Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Please plan to attend the town hall meeting
Your support is greatly appreciated, I hope to see you all there. Please review the Standards prior to coming to the meeting at www.leawood.org (click under HOA and then Leawood HOA).
Monday, August 11, 2008
Design Matters
Marianne Cusato, a thought leader in the fields of architectural and urban design, is known for her emphasis on building better—not bigger.
Ranked the No. 4 most influential person in the home building industry in Builder magazine's annual “Power on 50” list, Cusato and her design principles are changing the landscape of the housing industry.
This book explains exactly what I've been trying to articulate. There is a way to keep our neighborhood, Old Leawood, alluring. It's called good design. Good design adds value to an individual home and to a community as a whole.
This book is a great resource for city officials, builders, architects, Realtors and homeowners. It covers aspects of function, cost and design. It pays great attention to less is more, common sense and adding value with design.
I was particularly interested in the Preservation - Valuing What We Already Have section of the book. I thought this paragraph was right on:
The value of our existing older communities cannot be overstated. As a society we have developed a bad habit of tearing down existing fabric, only to replace it with new structures that often lack any relationship to the street or contribution to the community. Across America, nice old homes are being torn down and replaced with giant McMansions that gobble up entire lots and leave the street scape looking like a patchwork quilt. Every time we lose a nice old house, our communities lose value.
So if you're building, remodeling or are just curious to the effects good design has on our lives and communities, I encourage you to get your hands on this wonderful book!
A copy of this book can be purchased through Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Marianne%20Cusato&page=1
Saturday, July 12, 2008
we are making a difference
I wanted to write and commend you for the work you are doing to save the character and charm of Old Leawood. We were driving through the area last Saturday as we are thinking of purchasing a house there. We went down one street and I saw this huge new house on a small lot and I thought "Oh no, they're tearing down the ranch houses and putting in houses like you would see in South JoCo." Then we started noticing the yard signs about preserving Old Leawood. We weren't exactly sure what they were about so we can home and looked it up on the internet. I was pleasantly surprised to find your site.
I hope your work and those of your neighbors will put a stop to the developers wanting to build homes that are so out of place. We love the area and hope to become part of the neighborhood in the near future. Good luck to you on your fight to save Old Leawood.
Patti Mason
Thank you Patti Mason for your kind email and thank you to all of those that have been a huge part of this experience.
People do look to Old Leawood for charm and character. Let's not disappoint them by destroying the character of this beautiful area.
Leawood is a tree city
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, Leawood is listed as a Tree City.
This means that we plant, nurture and celebrate our trees. There are also other benefits to being a Tree City. So why is it ok that we allow these builders to tear down the trees?
Are you a builder ? Or do you plan to remodel? Did you know that the Arbor Day Foundation has information about building with trees? They even have 7 tips to help you successfully build with trees.
Some great information can be found at the Arbor Day Foundation site....in case you didn't know.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
trees benefit everyone
poll results
Size and scale: 55%
Community Character: 63%
Effects on the Environment: 26%
and
22% of those voted don't care, they think it will happen regardless.
People were able to vote for more than one concern which is why the total %'s are more than 100.
Thank you for your imput.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
more yard signs
If you would like to show your support by having a sign in your yard please contact me at www.traybella@hotmail.com and I'll be sure and get a sign in your yard.
Thank you to those who currently have signs in their yards. Your support has been great and it's obvious that people do care about the future of Old Leawood.
Friday, May 16, 2008
guidelines meeting
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
leawood is on the map
more signs on the way
The signs have brought a huge awareness to this issue. It's a small step and we still have a long way to go, but changes are being made and hopefully the end result will be a neighborhood that everyone is happy with.
Remember anyone can add comments here on the blog. What are your needs, likes, dislikes? It's going to take all of us to make a difference. Thank you!
Monday, May 12, 2008
leawood planning commission agenda
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
guidelines meeting scheduled
Monday, May 5, 2008
stolen signs
One neighbor said that five minutes after her sign was placed in her yard, a middle aged woman drove up, yanked the sign out of the yard, chucked it into her trunk and then drove off.
The support for this cause has been overwhelming. For those of you wanting signs for your yard, we'll hopefully be placing another order this week. Just contact me at www.traybella@hotmail.com and we'll add your address to the list.
If you have a sign in your yard, please make sure that it is 6 feet from the curb.
Friday, May 2, 2008
results of the may 1st meeting
Due to severe weather the meeting was adjourned early. Another meeting will be scheduled to comment on the guidelines. As soon as I here of the date, I'll post it here on the blog.
Thank you to those who came to support this effort.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
definition, effects and strategies of teardowns
It's a site developed by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. It not only covers the definition of a teardown, but it's effects on community character, economic costs and most importantly effects to the environment. It also list strategies on dealing with teardowns.
If you have a few minutes it's worthy of checking out.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
we need your support
yard signs are sprouting up
These signs were created to help with the awareness of what is happening in Old Leawood. It's also a way for homeowners to show their support in accepting growth in our neighborhood and trying to find a balance between the old and the new.
In addition the signs are a way to let people know about this blog. They can then ask questions, leave comments and keep up with what is happening in Old Leawood.
Do you want to show your support by having a sign in your yard? Contact me at traybella@hotmail.com/ and let me know you're interested!
9216 Cherokee Lane
Word went around that a 6,000 square foot house was going to be built. When I heard that I thought there is no way I'm going to have that in my backyard. So I created a petition and gathered signatures from surrounding homeowners. The petition was for people who believed that the new proposed house was not keeping within the look or scale of surrounding houses.
Meetings were held that included homeowners, the builder, the architect, and members of the Leawood Homes Association. Clarification was made that the house was NOT going to be 6,000 square feet. The photo below is the original proposed drawing.
And the photo here is the result of neighbors sticking together and speaking up for what they want the future of this neighborhood to be. Still not keeping within the character of the neighborhood, but a few changes were made and the overall height did come down by 3 feet.
Because this proposed house met all of the architectural guidelines it was given the approval to build.
Neighbors are still not happy with the size and look of the house. There is still a petition for this property. Thank goodness this house is not the 6,000 square feet that we all thought. But even at 3800 square feet it is extremely larger than the surrounding 2000 square foot (average) ranch houses. With it's protruding garage (also known as a snout nose) and unwelcoming tunnel to the front door it just doesn't fit the streetscape of the surrounding houses. I suppose the plus to this house will come to the new homeowner. The lack of backyard, since the house takes up most of it, will be less to mow.
Just because Old Leawood has large lots, do we really have to fill them with huge houses? Some say that all of this tearing down and rebuilding is good for the neighborhood and that it's smart growth. Tearing down a smaller house to build a bigger house only adds square footage. Not to mention all the material that was sent to the landfill. This doesn't sound like smart growth to me.
So now our goal is to get existing guidelines changed so that the house being built at 9216 doesn't become the norm of this neighborhood. It won't happen overnight, it will take some time. It's a community effort and everyone has to do their part.
What do you think of 9216? Leave your comments here on this post.
Or you can contact the Builder, John Gray, at http://www.johngrayhomes.com/contactus.php or contact Rick Jones, the Architect, at info@nspjarch.com and let them know what you think.
we can all make a difference
I care about this neighborhood, it's large lots, and big trees. Instead of sitting and watching this teardown boom progress, I decided to create a source that homeowners could view for finding helpful information. I've included helpful sites, links to our Homes Association, a recommended reading list and will continue to add posts of useful information.
This blog is also a place for you to ask questions or leave your comments. Each post has a place where you can add your own comments and I encourage you to do so.
I am excited about the growth in Old Leawood. But there has to be a balance from what the original Kroh Brothers created , character and charm, to a new comfortable home that is desired by homeowners today. There is room for updated, larger homes in our neighborhood. They just need to fit into the streetscape of the existing homes. Thank you in advance for your participation. Together, we can make a difference.