Get our free newsletter
I would imagine that builders’ tricks of the trade would be complicated, time-tested fixes requiring years of regulatory know-how and relationship-building with government officials. But in Fairfax County, it seems that developers have figured out a pretty simple-minded way of skirting the law.
Problem: How do you make a house look taller without actually breaking the 35-foot height restriction?
Solution: Why, pile some extra dirt under the property!
According to the DC Examiner, Fairfax County developers have made a habit of doing this. That trend was not in “the spirit” of the law—-but was a “fairly common practice” anyway.
Now, the county has decided to re-write the regulation to “simply mandate that the height of most houses must be measured from the original ground level, not the raised one.”
It’s our 40th anniversary! This year, give your community the gift of local journalism.
“County supervisors are expected to set a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposal for July 23, after which the item would return for the board for a second hearing in September,” according to the story.
It seems like perfect timing now that the McMansion trend is slowing down.