‘Looming rules’ are good first step to preserve neighborhood character
New rules passed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors aimed at curtailing the building of large, hulking houses that loom over much smaller, one-story houses don’t go far enough to prevent spoiling the character of some older neighborhoods.
The new “looming” rules do not change the existing 35-foot building-height limit but prohibit builders from using fill dirt to raise the foundation of new houses.
The board considered but didn’t pass other proposals by the zoning department to further prevent massive houses looming over their neighbors. One called for the use of a new “angle of bulk plane” rule to prevent houses from having very tall sides next to adjacent houses. The highest point of a house would have to be in the center, with the design of the house sloping toward the sides. The angle would vary, depending on several factors, such as the size of the lot and the building footprint. According to an analysis by the zoning office, the engineering and surveying costs if that rule were adopted would increase from about $200 to $4,000.The board also failed to adopt a less costly, less complicated alternative to increase the limits on how far houses must be set back from the property line.
The board plans to review the effect of the rule on fill dirt over the next year to see whether further anti-looming rules are necessary, says Jack Reale of the zoning office.
Reale doesn’t know how many “looming” houses have already been built in the county but says they are “not uncommon.” He estimates that in a typical neighborhood with 10 looming structures, about three of them would fail the “angle of bulk plane” test.
One positive effect of the depressed real estate market is that fewer older houses are being torn down and replaced with McMansions, but that will likely change when the economy picks up. Reale, however, predicts the trend now favors smaller houses, due to lifestyle changes and peoples’ wariness to avoid overly costly mortgages and utility payments.
