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Debate over home sizes brings out diversity of views By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings A proposal to limit house sizes in Ashland's historic districts does not have clear support from city planning and historic commissioners, but is moving forward nonetheless. "I don't care what the limit is, but set a limit," Ashland historian George Kramer pleaded in front of the commission at a study session Tuesday. Kramer's was a lonely voice in an audience dominated by developers, architects and historic home owners, including Ashland resident and automobile dealer Sid DeBoer, who plans to demolish a 2,400-square-foot home on Glenview Drive in the Siskiyou-Hargadine Historic District to build another that will total nearly 12,000 square feet. "The existing rules are adequate," DeBoer said. "The homes we're creating today will be the treasures of the future." The commissions have been charged with advising the Ashland City Council on the idea of limiting house sizes in historic districts. A proposal from city staff uses a formula which takes into account the lot size, a certain permitted floor area per lot size, and an "adjustment factor" which shrinks as the lot sizes increase, forcing the first floor of homes to be smaller than presently allowed. For example, the proposed formula - not yet settled on by the Planning Commission - would allow a home on a 5,000-square-foot lot to have a 1,900 total square-foot floor area, but only a 1,425-square-foot first floor lot coverage. On a 10,000-square-foot lot, a home with total floor area of 2,774 square feet would be OK, but the first floor could only have a lot coverage of 2,080 square feet. A lot which is double the size would not allow a home twice a big. The intention is to discourage property owners from combining lots and tearing down old homes so they can build larger ones, and to keep homes in scale with existing historic neighborhoods. Planning Commissioner Marilyn Briggs questioned the elaborate formula, suggesting its complexity makes it "unpalatable" to residents. "I'm afraid it would be too cumbersome," Briggs said. "If we do something with size limits - and I'm not sure I want to do it - it has to be simpler." But most of those opposed to the idea Tuesday cited property rights, diversity of architecture, and the economic value to the city of not further restricting home sizes. "It really goes back to individual owners' rights to develop their property," architect Ken Ogden said. Under present city rules, new houses in much of Ashland's historic districts are limited to 50 to 65 percent of the lot size, according to Planning Director John McLaughlin. That would easily allow for a 13,000-square-foot, two-story home on a 10,000-square-foot lot, McLaughlin estimated. Kramer is not confident current limits can protect the historic districts, citing Sid DeBoer's proposal. "I don't know if there's a disincentive or not," Kramer said. "It wasn't a disincentive for Mr. DeBoer." "Do we really think the 12,000-square-foot home Mr. DeBoer is going to build is going to be the last 12,000-square-foot home built in Ashland?" Kramer questioned. "I see it as a trend that has nowhere to go but up. The city has a tradition of passing ordinances that maintain its character" "That pressure (to build larger homes) is going to foul the nest," Historic Commissioner Keith Chambers said. "I think the intent of this ordinance is important and we need to forge on. I think you've got a pretty harmonious formula." But Planning Commissioner John Fields disagreed, suggesting more ordinances are likely to stunt creativity. "(Adding more ordinances) doesn't leave a very big window for creativity," Fields said. "Once we freeze Ashland � a lot of people will leave." Fields suggested it might be better to rely on "the culture of Ashland" to regulate house sizes in an already over-regulated planning process. "As much as I fear monster houses, I'm pretty damn sick of (newly constructed) 1,800-square-foot Craftsman (style) crap," Fields said during the public debate. "A lot of what made Ashland unique is the lack of regulation. I'm almost at the point where if we add a new ordinance, we gotta get rid of one of the older ones." New Historic commissioner Alexander Krach disagreed. "They're under-regulated in my opinion," Krach said. "We're lucky to have what we have." Commissioner Colin Swales supported the ordinance, pointing out that tourism is Ashland's primary industry, and that preserving the historic districts protects that industry. "It is in the best interest of the town, the economy and the historic districts," Swales said. Planning staff will bring back more information on existing house sizes in the historic districts. Additional public meetings on the issue will be set, and the council could consider the ordinance as early as October. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -