Homeowner Associations ban Eco-Friendly Practices
This article at AlterNet is about homeowner association regulations that often make environmental responsibility impossible by outlawing clotheslines, solar panels — even gardens.
The article mentions specific cases in a variety of regions, but it also has a couple of Austin examples, as well.
Alice (not her real name) lives in the Lakeside Estates subdivision of Austin, Texas. Because her HOA bans outdoor clothes drying, Alice told me by email, she slips out to her back yard on summer mornings with one of those expanding “umbrella”-style clotheslines, puts it up, and hangs her laundry: “I put things out and try to get them in as soon as I can. I don’t leave my clothesline out when it isn’t in use.”
Alice has received no warnings from her HOA — yet. But you wouldn’t expect such guerilla-style energy conservation to be necessary in laid-back Austin. Alice says, “Yeah, usually people think of Austin and they think of relaxed attitudes. But I think since the housing market boomed, it has made people a lot less relaxed.”
Evidence to back up her theory can be found just across town, beyond the northwest corner of Austin’s city limits in the middle-class suburb of Hunter’s Chase. There, Jason and Lisa Spangler have been maintaining a garden of native wildflowers and other plants in their front yard for years. But they almost lost their native plantings in August 2002, when they received a violation notice on behalf of their HOA.
Jason told me, “Someone came by on a ‘random inspection,’ taking pictures, and thought it was some sort of grass and weeds.” The Spanglers faced legal action if they didn’t mow it all down.
“One board member said she had an art degree,” said Jason, “and she could see that ‘texture’ of our yard just didn’t look right.”
Austin does like to pride itself on being enviro-friendly, but there’s still quite a bit of progress that can be made. The article goes on to say that some state governments are beginning to crack down on over-restrictive HOA’s. I wouldn’t hold my breath for that to happen in Texas anytime soon.
Category: Austin
April 30th, 2007 at 12:42 am
I agree that there can be problems with HOAs. But deed restrictions are established by a subdivision’s developer. Developers seem to use the same restrictions over and over, from subdivision to subdivision. Typically there is not a lot of flexibility for a HOA to alter the restrictions. Amendments to deed restrictions (even small ones that would eliminate a restriction concerning outdoor clothes lines) typically require an overwhelming vote of all residents in the subdivision. It’s not simply a matter for the board.
A HOA must equitably enforce all of the restrictions that are in place or they risk putting themselves into legal jeopardy.
May 28th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Ok, sure, but would a clothesline really be on a deed restriction? We’re in the middle of Texas, I generally dry two or three loads outside and then stuff them all for a quick dryer airing before I hang them up. In the middle of summer they dry out faster than with a dryer. In the shade.
This seems like one of those small things you could just petition developers and associations on. “Please allow clotheslines in backyards.” If people want a sterile aesthetic in their homes, fine, that’s their business, but banning a clothesline is absurd.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I love Austin and all that it has to offer. Are people forgetting that we Austinites are to keep Austin weired. All of our personalities are shown on oue homes. I own a eco friendlly cleaning company here in Austin and would love to see everyone at least try a little bit to help our enviroment rather than conforming to the every house looks the same syndrome. If its helping our enviroment then send them an award rather than a citation!! Someone’s gotta care!
http://www.pennyspersonaltouch.com
July 26th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I love Austin and all that it has to offer. Are people forgetting that we Austinites are to keep Austin weired. All of our personalities are shown on our
homes. I own a eco friendlly cleaning company here in Austin and would love to see everyone at least try a little bit to help our enviroment rather than conforming to the every house looks the same syndrome. If its helping our enviroment then send them an award rather than a citation!! Someone’s gotta care!
http://www.pennyspersonaltouch.com
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
[...] Apparently some US states are considering taking similar steps as Ontario Canada and over-riding home owner associations. [...]