In an earlier post, we described how the Brandon Block on Commercial Drive was pushed back by seven feet when the street was widened in 1913. Further to that, I have now found the Local Improvement Schedule that includes the widening.
The Schedule was published on 18th October 1911 and called for the widening of Commercial to 80 feet from First Avenue to 16th Avenue. This required the acquisition of seven feet of land on either side of the street. The estimated cost for the widening was $215,137.00 – a very tidy sum in 1911.
Moreover, this was handled through By-Laws 563 and 838, which meant that the entire cost was to be paid by the “owners of the real property immediately benefited thereby fronting or abutting thereon.” The cost was added to their taxes over a number of years. Many such local improvements were halted by petitions against them; but in this case no such petitions were filed. I can only assume therefore that the business owners in the southern half of the Drive thought the widening was a valuable addition to the neighbourhood.
[Source: CVA, 134-A-2 file 1, page 57]
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