Local Housing Development

Comments on Growth

With talk of home heights, "mansionization" and a proposed mansion bill in Montgomery County, Md., do you have questions about the latest news? Are you curious about how mansionization is impacting home owners in Chevy Chase and other neighborhoods?

Washington Post staff writers Miranda S. Spivack and Stephanie McCrummen were online Friday, Oct. 14, at noon ET to discuss ongoing housing development in Washington, D.C., area suburbs and the culture of local suburbia today.

From The Post:

A Montgomery County Council committee approved a plan Wednesday to cap the height of new houses in older neighborhoods at 32 feet -- more or less, The Post's Spivack reports in Thursday's Post .

Read More: Montgomery Panel Lowers Home Heights (Post, Oct. 13)

The Post's McCrummen reports in an Oct. 2 article that "the debate over mansionization has laid bare a culture clash, an impasse in taste, mores and perhaps even values."

Read More: Chevy Chase's Conflict of Size and Sensibilities (Post, Oct. 2)

More Recent Coverage:

Montgomery Mansion Bill Jeopardized (Post, Oct. 11)

Clarksburg Dispute Intensifies (Post, Oct. 7)

County Report Faults Developer (Post, Oct. 1)

Md. Builder Wins Case Challenging Moratorium (Post, Sept. 30)

The transcript follows.

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Woodbridge, Va.: I am concerned that everything being constructed in this area is "luxury". What about normal housing? People don't need granite and stainless appliances with luxurious finishes. They need relatively affordable housing. You can have a great neighborhood and not have it be a Bethesda for example. I have a decent job that pays nearly 60k and still can only afford a small condo, if that, in NOVA where I work. There is no middle ground any more.

Stephanie McCrummen: I'm no expert on all the reasons why affordable housing is so scarce, except the obvious one--it's easier (and more immediately profitable) to do what has always been done, less easy to come up with ways to keep housing affordable. As to why everything is "luxury," I suppose that's part of our culture--ever-more "luxurious" goods for ever-more people. People want to feel like they've "made it" in this society, and the most tangible evidence of that, of course, is granite countertops and such.

Miranda S. Spivack: It does seem that there is little middle ground in the Washington suburbs in home prices. Affordable homes also come with long hours spent in cars since there is not much public transportation in the outer suburbs. Many Montgomery County officials say the likely construction of the Intercounty Connector could ease traffic. Opponents say it will only create more sprawl. Some Maryland jurisdictions, including Montgomery, say they are trying to make developers include moderately-priced homes a condition of development rights.

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Anonymous: What is the main reason that neighbors might be getting upset about mansions being built in their neighborhoods? If it's not their house, what's the problem? Is it that a mansion takes away from its neighbors space? Thank you.

Miranda S. Spivack: In Montgomery County, where I have been covering the recent debate about mansionization, neighbors in smaller homes say they have a couple of complaints. They say that taller houses cut into their sunlight, that there is a loss of privacy because the taller homes offer a view into the rooms of the smaller homes, and that the neighborhood aesthetics change and begins to look strange when the heights and sizes of homes are dramatically different. Property values also can be affected in the upward direction but they aren't necessarily interested in selling out and having their houses torn down. They like where they live - or they did until the bigger homes began being built.

Stephanie McCrummen: Miranda covered it. I'd only add that people are also concerned about drainage problems, since the larger homes also tend to have more of their lots paved over.

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Chevy Chase: I live in the Town of Chevy Chase, which was profiled in your article a few weeks ago on mansionization. I do not live in one of the large new homes. I have to say that it is disturbing to see how the town council's actions have affected the mood of the town, which used to be a friendly, welcoming place to live. Most of the moratorium proponents live in very large houses themselves, in some cases with multiple additions having already been put on. What bothers me most is the hypocrisy of these residents, who have a "I've got mine, but I don't want you to have yours" attitude, and also the elitism suggested by their criticism of the taste and values of the new-home owners.

Also, I don't think the reporting of this issue has accurately reflected that there are many residents who oppose the moratorium -- it's not just the developers or the residents in the new homes. In fact, only about half the town signed the petition supporting a moratorium.

It's distressing to see a town purportedly full of tolerant liberals (the Kerry/Edwards signs were everywhere last year) who are in fact so elitist and intolerant, and refuse to acknowledge the merit of anyone's views but their own. Regardless of one's position on mansionization, the town council's actions have been detrimental to the town.

Stephanie McCrummen: You offer more of a comment than a question there, but your feelings are in line with much of what I heard in the town as I reported that story. There are plenty of people in town who don't live in the new houses who are opposed to the moratorium for economic and philosophical reasons.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I've always found it ironic that areas like Chevy Chase and Bethesda, who for years promoted and praised gentrification of their small towns, are now complaining about it. Isn't this just a dose of their own medicine?

Stephanie McCrummen: Hi there. It is interesting to apply the concept of "gentrification" to what is happening in places like Chevy Chase and Bethesda. Plenty of people would agree with your observation. The other side, such as people who supported a moratorium on new construction in the Town of Chevy Chase, would say that they're not trying to stop redevelopment, but merely modify it.

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Virginia: Have you found that most people are against the development, for the development? Or is it split?

Miranda S. Spivack: I recently reported on development efforts in Howard County, where its geography - it sits between Washington and Baltimore- ultimately may determine its destiny. But in many ways it retains a rural character and people want to keep some of that too. People in Howard, which is among the nation's most affluent suburbs, say they aren't against development, but they want it to be intelligently designed, so to speak. Howard County has an award-winning planned community in Columbia and Fairfax has Reston, also an award-winning community. Both of those were started in the 1960s. Since that time, the concept of planned communities seems to have taken other turns. In Howard, many people say they would like to replicate the models established by James Rouse (Columbia) and Robert E. Simon, Reston's founder and the community's namesake (RES-ton).

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Bethesda, Md.: My husband and I recently put an addition on our home. We worked with an ethical, reliable builder (Case Design). The county inspected it twice to be sure that our addition matched what our permit allowed us to build. Why are single homeowners subject to such stringent inspections when developers are not?

Miranda S. Spivack: You raise a very interesting question. There appear to be inconsistencies in enforcement in Montgomery County. If you have information you would like to share with us on your experience, you can email me at spivackm@washpost.com

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Germantown, Md.: It was interesting to see Councilman Silverman's comments about the housing height bill in Montgomery: he was basically uninterested in it, said he had bigger issues to deal with and won't be around next year on the Council anyway. Isn't he risking ticking off some (wealthy) voters he might need for the Executive race? That race should be good because Ike Leggett and Silverman have some pretty different views on how to get more affordable housing, THE issue in Monkey County, in my opinion

Great reporting, thanks!

Miranda S. Spivack: Undoubtedly, affordable housing and the quality of life overall will themes in next year's executive race in Montgomery County.

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Rockville, Md.: There used to be something called the adequate facilities rule (I think) that drove where development happened and where it didn't. How much is that a factor in decisions now?

Miranda S. Spivack: I know that in Maryland counties planning boards must assess the adequacy of roads, schools and other public utilities, but many residents have complained that the enforcement lacks teeth. That is a recurring theme among residents in many jurisdictions where I have worked - Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: With each passing day, I grow more discouraged by the cost of housing in the DC area. I find it almost laughable to hear how Montgomery County plans to set aside 25 percent of the residences in the proposed Shady Grove redevelopment aside for families that can't afford the county's median single family home price of nearly $667,000. Gee thanks, now if only a small minority of the population was in the group that actually needed that help. I suspect many families who would like to live in Montgomery County can't afford the median.

Do a little quick math and see what the income requirements would be to afford the payment on the "median". Using a loan amount of $535K on the $670K house at 6% for a traditional 30 year mortgage would net a payment of over $3200 per month, less taxes. I won't even get into the annual income requirements to afford a payment of this size.

My family earns over $125,000 - a good living in many parts of the country - and yet I can barely afford the minimum price of the median SF home unless I have at least 20 percent to put down. I feel especially bad for families who have to move into the area now and find the cost to buy simply staggering...and I'm talking about professionals with good incomes. How do young people with little money to put down possibly afford to buy now or in the future?

Affordable housing in DC? Ha! That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. I'm just waiting for the music to stop.

Stephanie McCrummen: Hi there. The situation you outlined there is of course one reason for sprawl--houses are cheaper out on the edges of the metropolitan region, at least for a while, until everyone moves out there and development gets pushed out even further.

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Rockville, Md.: I was born and raised in a house built in the 1950s. I hated the house because it was small and cramped. Now that I have a successful career and can afford to build my own house in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, I see no reason why a bunch of NIMBYs should stand in the way. They can either put-up-and-shut-up or move away.

Nothing is forever. I expect that in 30-40 years, today's new houses will be knocked down to make way for new houses with current technology. It has been proven again and again that you cannot stand in the way of progress.

Stephanie McCrummen: Hi there. I think plenty of people out there share your point of view. However, at least in the town of Chevy Chase, the people you refer to as "nimby's" would argue that they're not trying to stop people from building a new house, they're just trying to make sure that the new houses fit in a little bit better with the existing neighborhood by making the setback requirements a bit more restrictive.

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Bethesda, Md.: I think many counties/local politicians make zoning and planning information as byzantine and obtuse as possible. It is very hard to find out online, for example, what are the rules about local setbacks or height restrictions in Montgomery County. Why? Couldn't there be specific, concrete information posted somewhere so that residents would know what is allowable, whether they are building their own house or watching another one go up on their block?

Miranda S. Spivack: Many people are raising questions about the way the regulations are written. Some efforts have been made in Montgomery County to make the rules clearer, but many residents have complained that much needs to be done.

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Bethesda, Md.: Speaking of local housing -- I noticed that the old Giant supermarket on Arlington Road in downtown Bethesda has finally been torn down. Are the long-planned apartments there going to be built?

Miranda S. Spivack: That case is soon to be argued in a Maryland appeals court but the developer has decided to go ahead and take some preliminary steps at the site, as I understand the situation.

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Stephanie McCrummen: Thanks for all your questions and comments!

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Miranda S. Spivack: Keep those calls and letters coming!

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Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.