County Council Member Roger Berliner led a short tour this week of Bethesda, taking a first step toward addressing oversized homes in Montgomery County.

“What we saw were instances in which homes ... were out of character with neighborhoods in which they are set,” said Berliner, who pledged throughout his campaign last year to take on the problem.

Berliner said about 10 people accompanied him on the tour, including community members and a senior official from the county’s Department of Permitting Services. The group stopped at three homes that are under construction.

“In the era in which most of these neighborhoods were created, homes sat on a much smaller portion of the lot, people valued trees and green grass and smaller homes,” Berliner said. “The trend appears to have changed.”

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According to Berliner, the permitting services official explained to the group why all the homes complied with existing laws.

“Seeing the homes,” Berliner said, “made you appreciate a little better why it is that the law may need to be reformed.”

Berliner said he is particularly focused on the problem in his district: Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac.

“If you are a neighbor and you’ve lived in this neighborhood for years and years and you lose your sight[line], your trees and your privacy, you are really unhappy,” he said.

But, according to the associate director of the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association, “the market demands larger homes.”

Raquel Montenegro, who went on the tour, said homeowners want a bathroom in the master bedroom, eating space in the kitchen and a family room.

“We would welcome the opportunity [to look] at a solution that makes sense for everyone,” Montenegro said.

dfowler@dcexaminer.com