There must be a playbook ...

Last week a group of residents from central ... neighborhoods ... met ... to discuss methods for stemming certain kinds of infill development. They focused on stopping the spread of new over-large homes in older neighborhoods, which some people feel erode the charm of older communities. But others say the current fight is really a debate over taste and approach.

No, this is not from Raleigh.

[The couple] moved out of [the neighborhood] three years ago. At the time, they wanted more space.

But they missed their old neighborhood. When their old home hit the market, they scooped it up. The only problem was the 980-square-foot home no longer matched their needs. The couple wanted to start a family and the house was way too small.

They decided to tear down the old house and build a new one. Tear-downs have become increasingly popular in the area. Last year in Mecklenburg County, 794 single-family houses were demolished. That's up from 697 in 2006.

They said their home, which will be finished in a few months, fits well into their neighborhood. And they said it would increase the value of other homes in the area.

It is a complicated issue, with heated feelings on both sides. If city officials wade into the debate, they likely will find themselves balancing desire for neighborhood aesthetics with concerns about property owners' rights.

Yup, they will.

The entire story can be found here:
A building debate on tear-down projects
Central Charlotte neighborhoods form a group to stop the spread of ‘McMansions.'

Fallonia is observing that a larger home that fits in is 4000% better than a house that does not try to fit in (affectionately known as a sore-thumb house). It is clearly not all about size. FP still believes the key word here is Respect.

In the News

There is plenty of news from different areas about teardowns.

Fallonia is swooning from the heat, so she will defer to you to click the little links in your air conditioned comfort.

Vinings home sales hot in frigid market
Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA
With acreage so valuable, tear-downs are occurring all over Vinings. The pace of development is "a huge, big deal in Vinings," Bolt said. ...
http://www.ajc.com/homefinder/content/homefinder/stories/2008/06/06/vinings_home_sales.html

West U property values near $4 billion
Deer Park Progress - Houston,TX,USA
In the last decade, only a few small bungalows — known in real estate parlance as “tear-downs” — remain. New homes being built in West U are in the $1 ...
http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19752871&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=635498&rfi=6

Home for sale in Lawn Meadow - 479K - Totally redone
By Naperville Real Estate - Ann deVane - CNC,...(Naperville Real Estate - Ann deVane - CNC,...)
This beauty sits nestled between to completed teardowns so you don't have to worry about construction next door. Wonderful open floor plan. Real hardwood floors, new stainless steel appliances, granite, maple soft close cabinetry, ...
http://activerain.com/blogsview/540374/Home-for-sale-in

The Density God Reappears
Nuther clip-n-save quote from QC officialdom on our land-use goals. The topic is tear-downs and “McMansion” infill development in close-in neighborhoods like Plaza Midwood and...
http://www.yourstreet.com/3469821/the-density-god-reappears

Tear Down Watch at 6666 Drexel Avenue
By B+S
It is on a block of Drexel that has not yet had any tear downs. This house is one block east of these two listings:. http://www.redfin.com/CA/LOS-ANGELES/6706-DREXEL-Ave-90048/home/12477637. and previously discussed much liked and still ...
http://blackburnandsweetzer.com/2008/06/06/tear-down-watch-at-6666-drexel-avenue

Tearing Down Charlotte

Observer Forum: Letters to the Editor
Teardowns destroying what drew me to city

In response to "Tearing down Charlotte" (Feb. 5 editorial): On business trips from New York during the '70s, I arrived in Charlotte a day early just to admire the stately homes and landscapes in Myers Park and Eastover.

The beauty of these neighborhoods was instrumental in my deciding to move here.

Now, however, I try to avoid driving through them, because it breaks my heart to see the loss of symmetry.

Posted on Tue, Feb. 05, 2008 | The Charlotte Observer | Editorial

Tearing down Charlotte
Don't let one of city's most valuable assets turn to rubble
It happened again this month on Morningside. On Belvedere. On Queens Road West. And on any number of streets in Charlotte's established neighborhoods. One day there's a modest bungalow or brick colonial. The next? An empty lot that soon will sport a residential behemoth out of scale and out of keeping with its surroundings.

Unchecked, the practice of teardowns can undermine one of the city's primary assets. But that doesn't have to happen, and it shouldn't. City Council should get out in front of this issue by doing two things: First, add a step for approving teardowns and disproportionate home additions. Next, begin work on long-term solutions.

Teardowns aren't new, but they're rampant in Charlotte's older neighborhoods. Sturdy arts and crafts homes and post-war brick ranches are being supplanted by huge houses that tower over neighboring residences.

What's the harm? It's simple. When you cram a three-story, 6,000-square-foot home onto a narrow lot designed to hold a story-and-a-half, 1,500 square-footer, you create a structure that dwarfs its neighbors and changes the streetscape. Repeat that again and again and you change the character, tradition and income mix that helps make these neighborhoods so appealing.

You'd think that fact would get the attention of City Council and Mayor Pat McCrory. But so far there's nothing but stony silence.

This isn't just about architecture or preservation. It's about economics, too. The value of the city's close-in neighborhoods is tied to their character, their mix of people and the quality of life they sustain. Lose that, and Charlotte has lost a key asset.

City Council ought to be acting aggressively to keep it from happening. For starters, the city could require Planning Commission approval for additions or new construction 25 percent bigger than the original structure. That won't keep people from developing their property or adding on to their house. But it will provide oversight until City Council can develop sensible, permanent measures and put them in place.

Of course the rising value of land is pushing this trend. But there are ways to handle this evolution that benefit a neighborhood and ways that don't. Teardowns are changing the character and diversity of thriving, older, close-in neighborhoods at an astounding rate. We stand by and watch those assets turn to rubble at our own risk.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

In an article dated August 6 in the Charlotte Observer Charlotte wrestles with preservation issues in the older neighborhoods.

The names change, the story is the same.

Old neighborhood, long term residents, new interest in the the land because if its charm and location. Homes that are much larger than the original neighborhood plan are built, they change the character of the neighborhood and affect the neighbors property. Some residents get concerned that they could lose this historic neighborhood to this redevelopment boom. Start looking at options. Other people get excited and invest in a rising market. Old settled neighborhood begins to look a bit unsettled.

As the Observer stated it:

Today Americans seek more space than their parents. In new developments bigger homes can be built without hindrances.

But the desire for more space creates a tension in some older neighborhoods, built for the needs of the past. Neighbors there find themselves walking a line between preserving the past and maintaining property rights, promoting growth yet controlling how it takes shape.


Preserving character

Big renovations or teardowns can remove trees as homes take up bigger footprints on their lots. Taller houses can block sunshine or change the streetscape as they supersize. But homeowners have rights, too. And renovations can help boost a community's property values and may get rid of dilapidated buildings retrofitted with nonhistoric touches such as aluminum siding.

And some additional development in existing neighborhoods increases density, reducing the need for more new, sprawling subdivisions that claim undeveloped land on the edge of the city.

On both side of the issue, it creates strains on neighborhood relationships.

What to do?

... historic designations aren't enough. In Plaza-Midwood, the historic district covers a small area of the broader neighborhood, said resident Krista Murphy.

"People are buying the old, little bungalows and putting up these 3,800-square-foot homes that aren't in keeping with the neighborhood," Murphy said. "A lot of us moved here because of the character of the neighborhood, and a lot of the character is being torn down."

So in Charlotte, a new idea surfaced. A community center was the site for a neighborhood association meeting which featured education and information. Tim Griffin, president of the association, invited architects, builders, bankers and other professionals to demonstrate how to renovate and maintain the feeling of the neighborhood. His idea is to inspire. "I'm just so adamant about no more McMansions," he said. "We're not a homeowners' association. We're not a historic district. So the next best thing is to educate."

According to the article, "residents from older communities around uptown have joined forces as Save Our Older Neighborhoods to share ideas on how to preserve their feel and character." I like their acronym.