Someone had to be first.
Builder Dean Behrend of Wellesley says he's "very prepared" for the extra scrutiny facing his proposed 5,500-square-foot, shingle-style house at 30 Benvenue St. in his hometown.
The three-story structure, featuring several arched gables, an eyebrow dormer, three-car garage, and windowed cupola, will be the first project to activate the town's large-house review process, which was approved amid some controversy in November.
The so-called "anti-McMansion" regulations require that all new and renovated houses aspiring to be larger than twice the size of their neighborhood's median home be evaluated by the town's Design Review Board.
Although many builders opposed the bylaw, stating that it could harm property values by discouraging builders from redeveloping lots, Behrend said last week that he has no problem with the new rules.
"I want to preserve the integrity and charm of the town where I live and work," he said. "When someone comes in, clear-cuts a lot, and plops down a house with no architectural merit, that's wrong."
Behrend already has been through a large-house review in Weston, for a similar if slightly larger shingle-style house, and encountered no opposition, he said. Natick-based Architectural Concepts, which designed the Benvenue Street house, has stated that it took the new rules into consideration when drawing up plans for the lot.
"The important thing is that the house fits its environment, and fits well into the neighborhood," said JoAnne Shibilia, a cofounder of the Architectural Concepts firm.
Behrend's project is likely to go before Wellesley's five-member advisory review panel, which studies proposed exterior changes to buildings, within the next several weeks. He then would apply for final approval from the Planning Board, which will invite neighbors to weigh in on the proposed structure.
It's not clear exactly how long the process will take, said Wellesley's planning director, Rick Brown, but he added that his department hopes to have it streamlined into a few weeks.
With the approvals in hand, Behrend said, building the house would take several months, and he anticipates selling it for $4 million or more.
Behrend also is nearing the end of the permitting process to raze the long-shuttered Wellesley Travel Inn on Route 9, near the Natick line, and to build a small office building and cafe in its place.
As the review process begins to shape Wellesley's landscape, some in town wish the restrictions had been put into effect in time for another large-house project.
A 5,300-square-foot home is proposed for a 12,600-square-foot lot at 339 Linden St. The project received building permits before the rules requiring reviews of new houses of more than 3,600 square feet on the town's smallest lots went into effect Jan. 1.
The home is too large for the neighborhood of small ranch houses and cottages, according to abutter James Barr, who has complained to the town that the towering home, at nearly 36 feet tall, could cause storm-runoff problems for his property. Builder Richard Carls and the town's building inspector, Michael Grant, both declined to comment on the controversy while Grant's office is still studying the matter.
Across town on Denton Road, where many say the crusade against McMansions began, residents soon may have their own Neighborhood Conservation District, a citizens-driven mechanism that allows participating homeowners to help guide scale, size, design, and landscape changes to local homes.
Article 33 on next month's Town Meeting warrant asks voters to approve the town's first conservation district, which would encompass 25 of the 31 homes in the Denton Road neighborhood eligible to participate. Homeowners may reevaluate their participation every few years, but must seek Town Meeting approval to leave the district, planning officials said.
Erica Noonan can be reached at enoonan@globe.com.
