Residents and planners are just about fed up with McMansions in the Bsoton suburb of Wellesley, and they are looking to impose strict regulations on housing size and give a residential board oversight on proposed houses.
"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?"
FULL STORY: Little appetite for McMansions
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Long story short, it would — and not in a good way.
California Law Ends Road Widening Mandates
Housing developers will no longer be required to dedicate land to roadway widening, which could significantly reduce the cost of construction and support more housing units.
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DC’s Hottest Neighborhoods Have the Least Shade
Areas most exposed to extreme heat also tend to lack bus shelters and benches at bus stops.
Western Conservationists, Tribes File Legal Motion to Defend Public Lands Rule
Some states and industry groups have sued to stop the Bureau of Land Management from enforcing the new rule, which promotes the conservation and restoration of public lands and shifts focus away from extractive uses.
Intense October Heat Wave Raises Fire Risk in California
Unusually high temperatures across the state are prompting power shutoffs and could fuel more destructive wildfires.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Placer County
Mayors' Institute on City Design
City of Sunnyvale
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP)
Knoxville-Knox County Planning
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
City of Portland, ME
Baton Rouge Area Foundation