When Condo Commandoes Attack! Neighborhood kingdoms and drought.

WhatInThe

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When gentrified communities attack! In the middle of a drought and water emergency in California couple might be fined for a brown lawn from lack of watering.

http://news.yahoo.com/calif-couple-conserves-amid-drought-could-face-fine-201644396.html

I call them condo commandoes but they are the neighborhood home owners associations or kingdoms that use/abuse local code enforcement for their own personal tastes and self righteous sense of what the entire community should look like.

Always and I mean always read that fine print when there is a home owners association or condo board on the deed/lease. Also in an neighborhood of homes be afraid if everything looks the same and is not a new community. Be afraid, be scared and/or run because their is a good chance it is like that by design.

A brown lawn, seriously? I hate to see faux outrage if there wasn't a drought. Does that mean you get fined for every dandy lion or bare spot as well? Or you HAVE TO use a lawn chemicals from an "approved" list?
 

I'd never live in an HOA community, heard too many horror stories from owners who had to deal with the powers that be.
 

I live in the desert SW, drought central. A number of years ago big conflict between one HOA & owners who wanted to give up their green lawns for responsible xeriscaping. The x-ers won, & law passed that specifically prohibits assns from disallowing that. But if overgrown with weeds & not maintained in some recognizable style, whole other matter. Same thing happened with people who wanted to landscape with wild flowers, they won too.
 
I live in the desert SW, drought central. A number of years ago big conflict between one HOA & owners who wanted to give up their green lawns for responsible xeriscaping. The x-ers won, & law passed that specifically prohibits assns from disallowing that. But if overgrown with weeds & not maintained in some recognizable style, whole other matter. Same thing happened with people who wanted to landscape with wild flowers, they won too.

For the first time, Texas is now in that same situation. The law needs to pass the state Senate yet, and we will be allowed to get away from green. I look forward to that day.
Having lived in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area for a number of years, and enjoyed the easy maintenance of desert landscaping, it would be a welcome change. But change is going slow, and has faced challenges all along the way. Hope they see the wisdom of it soon and pass the bill.
 

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