The McMansion fight in Los Angeles rages on, pitting developers and new home buyers against owners of older homes, in some of LA’s most charming neighborhoods. The latest battle was won by homeowners hoping to stop new builds of McMansions in their neighborhoods. New rules have been formalized to decrease maximum floor area ratio (F.A.R.) to .45% of lot size, and limit or remove variances which have allowed additional sq. footage in the past. The rules were last changed in 2008, but developers found loopholes to build bigger homes than some neighbors wanted.
This is a fight to preserve the look and feel of a neighborhood by long-time residents versus a desire for larger family homes by new ones. As the city ultimately becomes denser by necessity, these single-family lots will become ever more valuable, which is one reason larger houses make economic sense for developers and property owners. And there is clearly a demand for larger family homes in many areas.
As a former New Yorker, I’m comfortable with larger homes on smaller lots. For me the concern is about design aesthetic rather than size. Some McMansions are beautifully designed (see photo above) while others appear as hulking white boxes concerned with size over style. It’s really a question of lack of effort by the architect/developer. I’m a huge fan of modern architecture; Mid-Century Modern architecture put Los Angeles on the map stylistically. There are some excellent examples of modern McMansions which are beautiful yet subtle in aspect from the street view. They are slightly smaller than average, and they look great. It’s mostly the giant white boxes with very little stylistic detail that generate the most complaints. One of my favorite aspects of Los Angeles is the variety of architectural Styles often found on the same block. It’s the opposite of cookie-cutter Suburbia with a little bit of Hollywood fantasy thrown in. And diversity is what the city is all about.
One solution to the issue of McMansions blending in with their neighbors is to add square footage to the back and top of an existing home. Here’s an example in Hancock La Brea on Mansfield Avenue that expanded an existing home into a beautiful and charming McMansion. Most will agree that the larger version retains the homes’ former charm while providing more space for its eventual new owners.
Many developers began responding to the McMansion debate by adding Cape Cod and Spanish-style homes to their new buildings, along with simply expanding existing homes. Hopefully, with the new rule changes and a greater variety of styles, the McMansion issue will become less contentious soon.
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