Suburban Boston Lashes Out Against McMansions

"In their view, shared by the Wellesley Planning Board, overzealous developers are building hulking houses with cathedral ceilings and multiple-car garages that are completely out of scale with anything nearby."

"But in the eyes of some builders, the outsize houses answer buyers' demands for bigger, fancier houses here and in suburban neighborhoods across Greater Boston."

"Critics of McMansions are pushing to change town zoning laws by tying allowable house sizes not just to the size of individual properties, but to the scale of the neighborhood. The proposed ordinance would also involve a review board of residents to make judgments about a proposed house: Would it block a neighbor's sunlight? Would its droning air conditioning sit too close to the property lines? Would the driveway cause glaring headlights to shine in nearby windows?"