Daily Herald opinion: In a day when bigger is better, it's nice to see some lobby to protect their small homes

There was a time 60 years ago when the elms joining boughs over the bucolic streets of Arlington Heights were the tallest things in town. They provided shade to all of the modest early and mid-20th century homes that dotted the landscape.

Dutch elm disease took care of the trees. And in recent decades, many of those quaint homes have been felled as well, making way for huge homes that unintentionally provide their own shade for their smaller neighbors.

The teardown wave spread to other communities, notably neighboring Mount Prospect.

The downtowns along the Northwest Highway corridor have also sprouted vertically, starting with Arlington Heights.

But a group of owners of those modest century-old homes just north of downtown Arlington Heights want to put the brakes on the verticalization of their village.

They've persuaded the village board to "downzone" their properties in an effort to stave off high-density redevelopment proposals that might come their way.

Our Christopher Placek covered the village board meeting and noted this is the first case of downzoning in a quarter century.

"We don't have a historic preservation district in the village, but we essentially have created this de facto one," said Tom Gaynor, who is president of the Historic Arlington Neighborhood Association. "This neighborhood has decided it's worthy of preserving and that the investments that the homeowners are making to maintain the historic integrity of the neighborhood is something that the village should really celebrate. It really makes this a special neighborhood."

That means homes can't be taller than 25 feet, as opposed to the 50-foot max for five houses on St. James Street, one on Fremont Street and one on Chestnut Avenue.

They may not become townhouses, either.

This is in contrast to the multifamily zoning that buffers the downtown, which has been in place since the mid-60s.

It indeed is unusual to find someone lobbying for something smaller to remain on their property.

Arlington Heights was once an affordable village to live in. Many who grew up in town blanch at the prices of homes today.

But there is a large measure of personal pride at hand with the historic neighbors group.

These are folks want to preserve a bit of what the old Arlington Heights used to be. They've meticulously cared for these old homes, ensuring that they don't just become memories in a photo album.

It's nice, too, that the village board acceded to their wishes.