Hometown News: 'Metal roofs on hold in Gables'

"Even so, the commission -- led by Mayor Don Slesnick's defense of the city's traditional Mediterranean style -- still felt uneasy with the possibility of more metal roofs, which are prohibited under the zoning code but were permitted for a 90-day trial period after a number of homeowners argued in favor of them." Story here.

Susan Kawalerski, who got a metal roof on her Gratian Street home, said she was a ''happy customer'' and urged commissioners to consider allowing more colors and expanding north. She said her neighbors were pleased with how good it looked and that with the foliage on the street, ``you can't even see what your neighbor's roof looks like.'' . . .

But city activist Andres Murai, who opposed metal roofs from the beginning and urged commissioners to stop allowing them altogether, said one of the examples provided by the city ``looks like a glorified McDonald's in a neighborhood with all barrel tile roofs.'' . . .

She also bemoaned the proliferation of barrel tile roofs on non Mediterranean homes: ``What more dilution of this historic fabric is there than the abuse of barrel tile?'' . . .

''It scares me when we say diversity. We now have diversity in some neighborhoods and it now has ruined the neighborhood,'' Slesnick said, referring to what he calls McMansions, or oversized homes that are incongruent with their surroundings. . . .