Love-thy-neighbor sentiment was noticeably absent at Wednesday’s Bellevue planning commission meeting as residents sounded off about “megahomes” invading their communities.
The commission is considering new limits on the construction of these larger-than-average houses in existing neighborhoods.
Those regulations can’t come fast enough for residents who fear they’ll soon be living in the shadows of a neighbor’s dwelling.
They’re coming too late for people like Gary-Paul Reinke, who says his Lake Hills residence is “completely blocked out” by a nearby home.
“The shadow cast by that house at mid-day goes three-quarters of the way down my house,” he told the commission. “Every night I come home, my stomach is in knots, because when I open up my blinds, I see that piece of crap staring back at me.”
Reinke claims the lack of sunlight on his lot has caused new problems, like mold and insects.
Megahomes have sprung up throughout Bellevue in recent years, but they’re most prevalent in places like West Bellevue, Entanai, and Lochmoor – where homebuyers often tear down older houses and build larger ones to replace them.
Existing residents complain about loss of sunlight and privacy, construction nuisances, and homes that stick out like sore thumbs.
City of Bellevue Neighborhood Outreach Manager Cheryl Kuhn says the grumbling has grown louder.
“Since the 2004 building boom, it’s gotten to be a chorus of complaints,” she said.
The Bellevue City Council applied a quick salve in 2007 with new rules on tree retention, construction activities, and methods for measuring building height, among others.
Now the city is delving deeper into the issues, particularly building height.
The planning commission on Wednesday looked at measures that would:
• Establish minimum setbacks of 7.5 feet on all sides of a home
• Require second-story setbacks or a roof pitch of 45 degrees beginning 10 feet above grade at the property line
• Set a maximum building height of 35 feet for pitched-roof homes or 30 feet for those with flat roofs.
• Set a maximum height of 40 feet for any building façade.
The standards would apply to new single-family homes that exceed 50 percent of their lot square footage, as well as renovation projects that add more than 20 percent to the gross floor area. None would affect homes in new neighborhoods.
The council will consider the latest round of proposals at its June 8 study session, with adoption possible as early as June 15.
Lochmoor resident Bill Pace told the planning commission Wednesday that the proposed regulations don’t go far enough.
“I can’t see anyone being a winner with the size of the houses that would be allowed in my neighborhood,” he said.
Many neighborhoods already have covenants related to development standards, but enforcing those rules can be costly and difficult.
Surrey Downs resident Joseph Rosmann suggests that protecting the identity of older neighborhoods is essential to Bellevue’s reputation as a family-oriented and well-established community.
“Once you lose that character, you lose the psychological basis for people feeling comfortable where they live,” he said.
No one at the Wednesday planning commission meeting spoke up on behalf of relaxing the newly proposed development standards.
