typical homes in de anza vista 500-unit community of san francisco bay a 2,800,000 joint venture in which utah is sponsor and major participant defense housing project consisting of 654 individual units for workers engaged in defense activities in the vicinity of joliet illinois lying a few miles east of oakland california is the moraga valley and here utah construction company has acquired 5,000 acres of land this historic site was originally part of the land granted by the king of spain to the moraga brothers and since that time it has only changed hands three times the first time was in a poker game and the new owner left the state just ahead of an angry vigilante group he subsequently sold the property to the moraga company which oper ated it until the time of our purchase the hilly parts of the prop erty are presently used as grazing land while the more level lands are planted in walnuts and in pears this is the largest single property close to the san francisco-oakland metropolitan area here over a period of years utah construction company plans to build an attrac tive residential community and to install commercial facilities to serve the 30,000 people who will ultimately make their homes on this prop erty we are working with the planning commission and other public bodies to obtain approval for our proposed zoning and network of roads actual construction is expected to begin in 1955 our second important land acquisition is in the city limits of alameda california an established community of 70,000 people built upon an island in san francisco bay and so thoroughly developed that it is difficult to find a vacant lot here utah construction company has acquired approximately 1,000 acres of tideland the first parcel of 350 acres known as the alameda south shore is adjacent to the island of alameda itself and was purchased in december 1954 the balance of the property is on bay farm island and is connected by a bridge to alameda bay farm island has been indicated as the eastern terminus of the southern crossing which is planned as a third bridge to span san francisco bay to relieve the traffic congestion on the existing bridges much of san francisco oakland and alameda is built on land reclaimed from san francisco bay and our plans for the devel opment of these tideland properties contemplate filling and improving the land and erecting on it suitable residential and commercial facili ties our market surveys indicate a tremendous demand for suitable building sites in this area where land is practically unavailable housing construction is already underway on a 105 acre tract on lulu island just outside of vancouver british columbia like the san fran cisco bay area vancouver has a limited amount of land suitable for use as building sites to serve its rapidly growing population residen tial housing construction in canada has been further stimulated by the enactment in 1954 of laws permitting more liberal financing than has been available in the past patterned after our fha the new canadian legislation should greatly expand the percentage of home ownership in the dominion although the amount of new construction will not rival that of the united states because of the vast difference in popu lation between the two countries new townsite of kennscott copper corporation's ruth nevada open pit mine to which utah moved 126 miscellaneous buildings from previous site and also constructed ten new dwellings 14 home under construction at eiverdale park a new subdivision on the outskirts of vancouver british columbia the construction is being performed by utah co of the americas 15