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To achieve its design ~goals, Salinas has drafted specific design
<br />guidelines for each type bfdistrict. The "Residential Low
<br />Density Zone District ~esign Guidelines" tackle monotony by
<br />stating, "Design of struclures should be varied in tract develop-
<br />ments to create variety aj~d interest. A significant difference in
<br />the massing and composition (not just finish materials) of each
<br />adjacent house should bi accomplished. One design should not
<br />be repeated more frequei~tly than each fourth house."
<br /> One advantage of design review is that it can allow a
<br />community to weigh eac~ site's design merits carefully, but such
<br />is not always the case. Ld//ge-scale developments can pose a
<br />problem for design revieW. Many communities streamline the
<br />process by ?reapproving~fingle-family housing models for a big
<br />project. In Glendale, as ih most communities, projects get
<br />subdivision approval pri4r to each model undergoing design
<br />review. Once the modei~are approved, building permits are
<br />issued as needed, but thee is no further review and no way to
<br />control how often a moff~el appears. Monotony may result.
<br /> Khan says the best ch!nee to control monotony is during the
<br />subdivision approval pro~ess: "When a developer comes before
<br />the planning commissior~ and proposes a large project, the
<br />commission ma), recomr~end that the city Council require
<br />spacing for the different models, but that's entirely up to the
<br />council." The developm ;dnt aereement could include a spacing
<br />requirement or a maximtim rano of like houses per block. The
<br />point is that, even with ~sign review, monotony can fall
<br />between the cracks. ~.
<br /> Preapproval of elevatifins can hinder monotony control in
<br /> ~ .
<br />other ways. Many developers beheve it is in their best interests
<br />to avoid monotony. No/hatter what the price range is,
<br />distinctive homes sell be~er than anonymous ones. As Don
<br />Lauritson, of the Salinas ~:ommunity development department,
<br />explains, "When you pre~pprove models and expect strict
<br />adherence to the elevations, you may actually end up inhibiting
<br />architectural variety. We had a case where a developer threw a
<br />fit because we required hi~n to submit elevations. It turns out,
<br />he's concerned about arcl~itectural variety and he doesn't want
<br />to be limited to a half-do~:en identical facades. He's a good
<br />developer. He takes ' ~'
<br /> pnde~ tn the Lact that, once he's in the field,
<br />he makes sure that every ~tructure is slightly different."
<br />
<br />The Hard-line Vid~w: Anti-monotony Codes
<br />Codes are more direct a~d more stringent than design
<br />review. Instead of exami,hing the specter of monotony on a
<br />case-by-case basis, some ~ommunities prefer to outlaw
<br />monotony entirely throt~gh a stand-alone ordinance. In
<br />Carol Stream, Illinois, t~e preamble to a 1984 anti-
<br />monotony provision sta~s a variety of goals. "It's primarily
<br />concerned with protectie~g property values; monotonous
<br />development would result in lower property values," says
<br />planning technician Pet~ Gugliotta. "There is also concern
<br />that identical homes can[create confusion for emergency
<br />service personnel, and ti/ere is also a general aesthetic factor,
<br />an assumption that d:ffe~ent homes help maintain an
<br />indMdual's sense of pri4e, so they'll pay attention to
<br />property upkeep." ,~
<br /> Once a subdivision is ~ermitted and the building plans are
<br />submitted, the planning ~nd zoning staff does the monotony
<br />review. "It's usually very s~rraightforward," says Gugliotta. "The
<br />developer submits buildin~ plans and elevations for each model.
<br />Then we go over them an~ decide which homes cannot be built
<br />side by side. Then we pro,tide them with a list, which the), give
<br />to their sales people. We ~[~et it on paper, in black and white, so
<br />
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<br />
<br />the developer knows what to do
<br />before the first lot is sold.
<br /> "We get the subjective work
<br />done up front because we don't
<br />want this to get to the permitting
<br />[building permit] point. Then
<br />they've already got money from
<br />the customer, and the customer
<br />already has a model in mind.
<br />got to make their job easier. The
<br />other benefit is that (before the
<br />first home is built) each model is
<br />already approved, so each
<br />homeowner doesn't have to go
<br />through the whole process."
<br /> Hinshaw warns that a
<br />community that prohibits
<br />excessive similarity through a
<br />stand-alone ordinance could find
<br />itself dealing with excessive
<br />dissimilarity. "Forced difference
<br />can promote the opposite end of
<br />the spectrum--chaos," he says. "I
<br />don't think complete randomness
<br />is a good idea. It is usually a very
<br />artificial look, what I call
<br />'Christmas package' design: all
<br />the houses are wrapped in
<br />different paper, but inside it's all
<br />the same."
<br />Gugliotta says that is not a
<br />problem in Carol Stream. "It has
<br />
<br />been a positive thing for the community," he says. "You
<br />definitely notice that the homes are not identical. You still see
<br />the same ?0dels, but they're five house apart." Gugliotta notes
<br />that subdivisions still exhibit a cohesive design scheme. "Every
<br />developer has personal trademarks. You can tell who built a
<br />particular subdivision. The colors, trim, and other details are
<br />similar, so the subdivision looks unified."
<br /> Last September, the planning staff in New Lenox, illinois, was
<br />working on a zoning code revision when the subject of monotony
<br />control arose in a discussion. New Lenox (pop. 10,500) lies 45
<br />miles southwest of Chicago. It is preparing for a boom in
<br />housing construction because it lies at the terminus of Interstate
<br />355, now under construction. "New Lenox is beginning to grow
<br />at a rapid pace," says planner Carrie Hansen. "We can see the
<br />development coming, and it's bound to include tract subdivisions
<br />which only offer three building designs to pick from. We wanted
<br />to find a way to protect the existing community character before
<br />the growth took off. New Lenox has a wide variety of housing
<br />stock--different styles, different price ranges. We're proud of
<br />that .variety, and it's important to maintain that mix. We do not
<br />wan/to lose our identity simply because we're growing. We don't
<br />want to lose.people that decided to live in New Lenox because
<br />they liked the character of the community."
<br /> Hansen and her colleagues reviewed monotony controls from
<br />other communities, including Carol Stream, and spent ~hree
<br />months drafting an anti-monotony code. Since irs passage last
<br />September, New Lenox will not issue a building permit for "...
<br />any new single-family detached dwelling unit which is similar in
<br />appearance to any dwelling on the same street which is within
<br />two lots distance of it. A dwelling on a corner lot may be
<br />considered dissimilar to another if the two dwellings face
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