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Published on 03/01/1999 All articles from this issue

Addressing the flap over new housing

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Editorial

The Los Altos residential design guidelines task force and the city council continue to wrestle with potential solutions to new housing controversies. Council member Kris Casto described the challenge as applying objectivity to the subjective. Good luck.

The council's decision last week to send a proposed two-story house design back to the city's Architectural and Site Control Committee for more revisions was the latest in a line of tough decisions the city continues to face over an emerging issue that has divided neighborhoods.

In the Jay Street case, applicants Bill and Karen Barrett were so disheartened with the council rejection of their designs that they are considering putting their property up for sale. Neighbors, on the other hand, got what they wanted - a stay of approval and a review of designs they consider bulky.

At issue here is a homeowner's property rights vs. the residents' desires for their neighborhood to retain its established look. As the trend continues for new property owners to come in, raze existing homes, and build larger ones, surrounding neighbors are taking issue. In the Jay Street case, residents had problems with the "castle-style" design, as one neighbor put it, as well as the size and two-story element - all departures from existing homes on the street.

Those looking to build these homes feel they should have the right to do so, particularly if their designs meet all city regulations. There is nothing currently in the books stopping someone from building a two-story house in a predominantly one-story neighborhood, a fact that has the design task force looking into the feasibility of "overlay" zoning to protect one-story neighborhoods.

We have to wonder if absolutes, either through zoning overlays or design guidelines, are the best thing for neighborhoods. Should property owners, for instance, be limited to one-story, ranch houses when they look to build in parts of Los Altos? After all, not everybody is enamored with the ranch look. And some argue that property values will ultimately suffer if more restrictions are put in place. Realtors and sellers may not like the idea of disclosing overlay zones. But, for the sake of neighborhood consistency, what is reasonable?

Certainly, a ranch house on University Avenue, with older, larger homes, would be out of place. Likewise, a University Avenue home wouldn't work on Almond Avenue. But there's a huge gray area in-between. As we said, we don't envy the work of the task force.

Of course, it starts with people remodeling or building a new home. Neighbors won't stand idly by if they choose to build bigger and different than surrounding homes. They should talk to neighbors to understand resident views. They must also be specific about what they want to do. The task force has suggested addressing this with a checklist to be completed by the builders and their architects.

It won't be easy, but we hope the work of the task force results in improved guidelines helpful to both new owners and longtime residents.