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KarenS11 (Florida)
Posts: 148
Posted:
Last Friday it was the new windows and yesterday another resident began building a deck. No city permit, no ARC approval, just began sinking the posts within feet of the shoreline. The city is coming out today to issue a stop work order.

I have never seen a PUD document- could there be language in that which could make the city responsible for adding "ARC approval" to the check off list for permitting and inspections?

Or if not, has anyone worked with their municipality to include this in the permitting process? We give issue ARC approvals contingent on the owner obtaining a city permit. Couldn't the city mandate that one of the requirements in issuing a permit be ARC approval?

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posted:

Karen,
NO, the city does not care if the ARC has okayed any improvements or changes within the developement. We are fortunate in our County that the building department reminds applicants that they need ARC approval but that's as far as they go. So the PUD(Planned Unit Developement) won't include that because that is what the Developer submitted before the County gave him the go ahead.

Your ARC needs to also issue a Stop Work order and send it to the member who cannot seem to follow directions either. He must know the window guy.
KarenS11 (Florida)
Posts: 148
Posted:
Donna- Thanks for the reply- I thought you would know the answer.

Yeah, maybe they are friends- LOL! And when checking to see if window guy had a permit, we discovered that he has built a sunroom at some point with no permit. That's even scarier than a deck- can you say HURRICANE DEBRIS?

And what do you want to bet that the first homeowner that starts xeriscaping or using a clothesline will generate TONS of neighbor complaints.

Who needs reality TV when you can serve on an HOA B of D?!
DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posted:


Karen,

A new State proposal says that a clothesline should be retractable so that would lessen the horror caused by the thought of lines strung around the backyard.(This is "The Sunshine State?) As for Xeriscaping, that's already being done and some HOAs cannot figure out how to deal with it.

Big article in Bandon Fl on the west coast, a homeowner in River Woods put in all new yard using Xeriscaping. Naturally the HOA is fighting him. So far--unit owner 1, HOA-0 We all will be following this. HOA argued that he did not get ARC approval but the 2007 Statutes state that IF the ARC guidelines DO NOT spell out exactly what is allowed, then the unit owner can follow his own idea.
KarenS11 (Florida)
Posts: 148
Posted:
Very interesting- I haven't been following the legislative session. The clothesline thing makes sense- I will have to check it out- wonder if retractable includes the umbrella-style.

RE: xeriscaping- very glad to hear that it can't be subjective. Our board has been subjective on so many things like that- I can see the same thing happening with xeriscaping. Since the time that it would take to come up with guidelines is more than our board or the committee will want to spend, I guess it will be another area where we are reactive rather than proactive. The positive is that I can add palmettos and other Florida-friendly landscaping to my yard- LOL!

I've just sent an e-mail to our city's neighborhood services contact to ask if they will work with HOAs in the ARC / permitting issue. Will see what she says.

Thank you for all of your help, Donna.
DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posted:

Karen,
No problem as I am dealing with similar problems. The Energy Efficiency Act was long overdue but how abusive will members be? Oh My Gosh!!! Look out, because we are in for a bumpy ride on this one.
MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491
Posted:
Karen, in addition to sending the HOA/AC Stop Work Order to the deck guy, you might want to go ahead and draft up a short postcard or letter or newsletter, whichever is more cost effective, and gently "remind" people of the importance of contacting the ARCH Committee and getting prior (key word PRIOR) approval for their exterior home/lot improvement projects.

Make sure they understand that if a project is begun and/or completed without prior approval it is still out of compliance and could be very costly for the homeowner to remove and/or alter in order to come into compliance with guidelines.

Remind them that rarely are projects "denied," however the importance of the review and approval is to ensure that they don't have to spend additional money correcting something that might have been a simple-to-correct adjustment to plans before construction begins.

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posted:

Michelle,
YUP!! Good idea to remind the members often. Thanks
HaroldS (Arizona)
Posts: 906
Posted:
"but the 2007 Statutes state that IF the ARC guidelines DO NOT spell out exactly what is allowed, then the unit owner can follow his own idea." Donna - can you please steer me to that statute? Thanks!
DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posted:

DANG IT HAROLD,

I hate it when your memory gets better than mine. Thank you for the memory jarring. Altho this O.P may not be pertinant, below is the entire Statute. It make lots of sense after you read it a few times.

720.3035 Architectural control covenants; parcel owner improvements; rights and privileges.--

(1) The authority of an association or any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of an association to review and approve plans and specifications for the location, size, type, or appearance of any structure or other improvement on a parcel, or to enforce standards for the external appearance of any structure or improvement located on a parcel, shall be permitted only to the extent that the authority is specifically stated or reasonably inferred as to such location, size, type, or appearance in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants.

(2) If the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants provides options for the use of material, the size of the structure or improvement, the design of the structure or improvement, or the location of the structure or improvement on the parcel, neither the association nor any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of the association shall restrict the right of a parcel owner to select from the options provided in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants.

(3) Unless otherwise specifically stated in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants, each parcel shall be deemed to have only one front for purposes of determining the required front setback even if the parcel is bounded by a roadway or other easement on more than one side. When the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants do not provide for specific setback limitations, the applicable county or municipal setback limitations shall apply, and neither the association nor any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of the association shall enforce or attempt to enforce any setback limitation that is inconsistent with the applicable county or municipal standard or standards.

(4) Each parcel owner shall be entitled to the rights and privileges set forth in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants concerning the architectural use of the parcel, and the construction of permitted structures and improvements on the parcel and such rights and privileges shall not be unreasonably infringed upon or impaired by the association or any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of the association. If the association or any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of the association should unreasonably, knowingly, and willfully infringe upon or impair the rights and privileges set forth in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants, the adversely affected parcel owner shall be entitled to recover damages caused by such infringement or impairment, including any costs and reasonable attorney's fees incurred in preserving or restoring the rights and privileges of the parcel owner set forth in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants.

(5) Neither the association nor any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of the association shall enforce any policy or restriction that is inconsistent with the rights and privileges of a parcel owner set forth in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants, whether uniformly applied or not. Neither the association nor any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of the association may rely upon a policy or restriction that is inconsistent with the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants, whether uniformly applied or not, in defense of any action taken in the name of or on behalf of the association against a parcel owner.

History.--s. 11, ch. 2007-173.

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posted:

It is actually paragraph (5) that has the exact instructions for compliances.
HaroldS (Arizona)
Posts: 906
Posted:
Thank you Donna! A good statute for Arizona to copy. Too many HOAs here are using an arbitrary and inconsistent method of ARC rules and violations.
KarenS11 (Florida)
Posts: 148
Posted:
Does anyone have any language about deck height? We have lakefront property and most owners have "step-down decks to the water, so that they aren't high in the air, blocking a neighbor's view of the lake. City code says that if posts are under 30" from grade/the ground, then no permit is necessary, so maybe that is the threshold we need to use- no deck may be more than 30" from the ground.

Ideas/sample language please!

They are just going about continuing to build it today, even after being told to stop. The property owner just called me and told me that she thinks this is harassment, that four years ago a deck was built without approval and that this is so stupid, when people are dying of cancer (she works in a hospital). I will have to see if a thread has been started about whacky comments made to B of D members!
BrianB (California)
Posts: 2,820
Posted:
You know, there is a possiblity that some treated lumber, especially that used in deckmaking, could be linked to cancer.

so perhaps this HO is contributing to her own world crisis!

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