"New city homes must 'fit better'"

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt zoning regulations that are designed to end the era of big houses being built on the sites of previously demolished smaller homes.

Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

August 21, 2007 Tuesday

New city homes must 'fit better'

Atlanta council's vote keeps developers from building big houses that tower over those already in neighborhood.
DAVID PENDERED; Staff

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt zoning regulations that are designed to end the era of big houses being built on the sites of previously demolished smaller homes.

Developers no longer will be able to build houses that are drastically bigger than others nearby, or which tower over adjacent rooftops because the new house was built on a mound of dirt trucked in to get around a zoning code.

"I think what we're going to see in new home construction in neighborhoods throughout the city are homes that are going to be more compatible and generally fit better into the scale and character of the neighborhood," said city planning Commissioner Steve Cover. "And we can do that without taking away any of the benefits of building homes of the size people want to build."

That concept delights Buckhead resident deLille Anthony. She moved to Buckhead last year, after a big house was built across the street from her former home in Virginia-Highland. No sooner had she moved to Garden Hills than the house across the street was torn down and replaced with two that measure at least 6,500 square feet each.

"I don't want regulations that are so strict people can't do anything on their property, but some of the developers have gone too far," she said.

The zoning ordinance would allow bigger homes on bigger lots and smaller homes on smaller lots, except for two neighborhoods where lots are unusually small, and bigger homes would be allowed. In addition, the ordinance would require that the square footage of basements and attics that can be converted into living areas be counted toward a house's overall square footage. The plan also would prevent a developer from hauling in dirt to create a hill on which to build a house, so that a finished basement could be added later.

Mayor Shirley Franklin is expected to sign the ordinance.

Councilman Jim Maddox commended Councilwoman Mary Norwood for her work to pull together the development community, planners and residents to craft a method to regulate the new houses without thwarting the city's renewal. ...

The information about the zoning changes can be found here.

Fallonia used to say that she did not want Raleigh to turn into another Atlanta, but today, she is rethinking that.