To the Editor:

One factor, at least in principle, to be taken into consideration in reviewing and revising zoning and planning policy with respect to teardowns and replacements with oversize buildings would seem to be the environmental impact of a teardown.  From even a relatively small house of typical mid-century construction, well over 1000 cubic feet of building materials must be disposed of, consisting primarily of wood, sheetrock, and roofing.  At an average weight of 50 pounds per cubic foot, that’s 25 tons, most of which presumably ends up in landfills.  Adding in heating and cooling equipment, built-in appliances, plumbing, wiring, ducting, and bathroom and laundry fixtures, etc., it’s possible to get the impression of a small-scale environmental catastrophe.  To the people who built and lived in the house, it can seem like a different kind of tragedy, but that’s for them to suffer bravely while counting their money.  If environmental concerns over the disposal of organic garbage and dead leaves are as important as represented in various recent letters in Town Topics, such concerns would seem to apply at least as significantly to teardowns.

John Strother

Grover Ave.