Should there be limits on Building in Saltaire?

Maura Corrigan McCurdy:

The Village of Saltaire needs to create an architectural review board to put some limits on the size and character of new houses, especially on the Bayfront. Otherwise, new homeowners will tear down traditional and smaller homes and built huge houses that are not in character with the village.
By Maura Corrigan McCurdy on DESECRATION on 3/26/12


Maura urges all to see this PDF about teardowns "National Historic Trust: What's wrong with Teardowns, a Visual Analysis:

http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/sustainable-communities/teardowns/additional-resources/whats_wrong_with_teardowns_visual_analysis.pdf


Ed: Lets start a dialogue on this issue. Comments below.

From the HAMPTONS, our founder, George Fontanals Jr. has seen lots of teardowns:

One thing I can tell you a lot about is tear downs. Out here in the Hamptons there are many many of them. The problem is that as property values go up the likelihood that a house will be raised rather than renovated also goes up. Big $ people just don't want what old homes have to offer and they are willing to pay for waterfront locations.
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Anonymous sez:
Isn't it a little late to impose an architectural review board? Saltaire has always and will always be chaning. The modern homes of the 1970's didn't exactly fit the character of the 1920's style homes.
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Another anonomous: on Should there be limits on Building in Saltaire?

There are heights and restrictions by the village- but due to new fema and state regulations they might look out of place in the height now. Older houses only about two feet off the ground in clearance. Look at the Reiger house on Broadway- very low to the ground. No standards back then, and they are paying for it now with the water table growing. Then turn to the Hill house- had to be reposted to todays fema and state regs height. Look at the Store after it rains and the water table is high- getting to the underneath is impossible.By Anonymous on Should there be limits on Building in Saltaire? on 3/29/12 Publish Spam Delete
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Maura Corrigan McCurdy:
well you can let the market forces decide what Saltaire will look like 50 years from now or you could attempt to impose some control. The choice is up to the voters. I for one would rather make the attempt to keep homes in scale than allow McMansions to dominate the skyline. Maybe the new home on Neptune and Bay will be something we will all appreciate......but maybe not