The out-of-place home is representative of an alarming trend - people buying modest lots in long-established Salt Lake City neighborhoods, then building oversize houses with matching garages that would fit in just fine in South Jordan or Draper but can ruin the character of a street in the Avenues or other urban areas.

Acting on city residents' complaints, the planning board has voted to send a list of potential zoning-ordinance amendments to the City Council that would protect residents from finding themselves sharing a street with these leviathans. We believe the amendments are fair.

The changes would not outlaw the super-size houses, but if they are adopted by the council, would force builders to jump through hoops small enough and high enough to encourage them to build the larger homes in appropriate neighborhoods. If they are undeterred by the rules, they could ask for a variance from the Board of Adjustment or go through a public-hearing process to explain why they should be granted an exception.

The amendments would enforce front-yard setback rules, lower the maximum height of a house to 23 feet from the current 30 feet and put restrictions on the size and placement of auxiliary buildings, including garages. The recommendations also include limits on how much of a building lot could be taken up by the house, making it difficult to build a very large home on one of the small lots common in older parts of the city.

Under the recommended changes, a person still could buy two lots and build a large home in the middle, set back appropriately from the street with an unobtrusive garage. Such a home in that setting probably would not compromise the neighborhood in the same way that the irritating supersize houses now can.

The amendments would act to keep most extra-large homes out of established neighborhoods of smaller houses. They are not so stringent as to stymie home building, but would maintain a sense of proportion and place.