Post by Admin on Jan 19, 2019 13:59:59 GMT -5
ARB (Architectural Review Board) is THE Ultimate HOA Bully Stick. On Question 6, the Board is asking members to give it authority and power to literally bankrupt you if you do not comply with Architectural standards that your neighbors--current and future--will set, without your approval.
ARB disputes, because they involve Big Ticket items, are the NUMBER ONE cause of very expensive litigation in HOA's. This is because volunteers feel they must control the "look" of the neighborhood but this is not specified unless and until an owner submits a plan. The FUN then begins, as the ARB decides that a particular modification to your private property does not comport with its liking, despite that Polk County would give you a permit.
As many will recall, this was THE issue that caused the association (YOU) to pay over $100,000 when it tried to prevent owners from installing a brand new manufactured home because the porch was on the front! $100,000. And that particular rogue board was acting without the authority of the ARB. That is why the board wants this covenant passed--so they can have the authority to persecute owners for whatever stylistic whim strikes them or as retaliation against homeowners it does not like.
If you REALLY want this degree of control and future expense and divisiveness in your lives, take a moment to remember how upset the entire community was when the board, WITHOUT ARB authority, persecuted the owners of the new manufactured home on Silversides! After you remember how stomach-churning, petty, vicious, unnecessary and costly that dispute was and the HUD housing complaint that followed it, you can imagine what the future holds if this covenant is affirmed.