By Stephanie Ebbert from the Boston Globe

WELLFLEET - When the so-called Billboard House was demolished in June, residents might have applauded. The big, modern house high on a bluff so offended local sensibilities that Town Meeting members issued a unanimous vote of disapproval.

But that was in the 1980s, when no one knew what big was. This summer, the Billboard House was razed to make way for the new - a mansion triple the size at nearly 6,000 square feet, with one side designed to resemble a lighthouse.

The owners, Mark and Barbara Blasch, won a permit from the town building inspector, even though their property lies within the Cape Cod National Seashore, a national park formed in 1961 to preserve the Cape and protect its character.

"I thought there were such strict laws on houses being built so close to the water" said Sharon Jacobs, a regular Wellfleet visitor from Newton. "Who in good consciousness in this era would make such a large footprint on a seashore that's here for everyone?"

It's the question that has riveted Wellfleet this summer along with its natural successors: How big is too big? Do neighbors have the right to decide? And can residents reach agreement on a new standard that will limit some of their property values?