Topic: Boulder Finds Answer to McMansions

[TheVinylVillager]

As bloated homes and McMansions continue to sprout up across the country, Boulder, Colorado, may have come up with a lucrative approach to contain what detractors call the plague of Garage Mahals and Big-Hair Houses. At a July 10 meeting, where more than 70 citizens spoke, Boulder county commissioners preliminarily approved a system of development rights transfers that would extract mega-bucks from builders of mega-homes.

It is a process that has been used for historic, agricultural and natural resource preservation in other parts of the country. Michelle Krezek, Boulder County land use manager, said the commissioners "want to allow property owners who either have or want smaller-scale homes to be able to sell a portion of their 'unused' square footage." Homeowners willing to sign away their option to someday add additions to their houses would receive a one-time payment as well as lower yearly tax assessments on their homes. The forfeited enlargement rights would then be available for purchase through a specially established market. Residents planning to build or expand homes larger than the recommended thresholds — 7,000 square feet on the plains, 5,000 square feet in the mountains — would be required to purchase additional development rights at prices determined by the market, which might be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per property. Krezek adds: "This will allow for an ongoing diversity of housing stock and allow for people of varied means to own homes in Boulder County."

The average U.S. home size was 2,434 square feet in 2005, up from 983 square feet in 1950, according to the National Association of Home Builders. But new houses in Boulder County are now averaging 6,500 sq. ft. (one 5,000-sq. ft. residence on a Niwot hillside, with four bedrooms, four baths and views of snow-capped peaks, goes for $875,000). And there is no shortage of people wanting more and more living space. At the Boulder meeting, mega-mansion aspirant Harry Ross said he'd spent all his savings on 70 acres and wants a 6,000-square-foot home secluded in the middle of his property, invisible to neighbors. Fran August says she grew up in a three-room house and had to sleep in the living room. Now that she can afford it, she says, "I want a bigger home! I am so sick and tired of being cramped." Local real estate broker Rick Corbin says the Boulder County Commissioners have gotten "way too carried away" in infringing upon the ability of property owners to build homes of varying sizes. He says he "adamantly opposes" the county's regulatory efforts.

But critical, aesthetic and media sentiment around the country has been against the giant homes. Last month, Minneapolis approved caps on home sizes (limiting them to 50% of the lot), while in Austin, a local paper offers an "Is My House Too Fat?" feature where online voters jeer at architectural monstrosities. Lane Kendig, who writes about the McMansion phenomenon for the American Planning Association, says that an underlying motive for building big houses can be a mentality that says "I've got lots of money and I want to show it off," leading to "Chateaus du Screw You," as the Austin Chronicle has dubbed these properties with paved parking lots and Versailles-like ornamentation.

There may never be a shortage of rich people willing to buy the right to build what they want. "Like the Hummer," says Kendig, "a lot of Americans feel the bigger the car, the bigger the house, the better it is. And if you're just interested in how much money you want to spend, that's easy. You go to the marble counter tops store." He adds: "We are a 'bigger is better' people." So, Boulder may have come up with an elegant and egalitarian solution. While big houses can go up, the people who own small houses will get richer too.

I think this is a ridiculous scheme. If you want to limit the size of houses, and there are reasons to do so, limit how much of the lot can be covered or how high it can be. If someone has acreage and wants to build a "garage mahal" I dont think someone needs to tell them they cant, or impose this sort of "tax" to  make it happen

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101060.html#msg101060

[notatroll]

If you own the land it doesn't seem fair someone can tell you how big or what to build on it. 

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101070.html#msg101070

[TheVinylVillager]

yeah, not in this way. I mean, if you buy into a subdivision, you take whatever rules are in place. And if there are zoning rules, sure we can all understand those. But this kind of "square footage" credit is ridiculous. I mean, the people who can afford those houses are going to pay for them with higher property taxes anyway.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101071.html#msg101071

[notatroll]

I have never liked the subdivision rules.  I do understand the reasosning for them.  But this seems like a scam that is legal.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101072.html#msg101072

[TheVinylVillager]

yeah that was my thought.

I wont say anything about subdivision rules, theyve made living in my neighborhood MUCH nicer. (and with that, oddly enough, Im off to an HOA meeting)

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101075.html#msg101075

[Bo D]

There is nothing uglier than a subdivision full of those monster houses sitting on 1/4 acre lots or less. The things are so close to each other they may as well be townhouses. Seriously, I have seen them so close that you could shake hands with your neighbor without either one of you leaving his house.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101078.html#msg101078

[notatroll]

Thats why I don't like subdivisions.  I live off the road on an acre of land with trees surrounding me.  Ver secluded .  I do not have to worry about letting my children out to play.  ANd I can turn my dog loose and she goes no where but hunting in the woods.  I could never live in the city.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101079.html#msg101079

[TheVinylVillager]

I agree with you there Bo.
But the answer, I think, is saying "hey, your house cant cover more than a certain percentage of your lot" That just makes good sense...I mean, its the same as having setbacks off the property line, etc. But something just dont jive with this plan...

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101080.html#msg101080

[~*A*W*~]

Never get into a HomeOwners Association or you will be told what you can and can not do.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101247.html#msg101247

[Bo D]

Never get into a HomeOwners Association or you will be told what you can and can not do.

They do have their good points. They keep anyone from parking rusted-out cars in the front yard. They don't allow parking the old bass boat on the street. They kept my neighbor from painting his house hot pink.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101430.html#msg101430

[TheVinylVillager]

Never get into a HomeOwners Association or you will be told what you can and can not do.

They do have their good points. They keep anyone from parking rusted-out cars in the front yard. They don't allow parking the old bass boat on the street. They kept my neighbor from painting his house hot pink.

Yeah...usually what they tell you NOT to do is what you shouldnt be doing anyway.
Thank God for mine.


Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg101432.html#msg101432

[~*A*W*~]

Never get into a HomeOwners Association or you will be told what you can and can not do.

They do have their good points. They keep anyone from parking rusted-out cars in the front yard. They don't allow parking the old bass boat on the street. They kept my neighbor from painting his house hot pink.

Yeah...usually what they tell you NOT to do is what you shouldnt be doing anyway.
Thank God for mine.

Here they even stop you from adding on! Don't want it bigger than someone elses house.

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg104129.html#msg104129

[Junior]

There is nothing uglier than a subdivision full of those monster houses sitting on 1/4 acre lots or less. The things are so close to each other they may as well be townhouses. Seriously, I have seen them so close that you could shake hands with your neighbor without either one of you leaving his house.

Yes, there *is*!.....the "subdivision nazis"!


Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg104196.html#msg104196

[Junior]

Never get into a HomeOwners Association or you will be told what you can and can not do.

They do have their good points. They keep anyone from parking rusted-out cars in the front yard. They don't allow parking the old bass boat on the street. They kept my neighbor from painting his house hot pink.

A funny one.....I know of a HOA in a city in Indiana where you can't park on the street *or* in your driveway, but you *can* have an outdoor basketball hoop....but the backboard has to be a "glass" one! (don't wanna take any chance on seeing any splintery wood or rusty metal!)

Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg104197.html#msg104197

[TheVinylVillager]

Never get into a HomeOwners Association or you will be told what you can and can not do.

They do have their good points. They keep anyone from parking rusted-out cars in the front yard. They don't allow parking the old bass boat on the street. They kept my neighbor from painting his house hot pink.

A funny one.....I know of a HOA in a city in Indiana where you can't park on the street *or* in your driveway, but you *can* have an outdoor basketball hoop....but the backboard has to be a "glass" one! (don't wanna take any chance on seeing any splintery wood or rusty metal!)

LOL. My own subdivision is about the right balance of "nazi" and relaxed. They dont allow street parking, but our streets are supposed to  be, I guess, "quaint" (NARROW) so when someone does park in the street, it makes getting through a pain.


Linkback: http://4seasonschat.com/index.php/topic,8635.msg104200.html#msg104200

[Tags:]

Tags: