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Bert, Jasper -- almost without exception, any new project I see in neighborhoods without design review is total s***. That's been my experience since I have been heavily involved in local land use issues, since around 2000.

That's why I feel pretty comfortable with the recommendations I made. And today's aesthetic concerns are irrelevant to "yesterday's designs" and the prevailing architectural character of neighborhoods (despite the Sec. of Interior's guidelines, cf. Stephen Semes). If you want to do some wacked crazy s***, go do it in a place with "the right" architectural traditions. I covered all that in my piece.

Ellen -- we are going to have to disagree about how to implement the change I propose, not design review in general, but the change in MOR provisions for building additions to _extant housing_. The rule needs to be instituted now, not neighborhood by neighborhood, and take years to be enacted.

A couple interns even could go around and figure this out for every block face. E.g., in my area--say from Missouri Ave. to say Piney Branch, and Georgia Avenue and Blair, the height should be two stories max., with a set bulk and treatment of dormers, etc.

In the rowhouse neighborhoods most blocks would allow 2 stories, some would also allow 3 stories depending on the prevailing height.

Better to make provisions for opting out rather than opting in.

You know better than I do, how when you give people an inch they take 10 miles. Too many opportunities to f* things up.

This is something I feel very strongly about, having seen so many deleterious examples.

by Richard Layman on May 25, 2012 12:43 pm • link • report