New roof height proposal to go before council, West Homewood odor meeting set

A new proposal for roof heights in neighborhood preservation districts, which attempts to factor in lot grading, will be discussed by the city council on Sept. 12.

The planning and development committee took up the roof height issue again at its Sept. 6 meeting with a nearly full audience of residents. Most residents were there to argue in favor of a more restrictive version of the proposed ordinance amendment, limiting house height to 25 feet on lots 55 feet wide or smaller, but some were in favor of 29-foot or 32-foot limits.

Aesthetics were the principal point of the argument, with proponents of the smaller heights arguing that the limit will keep the charm and consistency of the neighborhood, and opponents saying that a 32-foot limit will allow builders more room to design an attractive house instead of potentially flattening the roof to fit in a second story.

Ward 3 Representative Patrick McClusky said he had talked to developers who felt they could work within 30 feet or less, but the steep slopes on some lots put certain homeowners at a disadvantage or make their homes appear even taller.

After discussion, the committee decided to amend the proposal to state that homes on 55-foot-wide or smaller lots can have a maximum height of 29 feet, as measured from the front door threshold to the highest parapet, and up to an additional three feet from the median grade level on the front of the house. This puts a maximum of 32 feet, and any additional overall or grading height will require a variance, Ward 3 Representative Walter Jones said.

For lots over 55 feet in width, houses can be 35 feet in height with up to an additional three feet from the median front grade level. Lot setbacks and ways of measuring height are also part of the proposed amendment, but no changes to those items were made at Tuesday's meeting.

The issue will be taken up in the Sept. 12 council meeting. While some residents were still not happy with this proposal, the committee felt that it was better to approve some restrictions and amend them later as needed.

“The longer it stays here [in committee], the longer the Wild West continues,” Ward 1 Representative Britt Thames said in regards to current, more lenient ordinances on roof height.

Prior to the council meeting, a special committee meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Sept. 12 to hear the latest results from Volatile Analysis' study of the West Homewood noise and odor issues.