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r. jVe ws <br /> <br />OCTOBER 2003 <br /> <br />AMERICAN <br />PLANNING <br />ASSOCIATION <br /> <br />Be Unique: A Model for Anti. MonotOny <br /> in Residential Development <br /> <br />By Garnet Sroll, .ucl', and Gil Rossmiller <br /> <br />(£e~) the ~nformnate ,~onotony of <br />many American suburbs. A Parker, <br />Co{orado, subdivision prior w the <br />nezo residential dedgn minimum <br />standards. (Below)A Parker, <br />Colorado, neighborhood street scene <br />with residential dedgn minimum <br />standards and new street standards. <br /> <br />Tawn of Parker. Colorado <br /> <br />Jn many rapidly grow,ng metropolitan areas, production <br />h. omebuilders reduce costs by adopting some of the principles <br />of mass production to the construction o£ housing. Per-square- <br />foot construction costs can be reduced by standardizing home <br />models and building large numbers ofrhe same model in close <br />proximity. While lower home prices provide a benefit to buyers, <br />communities have become increasingly concerned about the <br />long-term impacts to the health and sustainability of <br />neighborhoods when rows of identical or similar howses-- <br />monotony--comes to define them. <br /> <br />Parker, Colorado, has developed <br /> <br />residential design standards to <br /> <br />address the negative impacts of <br /> <br />repetitive housing styles. <br /> <br /> Some communities, such = parker, Colorado, have developed <br />residential design standards to address the negative impacts of <br />repetitive housing styles--sometimes called anti-monotony codes. <br />The basic tenet behind and-monotony codes is to prohibit the close <br />proximity of identical or similar models. (For a look at the <br />contextual benefits ol" residential monotony, see "The Slippery Path <br />to Monotony Control," Zoning lVews, April 1994.) <br /> This issue o£ Zoning News examines how Parker addressed <br />this problem through the adoption of residential design <br />minimums, ir will also describe the theoretical basis for the <br />code, challenges with its application and administration, and <br />the relative success of' its outcomes. <br /> Parker, Colorado, is a rapidly growing suburb located 26 miles <br />southeast of downtown Denver. When Parker was incorporated in <br />~981, ir had a population 0£285. The population has }ince <br />increased to over 33,000. National production homebuilders have <br />taken advantage of strong markers ro introduce popular home <br /> <br />models at a lower per-square-foot price than are available in or. her <br />parts of the metropolitan area. This has resulted in the rapid <br />deve{opment of rows of repetitive roof lines, front facades, and <br />garage doors (._gee "Setbacks arm Garages in Residential Zoning," <br /> <br />... about this article. <br />Join us online/' <br />During November 3-14, go online co participate in <br />our "Ask the Author" forum, an interactive .feature <br />of Zoning News. Garner:$totl, AICP, and Gil <br />Rossmiller will be available to answer questions <br />about chis article. Go to the APA website at <br />www. planning.org and follow the links to the ASk <br />the Author section. From there, just submit your <br />questions about the arricte using an e-mail link. The <br />authors will reply, posting the answers cumulatively <br />on the websim for the benefit of all subscribers. This <br />feature will be available for selected issues of Zoning <br />News at announced times. After each online <br />discussion is closed, the answers will be saved in an <br />online archive available through the APA Zoning <br />News webpages. <br /> <br /> <br />