proposed alternative dock sites and street extensions, and airplane views of proposed alternative arrangements for the new city in the neighborhood of City Hall.