Authority To Set Size Of Houses Advances

County governments in Maryland and Virginia are responding with new standards.

Last fall, the Montgomery County Council and the Arlington County Board adopted new limits on house heights. Alexandria and Fairfax County are also studying the issue. Some municipal officials and residents in Montgomery wanted even greater restrictions.

Last summer, the Chevy Chase Town Council unanimously passed a six-month building moratorium while it considered how to slow the pace at which houses were being torn down and replaced with much larger ones. The town's options were limited because only the council and planning board could establish maximum building heights.

Height restrictions in Montgomery are enforced by the Department of Permitting Services, which reports to County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D). Some county residents and citizen groups accuse the agency of lax enforcement.

"I think the county is overwhelmed and overloaded, and I think the devolution back to more local units of government makes considerable sense," said William H. Hudnut, mayor of the Town of Chevy Chase.

James P. Peck, the director of research for the Maryland Municipal League, said the General Assembly's action could be a turning point in favor of more local control over land use in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Some of the 27 municipalities in Prince George's County -- which are not covered by the legislation -- have been fighting for years to get more authority over zoning and land use, Peck said. The General Assembly rejected most of those efforts, but Peck said the political dynamics changed this year.

"It gave rise to the perfect wave that swept this bill through the General Assembly," he said.