Construction all over Mission Hills takes place with the approval of the ARB

The yellow sheets of paper entailing permits for renovations and new projects hang throughout the windows of Mission Hills homes. With everything from new pools, to window replacements, to new homes being built from the ground up.

The Architectural Review Board (ARB) is a group of Mission Hills residents who meet twice a month to approve these projects of residents’ homes. It’s the board created by the city that approves all exterior projects to a property. Architects, planners, attorneys and administrators — all residents in the city as well — meet for these meetings. 

Small projects, like roofing, can go through the city staff to be approved, but larger exterior projects must be approved by the ARB. At the meetings, the renovations’ looks, size and shape are discussed to make sure it causes no disruption in terms of the uniformity of the neighborhood and fits the look of the original home.

According to Mission Hills City Planner Jill Clifton, seasonal projects such as pools, patios and outdoor living areas are being seen passed through the ARB. About 8-10 projects are reviewed at each meeting, twice a month via Zoom, in hopes of being approved — if not approved, changes will need to be made for it to be accepted. 

“During certain times of the year, there might be more popular things,” Clifton said. “In the spring there are a lot of people who want to do outdoor living areas or swimming pools and in February or March they come in for approval because they will want to get some of that done before summer.”

According to Clifton, there were 343 building permits issued in 2019 from January to September. The number of building permits issued this year over the same time period was 372 — a number that has risen possibly from COVID-19 and the want for new home designs.

When getting projects approved, an inspector will check out the landscape of the residence, making sure everything is up to code and meets the set guidelines — such as the amount of green space and water system. 

With the landscape of Mission Hills, the water system is very important. According to Clifton, the ARB doesn’t want an overflow of rainwater between homes and on other residences property.

“Water issues are a problem in Mission Hills,” Clifton said. “There are a lot of hills, streams and underground streams in the city and so whenever you have that kind of situation [landscape with large water flow] you are going to have water problems.”

When an older home requests a renovation, an inspector will have to assess the newer guidelines, as some older homes were built before they were put in place. For example, a patio must be built 10 feet away from the property line to ensure green space, but some older homes were not built within those guidelines and can have a more challenging time getting a renovation approved. 

According to City Council liaison to the ARB Eden Thorne, a project must have a 360 design style, meaning the house has to look the same from every angle. A resident cannot add on a new renovation that does not fit the design of the rest of the house.

“We really want any new addition or any update to look like it was always there or it matched the house,” Thorne said.