Gated Texas Community Declares War On Domestic Pickups!

Only in my hood would they do this....LOL

It's not the first community in North America to do this but it is brazenly unconstitutional.

Right to the point, EnnNorak.

Fortuitously enough, just last night I finished the Urban section of "Economics Facts and Fallacies" by the economist Thomas Sowell. While I cannot recall if he mentioned HOA's in specific he does talk about the judicial erosion of property rights and methods through which wealthier communities exclude middle and low-income individuals from moving in.

The thing that is the biggest point though is that these people are demanding something for which they are unwilling to pay, so in order to get it they usurp their neighbors property rights in and attempt to force them to do it.

The funny thing though, is that I am not so sure these HOA micro-dictatorships are in places that are actually all that wealthy. Sure wealthier, but certainly not very wealthy. I know that the place there that I want to move here has no such outside-vehicle restriction, and it is one of the few places in Denver where one of your immediate neighbors is a billionaire. The neighborhood is very old, has relatively large plots for in town(most would be between 3-5 acres)and rather expensive (the only house I have ever seen for sale there was $20,000,000, although they did just reduce it to $17,500,000 I believe) so these houses aren't exactly little copies fo eachother or pathetic bastardizations of some style.

Reality is that they can do what they want if the majority of owners agreed to a set of covenants & restrictions. When someone buys a house in a subdivision they are required to agree with these covenants & restrictions or face certain predetermined penalties.

For example, in my subdivision you can't have a dish receiver on your roof or elsewhere on the property- doesn't mean the cable company has a stake in the subdivision, just that the majority decided when creating the covenants that they didn't want to see dish receivers on roofs of 3000-6000 sq-ft houses (amongst many other restrictions- the covenants book was something like a 1/2 inch thick).

don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's "right"-- it certainly doesn't make any sense to make it OK to park a basic Avalanche outside when a King Ranch F150 would not be allowed. The "luxury vehicle" reference doesn't hold water for this comparison. The trouble is if specific vehicles are allowed & all others banned. If this isn't the case, then this person has legal grounds to do as he wishes with parking his truck.

How evil are HOAs?

http://home.satx.rr.com/cdma/sovereign.htm

It's an interesting read.

Oh I just remembered; My friend Jacob had a problem with the HOA at his former upscale condo buildling a few years back. I don't remember what the specific problem was, but I do remember that he went into the HOA meeting and threatened to turn his house into Section 8 (low-income) housing- they shut their mouths that instant.

Frankly, it strikes me that many of the HOA people have psychologicl problems relating to control, but I do know that when they receive a nice little letter from your lawyer, their behavior changes for the better.

You may have singed a conract and agreed to the convenent, but that contract is not the law, and it cannot violate the law.

I hope he fights them to the bitter end.

It's hard to stomach these snobs with their "I deserve to be segregated from the masses" attitude.

Actually the original ordinance has merit. Texas is full of self made millionaires, working people so to speak. The ordinance was put into place so those that had company trucks would not park them in the front drive. These trucks typically have advertising on the side of them and may be dented up.

Basically an eyesore.

Now while his truck probably does not fall in the category, he does fall under the letter of the law so to speak. Basically he needs to petition the HOA to have the verbiage changed to allow exceptions.

Then they should just change the law to ban cars or trucks with advertising from driveways.

That is the way my bylaws are written. IMHO he is going to the press vs going through the HOA process. Just simply park the darn thing in the back until you get the policy revised.

lol luxury trucks quiter than regular trucks.....yeah right...A mark lt...is a Ford F150 with a lincoln grill a ton of chrome, and a slightly different interior...none of the trucks mentioned save the ridgeline make any less noise than the TRUCKS they are based on.....whats ironic im sure they dont have a problem with any exotic sports cars, and they make plenty of noise........so all thats just BS, they just dont want the look of a truck in the neighborhood.......but in the end its his own fault for moving in to somewhere like that and not following their petty rules even knew them ahead of time

I am speculating as well, however my HOA which is managed by the same company, has a bylaw prohibiting vehicles with advertising on them to not remain in front of a house for more than 1 day unless work is being performed. Also there is a bylaw that states all vehicle in public sight must be in good repair and have a valid inspection sticker. This effectively prohibits anything broken down vehicles and roughed up work trucks from gracing us with their presence.

i would fit right into this place

what? and you think Cadillac Escalade is.

I say we do away with the Communist Home Owners Associations all together. That's why I would never live in a place with one much less pay their ludicrous fees to have them dictate what I can do with my property. Someone needs to propose a law banning HOAs across the entire country. Move to China if you want someone to tell you what color you are required to paint your house.

HOA's are a necessary evil. Who do you think stands a better chance of their home not tanking like a rock in the current housing market; an HOA home or a non-HOA?

They make sure their homes are kept to the best standards, guaranteeing a quality product to the new homeowners. Plus, they help keep the "trash" out of the neighborhood too.

The only downside are the dues and strict regulations. If you're not the OCD type or a disciplinarian, an HOA home probably isn't for you.

im sure we all know what you mean by keep the "trash" out of the neighborhood.......are all HOA honestly that bad.....I dont have one from reading such pretentious comments I never will, and from what I heard...the rules changed as the people moved in didnt fit the Pristine neighbors, and were deemed just "trash"...its almost 2009 right

Communist? I think you mean fascist.

...or what vehicle you should be driving.

"Stonebriar HOA rules allow several luxury trucks on driveways, including the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Lincoln Mark LT."
When did a Avalanche and a Ridgeline become luxury?

When did a Honda Ridgeline become a truck?

Well it sure ain't a car and sure ain't no bus or a SUV or a mini camper or a motorbike, so I guess it's a truck.

Last time I checked, a truck has a rigid steel frame, not a stamped sheet metal unibody. The Ridgeline is more like a revival of the El Camino/Ranchero to me. Which I don't consider a truck either.

luxury trucks honda,avalanch? these pos are not even close to being trucks.

A fully loaded F-150 is no different from the Mark LT, just change the grille and badges on it.

But yeah I agree that its his own fault for moving into a gated community with rules like that. He's not getting anywhere since he's basically agreed to, in writing, live under whatever rules they come up with.

"HOA's are a necessary evil." ?!

Bulls#!t!! I am fully capable of keeping my house up without me paying someone to tell me to do so. As far as keeping out the "trash", what do you consider "trash?" Anyone with a different skin color than you? Anyone with different political views that you? Someone who drives a Ford instead of a Lincoln? (Oh wait, they're the same damn vehicle) Anyone who makes less money than you?

This stinks of the same kind of bigotry that has plagued this country for years. Land of the free, my ass. Not with a HOA around.

Yes you may be capable. But what about your neighbors?

Just because you can afford a nice home in a nice community doesn't mean you intend to take care of property in the fashion that community wishes.

I have seen more than my fair share of houses that look unkempt on the outside, yet the homeowner always drives a immaculate high end luxury car.

The difference it that his unkempt home lowers my property value, and is unsightly..

Yep Dallas taxes do stink!

"Gated Texas Community Declares War On Domestic Pickups!"

Sounds like a Communist HOA.

I better fire up my Boeing B-29 Superfortress out in the backyard!

:-/

why dont you tell mr greenwood to buy you a Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Lincoln Mark LT. thats just plain stupid this is why I dont live in a gated community because if i am paying 200-500 grand for a house there is no way your going to tell me what to park in my driveway nor tell me what to do with my house

200-500 sounds low for a gated community. I wish I could find one for 200k.

Actually that neighborhood shows a low end of $800K and a high end of almost $5m. In real world figures down here that is 5,000 to 8,000 sq ft.

Pickup trucks belong on farms Billy Bob.

Maybe they should just do what they did in Utah when an elderly woman didn't water her lawn? Send in the cops and have them throw her on the ground and break her nose. Or maybe you would just have the KKK come plant some crosses and light them on fire to scare the "trash" into moving out. Hey, it worked in the 50s.

Personally I think they should just tell them to go f*** themselves and call everyone they know with big trucks and have them park there too.
Maybe even put a rusty old station wagon up on blocks in the front yard, run a garden hose up through the roof and call it a fountain.

Stupid rich pretentious bastards.

I can't believe all you people are defending this behavior. Last time I checked, we lived in America, correct?

Me too - I can't believe there is such a law telling you what car you may have on your own driveway.

LMAO... out of all of those cars, I would be most embarassed having a Ridgeline parked in my driveway. This is just a case of rich people with no taste telling people what to do...

I agree! The Ridgeline is just horrible (like much of HondAcura's designs lately)
The Ridgeline was a complete failure because of the fact it had atrocious styling and was not even a "truck" at all.
Now that I think of it, I haven't seen one in quite a while.

Actually a HOA "can" preserve property values and encourage responsible maintenance within the community. So living with one can be very easy, actually 99% of the people live with it in perfect harmony.

For example my current neighborhood's bylaws are very reasonable and enforced. However my prior community bylaws were never enforced. Basically the HOA maintained the common grounds. So I will give you a nice example of with an active HOA and without. About 6 months ago we had straight-line winds in excess of 70MPH rip through both areas.

After a reasonable time (90 days) for clean, up my current community started issuing notices for downed fences and damaged tree clean up. In other word move up repairs on the priority list. If there are extenuating circumstances they can notify the HOA for consideration. In 30 days this community was cleaned up, and we put it behind us.

My prior community unfortunately still has downed fences, fallen trees and roofs with tarps on them.

This HOA elected not enforce any rules, so this community is still a wreck. People are taking their time or simply electing not to repair the issues. In fact one on my old neighbors actually took an unplanned vacation abroad, in lieu repairing their property. (after all isn't it more fun to spend 10K in Hawaii than spending 10K on a new fence?)

Both of these areas are relatively affluent, but you have to remember everyone is busy these days so things like this can take a back seat or other priories may prevail.

The ramifications are the following:

1. It is unsightly to every one not just the home owner.
2. In many cases the unsafe damage is a magnet for children to play around and cause serious injuries. (already happened an the HOA in now in a lawsuit)
3. According to MLS comps The strong HOA home values are maintaining their upward momentum. The lax HOA the home values are now dipping. So the irresponsible people are now affecting responsible people’s values.

While in a perfect world we all like to think people are responsible, in reality they are not. This is why you have laws and a justice system and yes the need for an HOA.

So yes, HOA’s have a valid place, however if they are too restrictive then take matters into your own hands, and get on the Board of Directors and make a difference. IMHO opinion this guy failed to realize the rules, and rather than ask for an amendment in lieu of rather broad wording, he simply went to the press for sympathy. He also had the option to buy a home that was in a community that did not have an HOA, that choice was purely his.

Remember no one is telling him he can’t own the truck, just he can’t park it outside in the front. BTW The appraisal district shows that his home has a 4 car garage, so he obviously has a driveway out of sight.

i'm going to side with the HOA.
can you imagine the chaos if they let in an F Series?
what is acceptable? F150,F250,F350?
XL,XLT,King Ranch, or Harley Davidson edition?
regular cab, super cab, or super crew?
how much payload is ok?
does it have to have leather? heated seats? power sliding rear window? moonroof? off road package? chrome package?
dubs. ok or not?
It's a huge can of worms! give 'em a break! :)

Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline are not luxury so what the in the hell are they talking about

Wow, that's crazy this is exactly what my community tired to do I repeat tried. I live in South Florida and our association in our gated community also resticts trucks. They thretened us also with fines but we refused. I own a '07 Ford Sport Trac. I noticed that the neighbor down the street owned a '07 Cadillac Escalade EXT and I highly doubt they sent him a letter. We mentioned to the associated that Ford classifies the Sport Trac as an SUV (look on their site). We refused to get rid of the truck and pay fines. Luckly we reached a resolution in which anyone that owns a truck can have it but can only be parked in the driveway during daylight, after dark we have to park in the garage. Works out pretty well, haven't had a problem since.