Neighborhood Appearance Standards

Transcription

1 Neighborhood Appearance Standards Pursuant to Article 6 Section 5 of the North Rose Lake Covenants, the Home Owners Association establishes the following rule for the community. Need for Rule As neighborhood appearance is a highly noticeable aspect of community appearance, unsightly or unattractive fixtures, scattered objects or unusual decorations in the community have the potential to significantly detract from a neighborhood s livability and perceived value. Therefore the Home Owners Association (HOA) of North Rose Lake Villas establishes the below standards as minimally acceptable requirements for all residents, both owners and renters, of the community. Benefits of Appearance Standards 1) Unsightly and unattractive fixtures, scattered and loose objects, and/or unusual decorations in the community can collectively or individually reduce the resale value of homes proximate to other properties as well as the perceived value of the community as a whole. Consequently the placement of unsightly objects or unusual decorations in plain view can adversely impact the property value of responsible property owners. 2) Unsightly or unattractive fixtures, loose objects and/or unusual decorations placed by residents have the potential to cause ill-will and bad feelings between neighbors, thus they can detract from neighborhood harmony and community livability. 3) Trash and garbage accumulations not only detract from the appearance of the community but also contribute to vermin and animal infestations. Consequently appearance issues can also lead to issues regarding neighborhood sanitation. Definitions: Common area are those areas within the community that are not within the confines of a resident s lot/property lines. These include streets, community parking areas, grounds and areas within the community that do not belong to individual property owners. Yard is considered to include all areas of an individual property not covered by permanent structure, such as house or mailbox, nor covered by permanent surfacing such as driveway, curb, patio, or sidewalk. This includes all utility easement areas and areas surrounded by curbs and sidewalks. Generally this is all area surrounding a house that would reasonably be considered appropriate for vegetation growth.

2 Hardscaping refers to decorative yard structures, materials, and border trim such as statuary, figurines, pots, landscape lights, stone, brick or other yard adornments. Garbage refers to consolidated or bagged refuse, waste and debris. Trash refers to loose refuse, unusable or discarded items, waste matter or debris of no obvious value. Recreational Vehicle includes, but not limited to, recreational equipment (boats, jet skis, campers, house trailers, house busses, off-road vehicles, etc.), and excludes utility trailers (hauling, storage, work). Bar-B-Que Grills include any of a variety of cooking containers commonly and properly used outdoors that are fired by charcoal, gas or electric means and vary in size. Fence is a decorative wood or metal patrician rising from the yard surface. Standards The following are minimally acceptable standards for all residents, including home owners and home renters, within the confines of the community: 1) Exterior Changes: All changes to the exterior of the residence, the addition of any structure, fence replacement or installation, painting, roof replacement, and major landscape modifications and installations must be pre-approved in writing by the HOA. 2) Sports Fixtures: Residents shall not permanently erect on their property sporting equipment such as tennis, volleyball or badminton nets, skateboard ramps or other gaming equipment that is fixed in place and not portable. Portable equipment may be set up but must be removed at sundown each day. Exception: If first approved for installation by the HOA Board, permanent basketball goals may be erected adjacent to driveways but may not be attached to any portion of the house. Portable basketball goals may be placed adjacent to or in driveways and must be in an upright and playable position at all times. All basketball goals must be maintained to be in playable condition, and be in good repair. Backboards must be intact and not discolored or cracked, goal rims must not be bent or deformed, and nets must be placed on goals. Goal posts must be neutral in color and can show no visible rusting. For portable goals, bases must be filled with sand or cement, it not permissible to place heavy objects on the base of the goal to weight down the unit. 3) Private/Non-Commercial Vehicles: Automobiles, motorcycles and other motorized vehicles shall not be parked in common areas longer than a 72 hour period without having been moved. Vehicles that are obviously in need of repair, such as those with flat or missing tires, broken windows, are covered with tarpaulins, etc. or those with an expired license plate, may not be parked in a common area at any time. Residents may not park a vehicle on any yard in the community, nor on the sidewalk, including on their own property, at any time.

3 4) Hardscaping: Yard adornments and decorations must not be taller than ½ the shortest wall of the house, and must be of a muted uniform color that is not bright. 5) Trash & Garbage: City ordinances prohibit garbage receptacles ( big blues ) from being placed at the front of the house including in front of garage doors. Residents shall place garbage receptacles, recycling bins and other trash receptacles to the side of their house except the night before and during the daylight hours of trash collection days. On trash collection days residents must move garbage receptacles to the street in front of their house, curbside, and each container separated by 5 or more, for garbage collection. Residents must place receptacles out for collection weekly as garbage accumulation will draw vermin, animals and cause odor for neighbors. At no time should plastic garbage bags be exposed outside of garbage receptacles. Residents should not have trash and garbage in their yards at any time that is not contained inside an Oklahoma City recognized garbage container. 6) Commercial Vehicles and Trailers: Only 1 company-provided, passenger (i.e. marked van, car, pickup) vehicle per household shall be parked in the neighborhood (overnight or temporarily). Commercial vehicles (larger than passenger), work trailers, and equipment shall not be parked in the neighborhood unless attended and in the process of being loaded, unloaded or, if equipment, immediately used for its established purpose. 7) Boats, Trailers, Recreational Vehicles: Boats, trailers and recreational vehicles shall not be parked in common areas. They may be parked in the driveway of a resident s property for a maximum of 48 hours to conduct maintenance or for loading and unloading. There should not be individuals residing in recreational vehicles overnight. 8) Windows: All windows visible from the street, except those immediately adjacent to doors, must have fitted window coverings that must be in good condition (no bent/broken slats, no tattered/torn edges of curtains). Covering windows with foil, reflective film, blankets, sheets, or paper or any other material is not permitted. 9) Hoses and Water Sprinklers: Garden hoses and sprinklers should not be deployed in a resident s yard while not being used for watering. Hoses should be placed inside a garage or may be visible on a resident s property if stored on a garden hose spool. Sprinklers should be placed out of sight when not in use, they may not remain in the resident s yard. 10) Commercial Moving and Storage Containers: Moving and storage containers commonly resemble a truck cargo compartment and are designed for placement and storage of household effects. These containers are usually deposited in the driveway of a home and are marketed under the brand name of several service providers (e.g. Pods, Pack Rat, U-Box, ReloCube, ipod, Smart Move, Bins, etc.). Containers of this nature may only be placed in a resident s own driveway, must be removed from the property 48 hours following initial placement, and must not reappear on the property for an

4 additional 10 days following removal. Only a single container at a time can be parked on a resident s driveway. 11) Visitor Parking: Residents who have a large number of visitors to their homes should be mindful of the inconvenience to proximate neighbors. Residents hosting visitors who have arrived in 6 or more automobiles should park said vehicles in one of the community parking lots located either immediately north and adjacent to Rose Lake at 176 th Street & Jim Murphy or at the north section of Rich Earth Lane. 12) Bar-B-Que Grills: Grills may not be used indoors nor may they be used inside of a resident s garage. Grills may not be placed at any time to the front or side of a resident s home, and must be placed behind the home in the back yard (opposite of the street) during storage or use. 13) Fences: Existing fences must be maintained to an aesthetic standard that matches that of the community in general. Fences that have broken or missing slats, broken or missing posts or rails, or are not rigid in the ground must be repaired.

5 Remedies and Penalties for Non-Compliance Residents who are out of compliance with the above standards will, reluctantly, be subject to enforcement. A resident who is responsible for, or whose property includes, a standards violation will be mailed a notice by the HOA, or the HOA will post a prominent notice on an offending vehicle, informing the resident of the violation and requesting that the resident take the needed steps to bring the violation into compliance with the above standards. After seven calendar days following mailing or posting of the notice, if the resident has failed to correct the standards violation, the HOA may take action to correct the situation. Such action will take care not to violate the legal rights of the resident, but may include the towing of vehicles or removal of trash, or other actions needed to bring the property into compliance with the above standards. The HOA will then assess the resident for the cost of corrective action, cost of enforcement administrative fee, plus $25 penalty fine per above standard item violation. Should the HOA not be able to reasonably act to bring a property into compliance, after seven days following mailing or posting of the notice, and if the violation of the above standards is not corrected during that time period, the HOA may assess the resident for the HOA s cost of enforcement administration plus a $25 penalty fine per above standard item violation. The offending resident of the home that has violated the above standards will be billed by mail for the HOA s assessment of maintenance (if applicable), enforcement administration cost and $25 penalty fine per above standard item violation. If the resident fails to pay said bill sent by the HOA then at 90 days following the mailing of the bill the HOA may, at its option, place a lien on the property of the offending resident seeking redress for the bill s amount. Removal of the lien will be initiated immediately by the HOA following payment in full of the bill.