"Charlie" wrote in message
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"animaux" wrote in message
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On Wed, 04 Jun 2003 19:49:09 -0500, zxcvbob wrote:
Deed restrictions say NO HOOPS at all. Several people have hoops. This
neighbor is the only one who hangs game from it.

So in fact, you should be going after all the people with (Basketball?)
hoops. Not just him. You take away the basketball hoop and he'll just
put
a big hook up there to hang the game on.

Why on earth aren't you allowed hoops? Do your kids around there just
have
no fun?

You aren't allowed to have permanently mounted hoops in my development. You
can have a portable hoop. You just have to put it away when you are
finished with it. A few years ago they relaxed the rules to allow them to
be out 24/7 between Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. Most people don't play
BB outside in the winter here in Ohio. I don't think it is unreasonable to
ask people to put their toys away when they are finished with them. The
reason for the rule is two part. First of all, you aren't allowed to attach
anything to your home. That includes satellite dishes, window air
conditioners, free-standing flag poles, and so on. The second reason is
that our homes are so close together that people playing basketball in their
driveways are only a few feet from the next home. One trade-off for buying
an affordable home on a small lot is that you have to be more careful about
disturbing your neighbor. The people with portable hoops end up taking them
to the street and that causes its own problems. A near by development with
larger homes on larger lots and side-entry garages does allow permanent
hoops. It makes sense in that situation because people aren't bouncing a
ball two feet from your bedroom window and trampling all over your yard.

One thing that the critics of HOAs fail to mention is that the association
maintains common areas and recreational facilities for the use of the
members. While people would like to paint these communities as a bunch of
people who relentlessly dog each other over seemingly minor issues, I don't
find that to be true. We have an untouched woodland with a creek that
surrounds the community. There are walking paths, tennis courts, pool,
and small clubhouse. I know all my neighbors and since we all have houses
with porches that are close to the street it is very common to have people
stop and chat. We generally have dinner on our porch in the summer and
fall, seldom using our deck. We have block parties and there is an Easter
parade and Halloween get together for the kids. We also hold an annual yard
sale and there is a contest for holiday displays. The neighborhood is quite
diverse. There are professionals and trades people. There are sales people,
teacher, and law enforcement officers. We have religious fundamentalists
and gays. The neighborhood is more ethnically divers than the surrounding
community. There are young people with kids and retired seniors.

No situation is perfect. Yes, you do give up some control over the
appearance and use of your property. We have to stick to an approved color
scheme. That isn't a big deal because the homes have brick and siding
exteriors. The only place you have to paint is the trim. I have to keep my
painting beds two feet from the property line unless I get the written
consent of my neighbor to plant up to the line. Water features have to been
under 100 square feet. Play sets have to be well maintained (no rust). You
can't have a shed but you can have a gazebo or playhouse. I can't keep my
garbage cans in the front of the house except for on trash day. The
township prohibits the parking of commercial vehicles in a residential zone
and the association enforces the ordinance. We can't have privacy fences
but you can plant a living screen without permission. You can't burn in the
development but the township also prohibits burning, so that point is moot.
You can't operate a "noxious" business or rent out rooms for less than 30
days. The township also prohibits short term rentals and the operation of a
business in residential zones so that is also moot. We can't keep
livestock and you can't operate a kennel (more than 4 dogs or cats). Fences
have to be approved, but the township also requires a permit and has rules.

So there you have it. If you want to buy a decent house on a small lot and
maintain it in the same colors and condition it was when you bought it then
you would probably like my neighborhood. You would have to put your toys
away, mow the lawn on a regular basis, put your trash cans out of sight, and
limit yourself to four dogs. You would also have to leave your commercial
vehicle at work or park it in the garage with your boat and camper. In
exchange for that you can enjoy the common area and recreational facilities.
The association is non-profit, so there are no taxes paid on the common
area. The association takes care of trash removal and makes sure that the
local service department takes care of the streets. We have more clout in
that area because the association speaks for 500 people instead of just one.
Our dues are about $35/month. That pays for the operation of the pool,
maintenance of the common area, utilities, insurance, management fees, and
trash removal. Houses usually sell in a few days so the scheme is appealing
to a reasonably large group of buyers. I understand that it would be too
restrictive for some people.