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Board weighs changing roof 'mean height' rule after concerns about gaming the metric
Summary
Members questioned whether the 'mean roof height' measurement has been exploited to create taller structures and discussed switching to a 'maximum' height measure or explicitly referencing the glossary; they also reviewed charter height caps and exemptions.
Members raised concerns that the current roof 'mean height' measurement could be manipulated by large pitched roofs to produce structures substantially taller than neighbors. One participant suggested replacing the term "mean" with "maximum" or explicitly referring to the definition in Appendix A to avoid gaming of the rule.
The board reviewed existing charter limits (32 feet in many residential districts; 48 feet in general commercial/tourist mixed use) and debated which elements should be excluded from measurement (chimneys, house-of-worship spires were listed as exemptions; a member requested removing elevator shafts from the included measurement). Staff agreed to reference the glossary and reconcile charter cross‑references in the final draft.
