The Big Question

In addition, he said, some of the new homes are well-designed and appropriate for their site. They have upgraded the neighborhood and increased property values.

But not everyone likes higher property values. "People who have stayed in a neighborhood and kept it stabilized can't afford to live there anymore ," said Michael Leventhal, Arlington's historic preservation program coordinator. "If three big McMansions come in, values go up, and so do your property taxes. It's an effect that's insidious. You don't notice it right away until you get your next tax bill."

And this revolt comes in the face of clear consumer preferences for ever-larger houses. In 1975, the average new house had 1,645 square feet of space, but the average new house in 2005 was considerably grander at 2,434 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

"Obviously the house sizes have gone up, and it's market demand," said Andy Rosenthal, president of Potomac-based Rosenthal Homes, who builds or remodels about seven custom houses a year. He said buyers now want a bedroom for each child, a guest room, several more bathrooms, a larger kitchen, large closets, one or two home offices, large dining rooms for family gatherings, spacious family rooms and 9-or 10-foot ceilings.

And they don't want to commute a long way to get that. Mark and Barbara Rabin, both in their mid-fifties, had been living in a large house in the outer suburbs but wanted to be closer to their jobs in Bethesda. Mark, a lawyer, and Barbara, an administrative assistant, bought a new house in Bethesda on a site that had previously housed a bungalow in very bad condition. An older house wouldn't do for them because they wanted modern heating and wiring. They also wanted a separate bedroom for each of their four college-age children, as well as enough space to entertain their extended family. They felt they needed a 5,000-square-foot house to meet their needs.

The 1,200-square-foot house that was on the site would have been way too small, Mark Rabin said. "We need much more space than that," he said.

Planning officials find themselves caught in the middle of the new zoning wars. Last year, Rehoboth Beach enacted a moratorium on larger new houses, then reduced how much could be constructed depending on the size of the lot. Some people had purchased lots intending to build larger homes, and the zoning limitation meant that some were unable to proceed. Now city leaders are wondering if some of those plans should be grandfathered under the previous zoning code.

"People were putting as much as they could on the property, and the houses were becoming immense," said David Murphy, building inspector for Rehoboth Beach. "But a lot of people still like the quaintness of single-story beach cottages. You can't satisfy everybody with these ordinances. Some will like them and some will not."

Ryan Flax, 32, and his wife Nikole, also 32, both lawyers, bought a 1,000-square-foot bungalow in Bethesda in 2002, but its small size has become an issue, particularly since the birth of baby Chloe eight months ago. They loved the neighborhood and didn't want to move, so they decided to tear down the house and build a new, 3,000-square-foot structure. But when Montgomery County changed its building standards last year, they had to scrap their plans and start from scratch, which Flax said has cost the family "thousands of dollars" and a year of delays.

"You have to lose the time, and start over," Flax said. "That caused the most pain."

The issue of big houses coming to town isn't controversial everywhere. Some people welcome new construction because it brings economic growth and think that change and modernization are inevitable.

"One guy's mansion is another man's neighborhood urban renewal," said builder Mandell.

And in other cities, the debate is muted because the jurisdictions took such strong enforcement actions in the past that little of that kind of construction occurs now. Annapolis first protected large tracts of land in its historic district, and then, starting in about 1990, it began creating special zoning "overlay" districts that further restricted development. Construction is also curtailed by state rules covering land within 1,000 feet of the Chesapeake Bay. About one-third of the city falls within that zone.

Then, last year, the city created a new zoning designation called "neighborhood conservation districts" for five areas, the former overlay zones, including Eastport, a smaller village over a bridge from the main city, the President's Hill neighborhood and the blocks around Clay Street. In May, the city announced a new initiative to both protect existing trees and increase the number of trees in Annapolis, which will make it even harder for builders to clear lots for big houses.

"The purpose is to afford neighbors the possibility to be heard on anything," said Dirk Geratz, senior planner for Annapolis. "I sense from other communities that it's hard for them to imagine getting similar zoning in their neighborhood. We started out simple, and the regulations developed over time. But it's been a solution to the mansionization problem."