Los Angeles, CA

Here’s a piece of news I can really get behind: L.A. officials are currently debating over a new law that would limit the size of new and rebuilt homes to keep the new house in proportion of other houses in the neighborhood and the home’s lot size. Over Thanksgiving weekend I drove around my old neighborhood of Downey and was appalled by the number of gaudy new McMansions slowly taking over the cute bungalows and sprawling ranch houses that had characterized the city and its overwhelming 50s style. These ugly giant Cracker Jack boxes are dull, utterly characterless, and take up every available inch of the lot, leaving no room for a yard or any other outside beauty. The architectural design is completely lacking, too. Most of the time it’s a giant box with peach stucco slathered over it — how much did you get paid to “design” that? Those hideous monstrosities are ruining the character of the city and the neighborhoods and have the added bonus of being too expensive for anyone but drug dealers to buy in this market. (And I wish I was overexaggerating or joking when I say that, but the Downey police force themselves said it.) Why would they keep building houses no one can afford to buy?

Anyway, I’m glad I’m not the only one complaining over these nasty things. As early as January of 2008 we could see new laws coming through that would affect over 100,000 housing lots, but to some Angelinos this still isn’t enough. Residents keen on preserving the looks of their neighborhoods point out that privacy and existing views are another factor that should be seriously considered. Most people buy houses and get out of the rental market so they have more privacy and a better home life than they would in a shoebox apartment or a tiny rental house, but if they’re powerless to stop their greedy neighbors from throwing up a McMansion that would literally block out the sun, then what happens to all of their own hard work?

Read more about the new proposals and what residents have to say here.