Shawn McCarthy, a Severna Park real estate agent, said he has received county building permits for two 11-foot-by-56-foot homes on Moore Street in Brooklyn Park. Last year, he built an 11-foot-wide home on Seward Avenue after feuding with area residents.
"It's 100 percent legal," said McCarthy, who received both permits last month. "If it weren't legal, they wouldn't have given me a permit."
His permits would not be affected by a bill introduced this month by Councilman Daryl Jones, D-Severn, who is seeking to ban skinny houses - usually those that are between 10 and 20 feet wide - on 25- or 30-foot lots.
Residents of Brooklyn Park and Pumphrey, both communities built around the turn of the 20th century, have sought the legislation for several years.
As it's written now, the bill permits side setbacks of 3 feet. But after hearing concerns about fire safety, Jones said he's working on an amendment that would require builders to maintain 10 feet of space between a house and neighboring property lines.
"I had some concerns, and some people in the community had some concerns, and I think this will address those," Jones said.
McCarthy said he plans to testify against the bill when it comes up for a council hearing Monday in Annapolis, saying it would take rights away from developers.
Skinny houses became a hot topic in the Pumphrey and Brooklyn Park communities two years ago, when a Howard County developer built a 12-foot-wide-by-56-foot-deep home on Belle Grove Road.
Last year, the Arundel Neighborhoods Association and other community groups opposed McCarthy's original application for an 18-foot-wide home with 3½-foot setbacks from neighboring property lines.
The county Appeals Board sided with the community, saying that McCarthy needed to build a house with 7-foot setbacks. So he did - but that left room only for an 11-foot-wide house.
McCarthy said the area needs affordable housing, and these houses will fill that need.
He said he received three offers on the Seward Avenue home, which sold for just over $200,000. McCarthy said that the 1,800-square-foot home was also roomier than some critics would expect - including three bedrooms, 3½ baths and a finished basement.
"The man who bought it was a recent college graduate, looking for something in that price range, and he's very happy," McCarthy said.
When Jones introduced his bill earlier this month, he said 3-foot setbacks were necessary in order to allow builders to construct normal-sized houses on small lots.
But Gary O'Neil, president of the Arundel Neighborhoods Association, said that would pose a fire hazard.
An early supporter of Jones' legislation, O'Neil was going to testify against it next week because of the original setbacks.
"There's a real fire hazard. If one goes, they all go," O'Neil said. "And aesthetically, it doesn't match the neighborhood."
O'Neil said undersized lots should be banned altogether. Until county zoning laws changed in 2005, developers were required to have two 25-foot lots next to each other before building a single-family home.
But he said he's pleased with Jones' amendment.
"That's 3 feet more than what we've got now," O'Neil said. "At this point, we'll support the bill."
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County code - 2009-08-03 14:52:24
A quick look at the county code will show that the current MINIMUM setback on a residentially-zoned lot is 7 feet. The International Building Code, which the county uses, specifies that each dewilling -regardless of size - must have at least one room with 120 square feet of NET floor space with a minimum width of 7 feet on one wall,; all other habitable rooms except the kitchen must have at least 70 square feet of NET floor space. How did this guy get 3 bedrooms and 3-1/2 bachs in a house that small? Where were the building inspectors when this place was being built- or is this going to turn into another Little Dobbins Island scam?
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Michael Calo - Glen Burnie, MD - Karma: Good
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Anti-social, McMansions, Spite Hous - 2009-08-02 10:30:39
In the Feng Shui world, a garage situated in the front of your home is a sign that the inhabitants are anti-social. Yep, McMansions have run a glut on this fair land, now someone builds a less than reasonably sized house and everyone gripes about it. It really seems like this dude is building these homes out of spite. That's what puts a smudge on his little houses.
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eric sacratini - tracy's landing, MD - Karma: Excellent
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home owner - 2009-08-01 07:43:42
At least the person that bought the house is actually the resident.There are so many rental properties in the brooklyn park area its not funny.Let start worrying about the landlords that could care less about what their tenants are doing.
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robert m. - , - Karma: Terrible
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Spite houses aren't new - 2009-07-31 17:38:52
This is a spite house... they aren't new... lots of examples in early Colonial history in the US. Somewhere along the way this lot got subdivided... that is where this should have been stopped. I think it looks a bit silly and I'd never buy it but hey... someone did so clearly there is a market for it. We have worse problems on my street where I have 3 or 4 houses empty now... I'd take an occupied nice looking home over the blight of abandoned houses any day.
Wikipedia has a spite house article... interesting read...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spite_house
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B Kibbey - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent
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lindak - 2009-07-31 14:56:26
Finally, someone wants to help us step back from the "MCHOUSES" and people are complaining! I think the skinny houses are wonderful! May we all stop and think, and realize, bigger is not always better. Time to step up to the plate folks and let alternatives to everything(as long as they are legal structures and sturdy)beallowed as more and more people need afordable houses...and you may not think YOU DO(those who have complained)but one day you might!
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linda k. - barboursville, WV - Karma: Good
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Garages - 2009-07-31 14:00:18
Garages aren't anti social. However, sometimes people can be. Some people only leave their house, when they get in their car and drive off. Front and back doors stay closed.
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Rick M. - Laurel, Md - Karma: Excellent
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Anti-Social? - 2009-07-31 10:19:58
How can a garage be anti-social?
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Dave D. - Riva, MD - Karma: Excellent
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Skinny House - 2009-07-30 20:58:51
I agree with K. Cawood. What should be banned are attached garages that stick out in front of the rest of the house - they are anti-social. At least the skinny house has a porch.
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Mark Knophler - , - Karma: Neutral
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Skinny House - 2009-07-30 19:10:47
The skinny house is prettier than the horrible big garage house next door in the picture. I don't see the problem.
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K. Cawood - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral
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11' Wide and rising - 2009-07-30 16:43:19
I agree with him that undersized lots should be banned altogether. But, I could also agree with McCarthy, who argues that there is not enough affordable housing, if you want to call 200 g's affordable, especially for a home that is only 11 feet wide (outside dimension?). These little lots would make a great place for a vegetable or flower garden that could help beautify the neighborhood or provide neighbors with more common areas. Though, when unlit, they're also a target for trouble sometimes. I guess it depends on the neighborhood. And the adjacent neighbors might not appreciate this. I guess building a house on these little lots does help fuel the economy, as long as the buyer can pay for it, of course. I don't know, I could go either way. I'm just glad that my closest neighbor is about 70' away from me and the other a good 170' adjacent to unperkable lots. But there is Route 2 on the other hand...
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eric sacratini - tracy's landing, MD - Karma: Excellent
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