To the relief of several residents and the consternation of some local architects, Princeton Council voted Monday evening to approve an ordinance that revises the town’s land use code regarding single family residential development. The ordinance adjusts or creates new parameters for porches, prevailing front yard setback, and the measurement of cathedral ceilings.

Another section regarding garages was removed from the proposed ordinance because of wording that confused some Council members. It will be revisited when the governing body meets in January.

The ordinance is the first to have been recommended by the Princeton Neighborhood Character and Zoning initiative Task Force. Formed earlier this year, the group has been looking at the implications of current zoning laws and how they are enabling existing homes to be torn down and replaced with much larger structures С at a rate that many find alarming.

Mayor Liz Lempert, Council member Jenny Crumiller, and Planning Board members Wanda Gunning, Gail Ullman, and Tim Quinn met over nine months to study the issue, led by consultants, the RBA Group. Three public forums with residents, architects, and members of boards and commissions, were held last month.

Detailing the ordinance at Monday’s meeting, Princeton’s Planning Director Lee Solow said the teardown/rebuild phenomenon is not unique to Princeton. The average size of a house was 1,660 square feet in 1973, and is now 2,657 square feet, he said.

Resident Mary Clurman urged Council to pass the ordinance. “We lost part of our neighborhood to AvalonBay,” she said, referring to the development of a rental community that opened recently on the former site of Princeton Hospital. “Don’t let it happen again.” Resident Anne Neumann also spoke in favor of the measure, calling it “a good first step.”

But architect Joshua Zinder called the ordinance “short-sighted” and suggested it would create more problems in the future because different neighborhoods in Princeton require different regulations. “We have all these little communities within our town,” he said. “Reject this ordinance. Send the consultant and team back to the drawing board.”

His sentiments were echoed by fellow architects Kirsten Thoft and Marina Rubina. “These ordinances have far reaching consequences and I’m not sure people are understanding that,” Ms. Thoft said. “It concerns me that we’re doing blanket ordinances that work in one neighborhood and not another.”

Earlier in the day, Ms. Lempert said that work on the changes recommended by the task force will continue in 2017, “to help address building that, in many cases, is out of scale and out of place.”

Also at the meeting, Council recognized outgoing member Patrick Simon, who is leaving the governing body after four years of service. Ms. Lempert read a proclamation and presented him with gifts. Mr. Simon thanked Council and the public for allowing him to serve. “The honor and the trust the public has placed in me has never been far from my mind,” he said.

Council will hold a “housekeeping” meeting on December 28 at 10 a.m. The annual reorganization meeting is January 4, while the first official meeting of the year is January 9. On January 10, Council will hold a gathering focused on goals and priorities for 2017.