Old house, new house
SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
08/15/2006
Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page A1 of News
View in Print (PDF) Format
The owner of the house at 3125 E. 27th St. says she isn’t bothered by the dimensions of her neighbor’s home that is under construction.
ROBERT S. CROSS / Tulsa World
Neighbors debate building anew
One man's McMansion is another man's castle.
Some people believe that the proliferation of new larger homes in established midtown neighborhoods will only increase the property values of the bungalows and ranch-style houses that sit in the shadows of their pitched rooftops.
But to others, the new houses are an intrusion and threat to the things that are still truly special about Tulsa -- its historic homes.
Developers are hot on the trail of property in some of the most coveted parts of midtown, buying up older homes and tearing them down to build one or two new homes with amenities they say today's market dictates: ample closet space, tall ceilings, three-car garages and other details that didn't seem necessary in the 1950s.
The new homes sell at prices that can be four times as much as the market value of the decades-old homes next door.
But it's not just developers building new homes. Homeowners keen on staying within close driving-range to downtown are doing it too. Kent Hudson said that when comparing the price to add-on and renovate his 1950s midtown home in which he most likely faced plumbing and wiring problems, he might as well build a new home designed the way his family wanted, with closet space, a three-car garage and bigger bedrooms and bathrooms.
Hudson doesn't feel that he demolished anything historical.
"I don't see any major theme in this neighborhood," he said.
His neighbor Pam Bennetch isn't complaining. Her modest brick home of about 1,300 square feet is overshadowed by Hudson's sprawling, new villa home of 4,500 square feet nearly complete at 27th Street and Florence Drive.
The new house definitely stands out, but Bennetch said it doesn't bother her. People should be allowed to rebuild as they choose, she said.
"This is America," she said. "It'll make my property more valuable. I know it will."
Joan Pringle is much more worried about the latest residential redevelopment trends and has taken up the cause in her neighborhood, bordered by 21st and 31st streets and Lewis and Harvard avenues.
The new homes are ridiculously large and all roof, she said. In fact, she would call them an eyesore.
"There's nothing wrong with a south Tulsa house, but it belongs in south Tulsa," she said. "They're bulldozing these old bungalows to build $600,000 houses."
Pringle and others like her say they're not at all opposed to new homes, they would just like them to be compatible with the older homes so that the charm of a neighborhood is preserved.
Steve Novick, president of the Ranch Acres Home Owners Association and the legal representative for the Peaceful Terwilleger Home Owners Association, and Herb Beattie, co-president of the Brookside Neighborhood Association, recently called for the zoning board to impose a moratorium on lot splits until the city can adopt a zoning code that would protect neighborhoods from such intrusions.
Ultimately, Novick would like to see the city adopt a zoning designation for neighborhood stabilization, sometimes called "historic neighborhood light," so residents will have a tool to balance new residential development with controls on setbacks, spacing, lot lines and building height.
The Peaceful Terwilleger Acres neighborhood, west of Lewis Avenue on 38th Street, may not have old mansions, but Patty Southmayd, a Tulsa architect and Terwilleger resident, said it does represent a page in city history.
Southmayd said Peachtree Road in Atlanta and Highland Park in Dallas are sad examples of what can happen when new development -- "infill" in development jargon -- runs amok. Both communities have lost most or a huge chunk of their original structures.
"That's why I left Dallas," she said.
Residents living in historical districts have some protection in the types of homes that can be built, but securing historical neighborhood status is a lengthy process.
Novick said people need protection now. Novick helped the Peaceful Terwilleger residents "downzone" to a residential status that prevents lot splits. But they were very disappointed that two lots were excluded from the zoning change because one owner in the neighborhood did not wish to participate.
That was home builder Nick Enterline of Tulsa-based Enterline Construction Co. and a partner in Rockford Road LLC, which recently bought the two lots. He said the residents tried to unfairly rezone his land.
Enterline said the 1960s ranch-style house he tore down was of no architectural significance and that he will build a more attractive home, which he believes will be compatible with the neighborhood. Residents on the street said the original house was nice and fear they will have to live with the repercussions if he sandwiches two homes between two estate-sized lots.
In any residential district, a home can be as tall as 35 feet, which could be three stories. One of the proposed zoning code changes submitted recently is to increase the height in residential districts through a special exception request to the Board of Adjustment.
Wayne Alberty, manager of land development services for the Indian Nations Council of Governments, said an infill development task force study conducted in 1999 addresses these issues.
"Residents don't like the findings of that study and they probably won't like the results of the comprehensive plan if it doesn't agree with their point of view," he said.
Alberty said that the study concludes that the city should increase densities in midtown and older areas to encourage redevelopment.
"The truth of the matter is, in most situations they're tearing down older homes whose style and value don't match the majority of the homes. You don't see them tearing down some of those two- and three-story estate homes. They're tearing down homes with lesser value and rebuilding a home more in keeping with the style and value of the majority of homes," Alberty said.
Density works because the market is dictating it, Alberty said; larger homes and smaller lots with less yard maintenance are what people want.
"If the demand was for large homes and large lots, that's what you'd be seeing," he said. "I think what we're trying to do is address a development condition where you have a growing market for new homes in midtown Tulsa. You have an available supply of lots that have undervalued homes on them. So to meet market demand, the economics are right to purchase these homes and replace them with more expensive homes."
SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
08/15/2006
Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page A1 of News
View in Print (PDF) Format
The owner of the house at 3125 E. 27th St. says she isn’t bothered by the dimensions of her neighbor’s home that is under construction.
ROBERT S. CROSS / Tulsa World
Neighbors debate building anew
One man's McMansion is another man's castle.
Some people believe that the proliferation of new larger homes in established midtown neighborhoods will only increase the property values of the bungalows and ranch-style houses that sit in the shadows of their pitched rooftops.
But to others, the new houses are an intrusion and threat to the things that are still truly special about Tulsa -- its historic homes.
Developers are hot on the trail of property in some of the most coveted parts of midtown, buying up older homes and tearing them down to build one or two new homes with amenities they say today's market dictates: ample closet space, tall ceilings, three-car garages and other details that didn't seem necessary in the 1950s.
The new homes sell at prices that can be four times as much as the market value of the decades-old homes next door.
But it's not just developers building new homes. Homeowners keen on staying within close driving-range to downtown are doing it too. Kent Hudson said that when comparing the price to add-on and renovate his 1950s midtown home in which he most likely faced plumbing and wiring problems, he might as well build a new home designed the way his family wanted, with closet space, a three-car garage and bigger bedrooms and bathrooms.
Hudson doesn't feel that he demolished anything historical.
"I don't see any major theme in this neighborhood," he said.
His neighbor Pam Bennetch isn't complaining. Her modest brick home of about 1,300 square feet is overshadowed by Hudson's sprawling, new villa home of 4,500 square feet nearly complete at 27th Street and Florence Drive.
The new house definitely stands out, but Bennetch said it doesn't bother her. People should be allowed to rebuild as they choose, she said.
"This is America," she said. "It'll make my property more valuable. I know it will."
Joan Pringle is much more worried about the latest residential redevelopment trends and has taken up the cause in her neighborhood, bordered by 21st and 31st streets and Lewis and Harvard avenues.
The new homes are ridiculously large and all roof, she said. In fact, she would call them an eyesore.
"There's nothing wrong with a south Tulsa house, but it belongs in south Tulsa," she said. "They're bulldozing these old bungalows to build $600,000 houses."
Pringle and others like her say they're not at all opposed to new homes, they would just like them to be compatible with the older homes so that the charm of a neighborhood is preserved.
Steve Novick, president of the Ranch Acres Home Owners Association and the legal representative for the Peaceful Terwilleger Home Owners Association, and Herb Beattie, co-president of the Brookside Neighborhood Association, recently called for the zoning board to impose a moratorium on lot splits until the city can adopt a zoning code that would protect neighborhoods from such intrusions.
Ultimately, Novick would like to see the city adopt a zoning designation for neighborhood stabilization, sometimes called "historic neighborhood light," so residents will have a tool to balance new residential development with controls on setbacks, spacing, lot lines and building height.
The Peaceful Terwilleger Acres neighborhood, west of Lewis Avenue on 38th Street, may not have old mansions, but Patty Southmayd, a Tulsa architect and Terwilleger resident, said it does represent a page in city history.
Southmayd said Peachtree Road in Atlanta and Highland Park in Dallas are sad examples of what can happen when new development -- "infill" in development jargon -- runs amok. Both communities have lost most or a huge chunk of their original structures.
"That's why I left Dallas," she said.
Residents living in historical districts have some protection in the types of homes that can be built, but securing historical neighborhood status is a lengthy process.
Novick said people need protection now. Novick helped the Peaceful Terwilleger residents "downzone" to a residential status that prevents lot splits. But they were very disappointed that two lots were excluded from the zoning change because one owner in the neighborhood did not wish to participate.
That was home builder Nick Enterline of Tulsa-based Enterline Construction Co. and a partner in Rockford Road LLC, which recently bought the two lots. He said the residents tried to unfairly rezone his land.
Enterline said the 1960s ranch-style house he tore down was of no architectural significance and that he will build a more attractive home, which he believes will be compatible with the neighborhood. Residents on the street said the original house was nice and fear they will have to live with the repercussions if he sandwiches two homes between two estate-sized lots.
In any residential district, a home can be as tall as 35 feet, which could be three stories. One of the proposed zoning code changes submitted recently is to increase the height in residential districts through a special exception request to the Board of Adjustment.
Wayne Alberty, manager of land development services for the Indian Nations Council of Governments, said an infill development task force study conducted in 1999 addresses these issues.
"Residents don't like the findings of that study and they probably won't like the results of the comprehensive plan if it doesn't agree with their point of view," he said.
Alberty said that the study concludes that the city should increase densities in midtown and older areas to encourage redevelopment.
"The truth of the matter is, in most situations they're tearing down older homes whose style and value don't match the majority of the homes. You don't see them tearing down some of those two- and three-story estate homes. They're tearing down homes with lesser value and rebuilding a home more in keeping with the style and value of the majority of homes," Alberty said.
Density works because the market is dictating it, Alberty said; larger homes and smaller lots with less yard maintenance are what people want.
"If the demand was for large homes and large lots, that's what you'd be seeing," he said. "I think what we're trying to do is address a development condition where you have a growing market for new homes in midtown Tulsa. You have an available supply of lots that have undervalued homes on them. So to meet market demand, the economics are right to purchase these homes and replace them with more expensive homes."