McMansions???

Daily Real Estate News December 4, 2007

How does the Supersizing of McMansions Change Cities?

An increasing number of cities are getting bigger homes within their boundaries — a development that some view as a mixed blessing.About two-thirds of the U.S.'s largest cities report having “McMansions” – new, much larger houses built on lots that once contained smaller homes, a new study finds. What's more, about one in five of the largest cities report 30 or more McMansions within their boundaries.

“The phenomena of McMansions may represent a sea change in which residents with money are moving back into cities and older suburbs, rather than building new homes far from the central city,” says Jack Nasar, co-author of a study on McMansions in U.S. cities and professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University.

While a large home may change the character of a neighborhood, it also can increase all home values in the area. “You may not like it if someone builds a McMansion next door, but if you live a few houses away, you may think it is a pretty good deal if property values increase,” Nasar says.

Cities Naser studied reported a variety of regulations. The most common — adopted by about 14 percent of all surveyed cities — was to limit building height as a way to control oversized houses, Nasar says. The next most common regulations were to create design review boards to approve plans for new homes (about 8 percent of cities) and to set limits on floor-area ratios (about 7 percent of cities). The best plan, Nasar says, may be for cities to be proactive and identify likely areas for McMansions, then work with builders to compromise on regulations, while encouraging development of large homes.

Source: Ohio State University, Jeff Grabmeier (11/30/07)