Designers leery of new rules against large homes

Salt Lake City's proposed rules to rein in building of monster homes are too restrictive and may lead to even uglier homes being built in Utah's capital, according to one renovation firm that specializes in remodeling historic homes.

An architect with Renovation Design Group says the new rules are draconian, vague and may force many families out of Salt Lake City. The rules could also drive down property values, make home remodeling much more expensive and frustrate people looking to upgrade their houses, she said.

"It's going to add time and it's going to add cost," said Annie Vernon, co-owner of Renovation Design Group, which also writes a column for the Deseret Morning News' Wasatch Life section. "Philosophically, what they're saying is 'we don't want Salt Lake City to change.' If you don't allow people to change and adapt their homes to meet their lifestyle, they are going to go somewhere else."

While monster home building is a problem, she said, the new rules are an overreaction to three or four cases gone bad.

The firm plans to voice its opposition to the rules at Wednesday's Planning Commission meeting. The commission must sign off on the new rules before forwarding the new zoning ordinance to the City Council for final approval.

Vernon notes the proposed citywide rules are more strict than the recently passed limits on building in the Yalecrest neighborhood on the city's east side, where community members spent four years crafting building restrictions that took effect earlier this year.

Councilman Carlton Christensen, who lives on the west side where monster homes are not an issue, said he's not necessarily opposed to the new rules. However, he favors an alternative method using the volume of the home as it compares to its lot size. Christensen has asked planners to look into the volume method to see if it might offer more flexibility while accomplishing the same goals.

But others, such as Utah Heritage Foundation assistant director Kirk Huffaker, plan to lobby the commission in favor of the proposed rules.

"What the city is saying is that 'if you would like to live in our neighborhoods, which we think are some of the most desirable neighborhoods in the entire state, we'd like you to do some extra work to make sure your product is going to fit in,' " he said.