Hide that Miata in the garage!!!!

[cArAzzIE]

Frisco man primed for battle with HOA over pickup in driveway

06:10 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 19, 2008
By IAN HAMILTON / dallasnews.com

Jim Greenwood is parking his 2007 Ford F-150 in the garage, but he’s not through battling the Frisco homeowners’ association. He says the association has declared the iconic Texas truck not upscale enough to leave in his driveway.

“I’m hoping that based on all the activity and noise that they might change their tune,” he said Monday. “These people [with the association] are in a position of leadership, ideally to serve their constituency.”
Earlier this year, the Concentra Inc. CEO began getting notices from the Stonebriar HOA threatening to fine him for parking his truck in his driveway. They say pickup trucks are not allowed in the driveway – although other luxury vehicles, including the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Mark LT, pass muster.

Bill Osborn, a board member with the association, had explained that those vehicles are “fancier,” “plush with amenities” and do not look like pickups. Most domestic pickups are banned.
Mr. Osborn said this rule has been in place for decades and the fine would be $50 per violation.

"From our inception in 1989 until this spring our restrictive covenants excluded all trucks from overnight parking in the street or driveway," Mr. Osborn said in an e-mail. "Mr. Greenwood felt his Ford F-150 should be allowed. The HOA Board denied his appeal as he has garage space and a(n) F-150 did not fit the criteria."

However, Mr. Osborn said Monday that the issue may be revisited.
Mr. Greenwood said his family has a car, a Suburban and his teenage son’s truck, but only a two-car garage.
"I don't want to mess with the logistics with what's in the garage and what's not," he said.
Since WFAA-TV (Channel publicized Mr. Greenwood’s story this weekend, the controversy has sparked hundreds of comments on dallasnews.com and other sites from people sharing HOA complaints and criticizing the associations’ operations.
“I think it's past time for HOAs to be declared unconstitutional! Bad enough the government dictates our lives ... now homeowners’ associations dictate what type of vehicle you own! I recommend the Ford company sue the heck out of them!” wrote one dallasnews.com reader.
Others, however, suggested that Mr. Greenwood should have understood the rules when he moved into the gated community.

This is not the first time the Stonebriar HOA has fought with homeowners about their vehicles.

John Allen, another resident, said he was told last year that his Chevrolet Avalanche qualified as a pickup and had to be moved inside. After hiring a lawyer and arguing his case, he said, the association added the Avalanche to the list of vehicles approved for outside parking.

“I’m all for keeping the place nice, but when it gets to the point of onerous living, that’s no good,” he said. “The whole pompous attitude of it is amazing.”

Disagreements with homeowners’ associations – about additions, shrubbery, fencing and other issues – are not new.

State Rep. Burt Solomon, R-Carrollton, has introduced legislation to provide homeowners more recourse in their battles against the associations, arguing that they can be abusive and overbearing. He said he has won small battles about limited issues, but no comprehensive reform, and he intends to take up the legislation again in January.

“Why would you do that to your neighbor? There needs to be more transparency. There needs to be more accountability,” he said. “There needs to be more fiduciary responsibility in how boards conduct their business with the membership.”

Other HOA disputes
MAY A dispute between the Frisco Fairways Homeowners Association and some residents ends when three of the five board members are voted out and one is removed. The fifth board member resigned the next day. The association had sued three residents, accusing them of libel in online postings about the board.

APRIL Rockwall City Council member Matt Scott launched a campaign against HOAs, drafting an ordinance to standardize rules governing new HOAs in Rockwall. Mr. Scott and his wife had sued their HOA in the Oaks of Buffalo Way subdivision after their board voted to block some homeowners from participating in the election of officers.

APRIL 2006 Ibia and Gene Loye were locked in a costly dispute with the Stonebriar HOA over a 2,800-square-foot addition to their home. The Loyes said they had gotten verbal permission from a previous HOA management company and some HOA members before starting the work, but a new HOA management company objected to some of the addition after the work was done.

FEBRUARY 2006 High-speed Internet access caused a rift in Meadowwood Park Ranch Estates in rural Kaufman County when the HOA board sued to tear down a 90-foot tower that residents Mark and Melissa Smith had built on their property and were using to provide broadband service to some neighbors. About 70 percent of Meadowwood Park's residents had petitioned for high-speed wireless service in 2005, but rules adopted in 1984 prohibited structures like the Smiths' tower.

MAY 2004 Garland resident Linda Jones was evicted from her home in the SpringPark neighborhood. Ms. Jones said that when she was late with her $500 payment in 2002, the HOA secured a judgment against her that tacked on $1,600 in attorneys' fees. She said $30,000 in hail damage to her home derailed a payment plan she had arranged.

JANUARY 2003 Confusion reigned in Flower Mound's Stone Hill Farms neighborhood as residents received separate dues bills from competing HOA boards. A few months earlier, a group of dissatisfied residents circulated a recall petition and held a special election and picked a new three-member board.

JANUARY 2003 Eleven homeowners in Arlington's Creekside Park subdivision found themselves facing foreclosure by their homeowners' association after they fell behind on quarterly dues.

OCTOBER 2002 Lochwood homeowners sued to prevent the completion of a factory-built duplex, enforcing neighborhood deed restrictions. A judge urged mediation, but an "architecture control committee" in charge of enforcing the rules said it wouldn’t approve the construction without serious changes, labeling the home a “doublewide.”

MAY 2001 The Champions Community Improvement Association in Houston foreclosed on the home of 82-year-old Wenonah Blevins because of $814.50 in unpaid dues. Mrs. Blevins said she tried to pay the fees by putting a check in the association's mail slot but didn't learn that the HOA wouldn't accept a partial payment until she received an eviction notice.

[sammm]

Wow, that HOA is being ridiculous. What would they think of my '97 F150 in my driveway!

[jrj512]

Hmm, I wonder what are the odds of this eventually making its way to the Gas Bags section?

I guess I'll weigh in...

The homeowner should have reviewed the HOA rules prior to buying or building a house there. If they do not like rules, then don't buy or build a house there. I have zero sympathy for the Ford owner. He does not have to like the rules, but he chose to abide my them when he bought or built his house.

[Miatamaniac92]

F them. I agree that HOA's should be outlawed. The City Government should set zoning and covenants.

Chris

[cam76034]

Hmm, I wonder what are the odds of this eventually making its way to the Gas Bags section?

I guess I'll weigh in...

The homeowner should have reviewed the HOA rules prior to buying or building a house there. If they do not like rules, then don't buy or build a house there. I have zero sympathy for the Ford owner. He does not have to like the rules, but he chose to abide my them when he bought or built his house.

But if you're willing to part with a few you can get those pesky rules bent.

John Allen, another resident, said he was told last year that his Chevrolet Avalanche qualified as a pickup and had to be moved inside. After hiring a lawyer and arguing that an Avalanche is not a real truck his case, he said, the association added the Avalanche to the list of vehicles approved for outside parking.

[cArAzzIE]

Hmm, I wonder what are the odds of this eventually making its way to the Gas Bags section?

I guess I'll weigh in...

The homeowner should have reviewed the HOA rules prior to buying or building a house there. If they do not like rules, then don't buy or build a house there. I have zero sympathy for the Ford owner. He does not have to like the rules, but he chose to abide my them when he bought or built his house.

I only agree with you that he should have read the HOA rules prior to buying ... but I don't see any purpose in HOA's being THAT involved with what their neighbors are doing. Especially in the case of the addition - where it was approved by one board then disapproved by another.

I believe there is enough municipal involvement that HOA's should merely be there to manage the neighborhood community pool or organize neighborhood events...or even a neighborhood watch - but to dictate down to what kind of car you can have parked in your driveway...

I discovered that my neighborhood actually has a HOA that has basically been inactive since the neighborhood was built. The rules and all are still there but there is no governing board or enforcement.

It seems to me that the developers/builders make up the rules and then the buyers/owners elect their board and so on...

The show Weeds was recommended to me by a friend - I just finished up the 3rd season - topic aside - the depiction of surburbia America was right on. I've yet to meet a government "person" that wasn't corrupt or self serving. HOA's are mini governments and are the same way.

I almost sold my house to buy a condo - but after careful consideration of the association rules, regulations and dues - there's just NO WAY.

[Titus]

There was an amusing HOA battle in a gated community near where i lived in CA. A homeowner was fined for leaving his garage door open while he worked on his hotrod each Saturday. Of course he was pissed, so he decided to become and expert on the rules. It turned out that while the HOA had a rule that prohibited his garage door from being open, there was nothing about paint choices needing to be approved by the Architectural committee. Armed with this info, the home owner hired an artist to re-paint his garage door. The Artist created a beautiful life-sized mural of the home owner working in the garage on his hotrod.

[Rogue]

HOA's are the Devil.

We are dealing with the same kind of crap right now.

Scary!

[Titus]

HOAs do have their place. MANY people dream of living in a picturesque community where every house and yard looks perfect. The only way to get this, is via a heavy-handed HOA. The problem seems to come when people fall in love with a house (often partly an affect of the HOA's controls) but fail to understand what they are getting themselves into.

If you don't like HOAs and what they do, move to a place without them. That is what I do. I have owned 5 houses in my life and all but the first one have had no required HOA.

[POS Racing]

HOAs do have their place. MANY people dream of living in a picturesque community where every house and yard looks perfect. The only way to get this, is via a heavy-handed HOA. The problem seems to come when people fall in love with a house (often partly an affect of the HOA's controls) but fail to understand what they are getting themselves into.

I agree last thing I want to look out the window of my house at someones '97 Ford F150 pickup and bags of broken tile!

[Titus]

I agree last thing I want to look out the window of my house at someones '97 Ford F150 pickup and bags of broken tile!

Amen brother!

[Rogue]

If you don't like HOAs and what they do, move to a place without them. That is what I do.

In my situation, its not possible.
In a neighborhood yes, but when it is built around a Airport etc. there has to be a HOA.
Its purpose is to maintain the reason we all live here, a Runway.

[sammm]

I agree last thing I want to look out the window of my house at someones '97 Ford F150 pickup and bags of broken tile!

The broken tile is stacked up in about 40 trash bags near the fence.

[altiain]

F them. I agree that HOA's should be outlawed. The City Government should set zoning and covenants.

Chris

F*** that. I live in an HOA neighborhood now. I didn't before. We specifically looked for an HOA neighborhood when we bought our current house.

My next door neighbor at my previous house was a decent enough guy, and we got along with him overall. However, I had several problems with being his neighbor:

• He owned a dog that spent most of the time outside. This dog never stopped barking. I don't care if you own dogs (I own two myself), but I don't want to hear them all day long. If you can't control them, you shouldn't own them.
• He owned six cars and a boat. That would have been fine if he had a six car garage and a slip at the marina, but he didn't. He had a two car garage that was full of crap, parked the boat and two cars in the driveway, and the other cars along the street. Again, I don't care how many vehicles you own, but I don't want to live next door to what looks like a used car lot.
• He never trimmed his shrubs, and he never kept up with the paint on his house. As a result his house looked run down by the time we went to sell our house.

Now, I lived there for seven years. When I moved in, he didn’t have a dog, only owned three cars (and no boat), the shrubs were tidy and the paint looked decent. All of these issues cost me resale value on my house when I went to sell it. If we had been in an HOA neighborhood, this wouldn’t have been an issue. However, none of the things he did were technically against any city code or ordinance.

We looked for an HOA neighborhood when we moved specifically because we didn’t want to deal with that kind of crap again. Yes, it limits some of the things I can do, but I’m more than willing to accept those limits in exchange for knowing that my investment isn’t going to be diminished by someone else’s poor taste or trash.

[Titus]

In my situation, its not possible.
In a neighborhood yes, but when it is built around a Airport etc. there has to be a HOA.
Its purpose is to maintain the reason we all live here, a Runway.

Very true... In your situation it is probably not possible to find a community that meets your needs without compromising and accepting an HOA. If you have to live with one, the key would probably be to find one where the majority of the home owners agree with your vision of the neighborhood. I suspect that may be hard to find.

[Miatamaniac92]

I was a little extreme in my posting earlier, but I'm not a big proponent of HOAs.

We could not find a non-HOA within our price range when we were looking. All of the newer than 90's neighborhoods had HOAs. Our HOA doesn't do anything but charge us ~$75 every quarter. We have a small neighborhood park, but I could care less about it. I see no actual benefit from having it so far.

On one side we have renter's that don't mow and have watered 3 times this year. But, I could care less. Our other neighbor has an immaculate lawn, one of the main reasons we re-sodded.

RE: your dog issue. The City should've been able to enforce nuisance ordnances. That, or a air horn works miracles.


The long term solution for me is a small town or acreage. No neighbors, no worries.

Chris

[CosmosMpower]

Just like everything in life there are pros and cons. However in this special case I think the HOA is being ridiculous. It's a 07 F-150 not some beat up Pinto with rusty panels and fading yellow paint.

[trickyrix]

I used to live in a condo complex that had an HOA (most were owner-occupied, I was a renter). While I completely understand the need for rules to keep slobs in line, my experience was that the folks in charge 1) had waaaay too much time on their hands, and 2) for the most part, had some sort of mental complex that drove them to be petty assholes.

A friend of mine lives in an older neighborhood without an HOA - the sort of neighborhood where one block is full of $150-200K houses and the next block down is speckled with $500K teardown specials. However, at the other end of her street you have, um, well... lots of folks who love their Tejano music, park their cars in the yard, party in the driveway, and love to drink LOTS of cerveza (and park their empties in the yard, in the street, on top of cars, on the roof, etc). Great people to have a beer with, I'm sure, but their shtick gets real damn old after a while.

[Ataim]

We lived in Cattlebaron Parc northwest of Fort Worth. They had a very strong HOA board and everyone looked out for one another. When we were selling our house I had potential owners read the HOA rules before buying. Two couples backed out because of them. Both because you could not park a one ton or larger truck.

[Radio-Active]

Gotta love the HOA Nazi's.

My parents got a $150 fine for the cleaning lady parking in the front of the house for a few hours every other Thursday. My father went to the HOA meatings and found out that the HOA paid a lady that was not even living in the neighborhood $1500/month to go around twice a week and write up people for parking in front.

My father is about ready to move to a different place without HOA Nazi's ruining the neighborhood.