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"a•a__...••••••.m••i..i....•••••••m••••m••imii•m•i•••m• i 24 Aesthetics, Community Character, and the Law bridge area,there is also a high interest in preserving historically or archi- tecturally significant community features that do not meet rigid historic preservation standards. Compared to the administration of conservation districts in other states, the administration of the Cambridge districts is very structured and com- plex. There are two levels of review: Mandatory review applies to new structures over 750 square feet,and advisory review applies to all other re- modeling and construction. The reviews are conducted by commissions that are administered under the state historic commission management umbrella. The commissions are made up of residents in the district, with one state historic commission seat. The majority of reviews conducted are in the advisory,nonbinding cat- egory. These cases typically consist of remodeling projects, including decks, dormers, and bay window expansions. Some in the private sector generally see this level of review as an unnecessary safeguard and con- sider the requirement a waste of time.The city sees the process as an edu- cational opportunity and as a means of allowing the public an opportunity to participate and comment. Even with this structured administrative framework, the two main districts that have been established in Cambridge are functionally very different. The Half-Crown district is comprised of 75 residential build- While[big box]stores vary ings on very small lots near Harvard Square, a major commercial area widely in size and market with significant historical features.The principal interest of the property niche,they tend to share owners is to protect the residential area from outside influences,partic- common design features, ularly office and commercial uses.The property owners are so involved including:large,rectangular, in the district that it is almost self-governing.The group reportedly has single-story buildings with a definite "us versus them" approach, which sometimes includes the standardized,often blank facades;reliance on auto-borne city in the "them" category. shoppers who are The second district is the Mid-Cambridge district and includes about accommodated by acres of 2,000 buildings. Beginning in the 1950s, large houses were being demol- parking;and no-frills site ished to make way for "modern" seven- to eight-story apartment build- development that often ings. In response, the city amended the zoning code in the 1970s to en- eschews community or courage small-scale, townhouse/condominium development and pedestrian amenities such as attached single-family additions.This led to problems associated with the trees or sidewalks. resulting high densities, including reduced parking and the loss of yards, open space, and large trees. While this trend slowed during the late 1980.5 because of the national economy, the conservation district now helps tc monitor growth and preserve the neighborhood character.In addition,the area was downzoned as the result of"recasting" the townhouse ordinance Because many jurisdictions have conservation districts that have been it place for several years,those drafting new ordinances can now draw on variety of useful models from around the country. These existing model can be evaluated and used as the basis for developing new ordinance without"reinventing the wheel." Recently adopted programs include Lir coin,Nebraska;Orlando,Florida;and Portland,Oregon,in addition to th examples mentioned above. Design standards for large retail establishments. The meteoric rise c large-scale retail stores such as Wal-Mart has been one of the headlir planning stories of the 1990s. Commonly called "big-box" retailers, the enterprises typically occupy more than 50,000 square feet and derive the profits from high sales volumes.While such stores vary widely in size ar market niche,they tend to share common design features,including:larg rectangular,single-story buildings with standardized,often blank facade reliance on auto-borne shoppers who are accommodated by acres of par ing; and no-frills site development that often eschews community pedestrian amenities such as trees or sidewalks.