It will be up to the Westbrook City Council to decide whether new proposed design standards for homes built on small lots will be enough to maintain the appearance of neighborhoods.

On Tuesday night, the Planning Board unanimously backed the new design standards that had been proposed by city staff.

The proposed new standards would require houses to be set farther back from the front and rear of the lot, porches to be built facing the street, the height of the house to match the average of those in the neighborhood, the pitch of the roof to match those on abutting properties and at least one tree to be planted on the property.

The city took up the issues of setting new standards for homes on small lots after city councilors received complaints that homes being built on so-called substandard lots of record were destroying the character of neighborhoods.

By ordinance, the city requires homes to be built on 7,500-square-foot lots in the Residential Growth Area 1, which generally applies to the downtown area. However, the city has allowed homes to be built on 5,000-square-foot lots, if they were subdivided before the new lot minimum was adopted.

In May, the City Council asked the Planning Board to come up with design standards that would address the architecture and size of houses built on substandard lots to protect the look of neighborhoods.

Before voting, the board heard from a few residents about the standards proposed.

Bruce Libby said he thought the required setbacks should be increased more, so that neighbors aren’t looking into each others’ windows. He said the additional 5 feet required wouldn’t make much of a difference and suggested that a visual barrier between yards, such as landscaping or fencing, should be required, as well.

“As these standards sit, it’s really no improvement,” he said.

Andy Broaddus said he was concerned that there wouldn’t be much room left on the lots for driveways, so people wouldn’t pave them. As someone who does a lot of walking around the city, he said, he’s already seen problems with too much street parking along narrow roads.

The Planning Board decided not to amend the standards as proposed by staff and sent them on to the City Council with a positive recommendation. The item has not yet been set on a City Council meeting agenda.