> Ensuring some minimal level of architectural consistency on a dense city block is a good thing.
Check zillow. Of the 32 units for rent in Brooklyn Heights, the cheapest is a tiny $2,600/month studio. The median rent is $4,500/month, and that's for an apartment with one bedroom and one bathroom.
No, I don't think allowing a 200 year old private rule to reduce living space in an age of incredible housing scarcity is good. I could not care less about your architectural consistency when it is part of the reason why people are sleeping on the streets and others are paying most of their income on rent.