The Gentrification Of Suburbia

The practice of tearing down smaller homes in older neighborhoods to make way for million-dollar construction has grown more popular in recent years as buildable land has disappeared inside the Capital Beltway and property values have soared. The trend mirrors what is happening in other metropolitan areas with older housing stock, such as Boston and San Francisco. Buyers have been eager to replace aging houses with newer, bigger models equipped with modern luxuries such as cathedral ceilings, great rooms and expansive bathrooms. The giant houses that result are controversial virtually every time they spring up in established neighborhoods, and for years area governments have made faltering attempts to do something about them. Some jurisdictions set strict height limits, and the District has limited tree cutting in at least one area in an attempt to rein in gigantic residences, but regulations such as those are minor compared to the zoning changes Arlington County officials are considering, which would directly reduce the square footage that a house and driveway can cover on a lot.