Supersizing the Neighborhood: McMansioning the Washington Region

Photo Credit: Robert A. Reeder, Washington Post. Outsized houses have created a controversy in Arlington where officials are contemplating a limit on what are referred to as "McMansions." This one located on the 2000 block of Culpepper St. in Arlington.

Given the desire to live in Washington, but on their own terms, teardowns are an increasingly important issue in large lot neighborhoods that lie in the original "Washington County" neighborhoods of the city. (The L'enfant City is characterized by smaller lots where teardowns aren't really a concern in quite the same way.)

See the article "A Large-Scale Disagreement: As Massive Houses Prompt Protests, Arlington Proposes Limits" from the Washington Post, and this article,"Mega-mansions' upside: They help reduce suburban sprawl 'Tear-downs' in aging neighborhoods create smart growth, experts say", from USA Today (without images).