Easy Info on McMansion Ordiance?

[CptnRn]

The McMansion ordinance applies inside this area City of Austin - Single-Family Development Regulations - Home

And this ordinance explains it pretty clearly with diagrams.
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/do...e_approved.pdf

There is nothing quick and dirty about understanding it though, you will have to study it a couple of times.

[ATXIronHorse]

"1.1. INTENT
This Subchapter is intended to minimize the impact of new construction, remodeling, and
additions to existing buildings on surrounding properties in residential neighborhoods by
defining an acceptable buildable area for each lot within which new development may
occur. The standards are designed to protect the character of Austin’s older
neighborhoods by ensuring that new construction and additions are compatible in scale
and bulk with existing neighborhoods."

These ordinances are total BS. Why not just let people buy what they want? If the designs and neighborhoods stink, no one will buy them. I didn't want a McMansion so I didn't get one. Why does the government gotta stick their nose in EVERYTHING?!

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by ATXIronHorse

"1.1. INTENT
This Subchapter is intended to minimize the impact of new construction, remodeling, and
additions to existing buildings on surrounding properties in residential neighborhoods by
defining an acceptable buildable area for each lot within which new development may
occur. The standards are designed to protect the character of Austin’s older
neighborhoods by ensuring that new construction and additions are compatible in scale
and bulk with existing neighborhoods."

These ordinances are total BS. Why not just let people buy what they want? If the designs and neighborhoods stink, no one will buy them. I didn't want a McMansion so I didn't get one. Why does the government gotta stick their nose in EVERYTHING?!

They did it because there has been a huge outcry from people living in those neighborhoods who felt that the McMansions incompatible with and were destroying the character of the neighborhood. I have to agree in some cases, a few I have seen recently were grossly inappropriate, such as the one very modern house that was in the paper recently. This house at 2307 McCullough

AIA Austin (http://www.aiaaustin.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=79 - broken link)

Take a look at it in Google Maps street view, its seems horribly insensitive to its neighbors in my opinion.

Thankfully I have also seen some examples where large houses were put in next to smaller houses but were well designed to fit in with the scale, fabric and appearance of the neighborhood.