By James Lomuscio
WestportNow Special Correspondent
Are McMansions a well-heeled homeowner’s right or a neighborhood blight that threaten Westport’s charm and, ultimately, its quality of life? These and other big house concerns are expected to be aired at two public meetings next month, the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission’s Big House Committee decided today.
Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Eleanor Lowenstein (2nd r) addresses the P&Z’s Big House Committee today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
The meetings slated for Tuesday, May 17, at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium will set the stage to see if any changes to the town’s residential zoning regulations are in the wings, officials say.
“Once we get information, we will have the time to sit down and study them,” said Eleanor R. Lowenstein, P&Z chairman. “The next time around it will be a public hearing on (residential zoning) changes.”
Katherine Barnard, Planning and Zoning Department director, said the planned meetings sprung from numerous resident concerns both for and against the proliferation massive homes.
“We are getting a variety of comments with some people saying that all these new, big houses are overwhelming,” Barnard said, “and then there are comments from the other side saying that our zoning regulations are already too restrictive.”
She added that the public is also welcome to submit written comments to the committee.
Westport is just one of several Fairfield County towns grappling with the McMansion issue, along with Fairfield, Milford, Orange and Stratford. Residents worry these big houses dwarf existing homes and rob communities of their timehonored character.
Over the past few years the big house debate has become a national phenomenon in affluent communities, as towns in Westchester County, New Jersey and California have imposed everything from house size limits to energy use restrictions.
In Westport, house size is regulated by lot coverage and setback requirements.
In an A Zone, one with a half-acre lot or less, building coverage including outbuildings is limited to 15 percent, and total coverage must not exceed 25 percent including things such as a driveway or a swimming pool.
For larger lots, one acre in a AA Zone or two acres in an AAA Zone, there is no limit on house size as long as the residence is no more than three stories and the total coverage does not exceed 25 percent.
Theoretically, in a AAA Zone, a homeowner could garner as much as 20 percent house coverage, enough for a 17,000-square-foot McMansion, as long as the house has a short driveway.
“We don’t see that type of footprint, and I don’t want to send out dramatic messages,” said Barnard, noting that many other factors, such as wetlands and deep slopes, go into residential zoning regulations.
The town’s P&Z has been grappling with the big house issue since the mid-1990s, but no regulations have been passed. However, with an increase in teardowns and more permit applications for larger homes, the P&Z seems to be digging in at the heels with the scheduled public meetings set by the committee today.
“I think it’s important to find out what the community would like to see,” said Barnard. “When you talk about property, its people’s major investment. And when you talk about changing regulations, people get antsy.”
