Attack of the Killer Monster Houses!

Edina puts the Kabosh on the Kabooming of Houses

This article in the Strib is one of a series on this topic (they do sort of like to beat some subjects to pulp, see the mortgage/real estate "crisis" for more examples.)

I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of stopping this kind of development. As a good neighbor and architectural "purist" I am often put off by the look of some homes, usually new homes, are built in older neighborhoods. They seem to be out of place and out if scale.

On the other hand, there was a new house that is on my block that, although it is quite large, it is in a style that really seems to fit with the 1920's dominated styles on my street. It really looks like a lovely home and I might add, the place that was demoed to make way for it really needed to go. It was a tiny rambler, set way back on the lot like you see from time to time, that had been vacant for some time.

So there's the debate. Old vs. New. Tradition vs. Progress. It's an age-old dilemma and I think where you stand on it has more to do with your personal tastes than anything else. From a real estate standpoint, new construction is almost always a surefire way to raise the surrounding property values. I guess if your view of the lake or park is suddenly blocked by your new giant neighbor, that would be unfair, I know I would be angry...

So...perhaps rather than a moratorium the Cities should set up a committee of residents who could looks specifically at these projects on a case by case basis. I know there are already zoning committees but they are usually swamped with commercial issues. I don't know. Adding more hoops for people to jump through may be a bad idea.

Issues like this are sometimes easier to say: "Go ahead and build that....just not on my block!!!"

UPDATE: Edina remains home to "McMansions"