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For what reasons might zoning regulations limit or prohibit teardowns? • Demolition of older and smaller homes,where the focal point of the ■ Larger families often move into the newer homes,increasing traffic facade is the front door and where the facade relates comfortably to a congestion. pedestrian-oriented street,removes the essential elements of a ■ Inconsistent stoup(main entrances to a building)heights detract from traditional neighborhood. the street scene. • New homes with front-loaded garages detract from the street scene; ■ The impact of a teardown increases if there is a failure to provide views of garage doors and driveway pavement in the front yard erode sufficient landscaping to soften the visual impact of a new structure. the pedestrian character of the street. ■ The facade designs of custom-built homes may have characteristics of tract • Taller and bulkier new homes create a"looming"presence on the street homes that are architecturally inconsistent with traditional neighborhoods. scene and can,because of die destruction of street character,encourage ■ Removing the older and smaller homes that serve young families,empty the reardown of an adjacent smaller house. nesters,and homeowners with modest incomes impacts the social • A new home that extends further into the back yard reduces the light structure of a community by reducing the neighborhood's economic penetration and air movement to adjacent homes. and social diversity. Exclusions may be required for dormers and chimneys. Other the sidewalk and street. Municipalities might consider requiring options include limiting the maximum width of a house facade a percentage of building cost to be spent on landscaping. or requiring an increase in side yard setback toward the rear of Implications Landscaping adds additional costs to a new .. the building envelope to limit the appearance of bulk and home and makes it difficult for modest-income homebuyers to provide for additional light and air on adjacent lots. live in a desirable neighborhood. Implications Creating nonconformities and restrictions on architectural design. Regulating Garage Configuration and Location.Attached garages with large asphalt driveways can negatively impact NEWS BRIEFS =°'f ti. neighborhood streetscape, particularly in neighborhoods with r alleys,where detached garages are often located at the rear of the Field of Bad Dreams lot. Regulations may prohibit front-loading garages facing the The 1989 movie Field of Dreams was set in an Iowa cornfield where street,or limit the amount of garage door facing the street. In the ghosts of baseball stars came back to play the game they loved. P;�r iveG,d Winnetka, Illinois,garage door widths cannot exceed 33 percent "Is this heaven?"asked the long-deceased"Shoeless"Joe Jackson to of the lot width, or 18 feet,whichever is less, provided that no Ray Kinsella,the farmer who constructed a baseball field in the individual door shall extend more than nine feet when facing middle of his corn crop."No,It's Iowa,"answered Ray.The actual the primary front yard.The Winnetka ordinance also field where the film was shot in Dyersville,Iowa,is still intact,and encourages locating the garages away from the front of the home remains one of the top tourist destinations in the state. by providing a 200-square-foot floor area exclusion for locating But all is not level on this playing field.A property line runs _ , an attached garage to the rear of the house, and a 400-square- through the left side of the infield; to the right are the foot exclusion for locating a detached garage in the rear one- farmhouse and the property of Don and Becky Lansing, and to quarter of the lot. Where alleys are available,a community the left, the rest of the playing field and cornfields,owned by Al might consider requiring that garages be accessed from the alley. and Rita Ameskamp. Both parties have souvenir stands on the Implications Loss of the comfort, convenience, and safety of site, and charge no admission to play ball on the actual field. an attached garage. The portion of the field owned by the Ameskamps has Design Review.A design review process may be necessary to undergone significant changes.The property manager that oversees ;. minimize development that is out of character with the the commercial aspects of their land,a group called"Left and = neighborhood. Design review can determine whether an Center Field of Dreams,"successfully petitioned for a zoning addition to the structure is viable over demolition and change of the farmland from A-1 to B-1 in order to support rebuilding and whether the design of a new structure meets the increased commercial ventures.The field is two and a half miles standards and guidelines of the community. outside of Dyersville and has the only business zoning classification Design review may also be appropriate for each variance in the area.All the surrounding land is zoned as agricultural.The application that results in a greater floor area. Cities may use reason for the change is a three-mile maze through the cornfields permit applications for demolition,which require the use of cut in the image of Shoeless Joe,which features trivia questions and either a design review process or substantial waiting period. factual markers throughout.A$6 admission fee is charged for Implications Additional cost and time required to construct a entrance to the maze,which was completed well before the single-family home.A debate over the legality or desirability of approval for the zoning change on June 21.Also under design review procedures may slow down or preclude development consideration is a 50-foot-high tower from which to authorization of the home by the community. view to the maze in its entirety. Landscaping Requirements and Tree Ordinance Application. The Lansing family is opposed to the extreme exploitation Many new homes lack adequate front yard landscaping,giving and commercialization of the site,on which they have banned the home a"bulky"appearance. Landscaping is often useful for television commercial shoots and weddings,preferring to keep softening the impact of building mass.Trees and shrubs also their portion of the site as"authentic"as possible.The Lansings increase street appeal by screening driveways and garages from are not in agreement with the developments on the Ameskamps