Opinion: Oversized Mansions Are Harming Maryland Neighborhoods

'Mega-mansions' are rapidly replacing smaller single-family homes, pushing Maryland residents out of its formerly affordable suburbs.

1 minute read

January 9, 2022, 7:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction

Preservation Maryland / Houses on Washington Street in the Pine Street Neighborhood Historic District, Cambridge, Maryland.

In a letter to the editor published in The Washington Post, Mary Speck of Bethesda, Maryland claims that "[m]onsterfication is destroying the region’s inner suburbs." Speck is referring to the accelerating construction of single-family 'mega-mansions' that are, in her view, "irreversibly degrading charming neighborhoods" while failing to increase housing stock or promote affordability. The proliferation of outsized homes in older neighborhoods, Speck argues, puts housing out of reach of working-class households and caters only to "the region’s all-too-abundant lawyers, consultants and lobbyists."

FULL STORY: Monsterfication is destroying the region’s inner suburbs

Monday, January 3, 2022 in The Washington Post

History / Preservation Housing Maryland Mega-Mansions Mansions Affordable Housing Single-Family Homes Suburbs Historic Neighborhoods Housing Costs Home Prices Home Sizes View More

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