Yonkers adopts new zoning laws to curb 'McMansions'

Ernie Garcia
elgarcia@lohud.com

YONKERS - The City Council has adopted an ordinance regulating the dimensions of new homes in an attempt to curb the construction of so-called McMansions, or jumbo homes wedged onto small lots.

The legislation establishes updated rules on basements, floor area ratios and the distance of a house's walls from its property lines, among other things.

The City Council approved the new zoning ordinance at its Tuesday night meeting more than two years after Mayor Phil Amicone created the Yonkers McMansion Task Force.

City officials launched the task force after outcries from residents about such construction.

Many of the plus-size buildings were legal due to ambiguities in the city's aged zoning ordinances, such as in the case of vague language about what constitutes a basement.

The new rules will put a limit of 3,750 square feet on any home proposed for a 50-by-100-foot-lot known as an S-50, one of the most common residential lot sizes in Yonkers.

The new laws did not please everyone who worked on the task force, which was composed of four residents and four representatives from the construction industry. Task force member Taffy Williams wanted a smaller house size ratio for the S-50 lots because she thinks 3,750 square feet is too big for her Crestwood neighborhood where many homes on S-50 lots are smaller.

Older homes in Crestwood were built at a time when Americans did not demand large homes, but tastes have changed.

The National Association of Home Builders notes that in 1950 the average new home size was 1,000 square feet, while in 2000 it was 2,265 square feet.

The amendments to the city's zoning code will take effect immediately, but will exempt new construction plans already filed with the city.