Monster homes may be history

Monster homes that clash with Salt Lake City's historic, quaint neighborhoods appear to be on the way out — and so could most new two-story homes.

The City Council on Tuesday got its first look at new zoning rules that would eliminate most of the problematic issues associated with building monster homes in the city. The rules also would prohibit people from building new two-story homes in most city neighborhoods.

"In my area, definitely, height is the huge issue," Councilwoman Jill Remington Love said. However, "I don't know if this is too strict. Maybe it is."

A public open house is scheduled Tuesday. The council won't vote on the new rules until later this year.

For starters, in most residential zones, the maximum height a new home could be at the roof crest is 23 feet. Previously, there had been a 30-foot limit on new homes. Also, the highest a home's outer wall could be is 16 feet. Or, the maximum height could equal the average height of the homes on the same block face.

Deputy director of community development Brent Wilde said most new two-story homes couldn't be built with the 16-foot wall maximum.

Of course, people can get special exceptions that would allow them to build higher — but that would require a cumbersome special-exemption permit.

Also gone under the new rules would be a mandatory front yard setback of 20 feet. Instead, various areas would have differing minimum setbacks, based on what the average minimum setback is on that particular block. So, in some areas where most homes have large yards, the setbacks would be large. In areas with small yards, the setbacks would be small.

The rules are designed to make sure all homes on a given block are roughly the same size and have similar front yards.

Many residents have complained about people tearing down old, historic homes and replacing them with big, new giants.

Neighbors complain the new homes are out of place, drive down other property values in the area and make the street look ugly.

Two monster homes in particular — one under construction in the Avenues, the other already built in Yalecrest (nicknamed "Garagemahal") — have caused the most public uproar.

Attached garages are also targeted in the new rules. Now a garage cannot constitute more than 50 percent of the home's front facade and must be in line with the rest of the house.

Detached garages have to be farther removed from neighboring homes and have to be shorter.

Some additions would be affected as well. In some zones, new additions — even those in line with the current house — would have to go through the special-exemption process.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com