Boston Globe 7/18/10: The march of the McMansions. Wayland and Brookline are two towns intent on preserving housing stock. In 2004, Wayland’s voters changed zoning language to allow the town to block the demolition of any building that no longer conforms to the zoning rules for the lot it sits on, a designation that applies to about 50 percent of Wayland’s housing stock. The only way such a building can be torn down is if it has been irredeemably damaged by fire or other involuntary or natural events. And even if the board approves the teardown, the house that replaces it “shall not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood” than what already existed. The result is that the number of demolition permits in Wayland has dropped each year since 2005, going from 13 in 2005 to two for the first half of 2010. But owners can demolish an existing, conforming building for any reason, as long as the new building complies with all zoning rules.