To the Editor:

As a candidate for Princeton Council, let me answer T. J. Elliott [“Asking Candidates How They Would Change System of Variances Favoring Developers,” Mailbox, May 18]. Stopping Princeton’s current pattern of teardowns and disproportionate McMansions is a plank in my platform.

But can we stop this pattern thoughtfully? And can we stop it quickly? Residents of Princeton’s affected neighborhoods want something done now before those neighborhoods are irrevocably changed.

Thanks to Governor Christie, applications for development in New Jersey are governed by ordinances in effect when they’re filed, not when they’re decided on. It might take Council and the consultant they’ve hired several years to develop a neighborhood-specific McMansion ordinance using form-based zoning, which codifies a new home’s appearance — or form — to reflect nearby homes. Meanwhile, builders will build.

A moratorium sounds tempting. But moratoriums on new construction are illegal in New Jersey except in emergencies. Two weeks after the fire at AvalonBay’s Edgewater apartments, a bill was introduced to stop light frame construction for multiple dwellings until its safety was studied. The bill died in committee.

A quick solution — which both T. J. Elliott and, in a May 11 letter, Jon Drezner call for — would be sliding fees for construction permits: the more builders exceed the house they tore down, the more they must pay. Council should consider what fee would be a sufficient disincentive.

I myself favor a quick-to-pass mathematical zoning ordinance based on bulk requirements rather than form. For example, Austin, Texas, limits new homes in central neighborhoods to the greater of either 2,300 square feet or a 0.4 Floor-to-Area-Ratio (FAR). That is, no new Austin home may have usable floor space on all floors larger than 40 percent of lot size.

The option I prefer would vary the new FAR from neighborhood to neighborhood. The limit could be a block’s average FAR plus one standard deviation plus a small percentage. This would allow new homes at the upper end of average for each neighborhood but prevent any existing McMansions from influencing the average unduly.

I trust my support for such solutions will win Mr. Elliott’s vote in the June 7 Democratic primary.

ANNE WALDRON NEUMANN

Alexander Street