I have a question after reading all the posts.
Can a district (a group of homes in The Villages) go before the ARC and get a “rule” changed? Has this ever been attempted?

Trillions of grass and weed spores will take root.

I wonder what it takes to change the rules? After all, new options keep coming on the market and most do not want a new house with 1950 landscaping. What if you got a few hundred signatures asking to remove this rule, or go back and see if any similar issues had come before the board since development that have had different outcomes.
I would think that all rules are subjective of those in power at the moment.

Rules are amendable … the world (and even TV) is not a static thing :icon_wink:

Fred

We owned a rental CYV in the Village of Rio Grande. No one had grass, most had no shrubs, many had weeds knee high, most were just rock and it was ugly and stark. I went to our unit once a month to pull weeds but all the heat reflected by the walls, house and rock got to be more than I could tolerate. The artificial turf would have been a HUGE improvement over the rock if it was installed professionally. That is what is so attractive about Ms Schwartz's turf; it appears to have been put in profesionally. It's not lumpy and the edges are sharp. At first glance it looks real. I think it should stay unless they can give her a good reason that it should go (other than the fact that she is not in compliance).

Because that would be a violation also.

Good point, I'm not versed in ARC meetings and such but there must be some mechanism for bringing a suggestion before the board for consideration. Then, the pros and cons of this, or any other proposal, could be discussed in an adult fashion, hopefully, by adults and not people masquerading as such :icon_wink:

Fred

I have been wondering for years why people have not done turf. I do not understand the waste of resources when this seems to be a wonderful solution, especially when we need to conserve water. I am a snowflake and figured I would investigate it once I moved there full time. I really hope this is something TV allows. BTW a neighbor of mine in NY has had turf on his lawn for 5 plus years. Looks odd in the winter when everything is gray but it has held up. Looks great in the summer.

Consistency! :1rotfl::1rotfl:

Rules, especially those emanating from an ARC, are NOT inviolate! There is a way to amend them :icon_wink:

Fred

It's beautiful and save from chemical use I would fight them in court - It's time the ARC opened its eyes the residents pay the bills. The house and yard is absolutely beautiful and only adds to the community. Fight it!!!!

Follow the rules.

Need to “ quote post” so other poster know who you’re talking to.

I think that may be the most attractive home in The Villages. The lady bought the turf at one of the squares during market night. Since it was being sold in The Villages, she said she had no reason to think it wasn't allowed, which makes perfect sense. So, it looks beautiful, and is environmentally friendly so it's really a win win. Maybe it's time for The Villages to rethink some of their draconian rules.

I suspect if everyone had artificial turf, it would soon put the lawn services around TV out of business, not to mention the water company would take a hit financially by the reduction in water used for irrigation. It's probably an all or nothing thing too. You can't have continuity aesthetically if some homes have articifical turf and others have natural grass.

I feel the same way.

Agree 100%. However, I'm guessing the Powers might worry that artificial turf is SO excellent looking, it might bring down the values of homes around it. Whatever the reason is, the Board needs to be MUCH more transparent than it tends to be (and that's probably true of all HOAs).

If need be, a collection of many people who think as we do about the turf ought to be organized to visit the Powers during their next meeting. This era in the US is NOT a time for letting things lie untouched, IMHO. People who run our lives MUST be made to be accountable for their applied rules on us.:)

Understand your point.
 

While I understand your point, I think that there are many things to consider.
The lawn services. Some are large corporations (IE: Massey for example), others are small companies and even owner/operator like the one we use. Many of my neighbors maintain their own yards because they are dissatisfied with the service they received from companies they formerly used. I support businesses that provide products and services I want or need. Others, I assume, do the same. Being expected to support something neither wanted or needed might be like forcing one to support a charity they may not believe in.
As to the water company, I and many others have occasionally received bills that we believe to be incorrect and been dissatisfied with the way the water company just brushes off or defects back on the home owner any complaints. Sadly, we have no viable alternative.
As to the continuity of appearance, on my walks I see homes with great lawns and landscaping, others look pretty bad, regardless of their efforts. So, while I love a great looking lawn, I know from personal experience that for some (snowbirds, elderly, and some others) maintaining yards can be difficult.
I would like to see if there could be landscape options that are not gluttons for water and chemicals. The cyv's are different than the other areas, and I believe there may be a higher percentage of absentee owners that own those properties. So, I, (and No,I don't own one) do think that perhaps they might be allowed a slightly different set of rules in that they are already different than the majority of the community.
I think it would be worth considering.

Totally agree. Who’s jealous?? Lol... not I. Nor did I complain- I don’t live anywhere near that house. (If he was referring to my post). His post was right under mine, who or what was the person who posted that referring to?

I’m all for Astro turf. There are a lot of rules that could be changed, but before doing so, all possible issues would need to be addressed first so there aren’t any unforeseen problems later. Maybe a specific KIND of AstroTurf for uniformity, if that’s what the Villages is concerned about.

Over time things change and some antiquated rules should be reconsidered. Yes. Rules and regulations can be changed- they’re not written in stone. What might not have been acceptable in the older areas have changed in the newer areas. It should be consistent across the Villages, but I’m told that it’s not.

I see they have met Cinthia.:1rotfl:

Because the rule is stupid! Vindictive is the ARC. If everyone in The Villages who has violated covenants was reported there would be an uprising of all residents. Common sense would be something to think about - tell her OK to leave but if she sells must be put back to original? What happens if you repaint your house, the same color, without ARC approval? What are they going to do - have you scrape it off to original? Power-hungry people without an ounce of common sense is the problem.

I am wondering about the rules at TOTV - in some ways this is shaming the property, I would hate it if my home was publicly displayed like this. I suppose if the owner posted it, it would be alright.

I suggest we all write ARC about this. I'm all for artificial turf that looks good, saves water, saves use of chemicals and saves maintenance woes. Rules are for our good. They can and should be changed when it makes sense. Onward and upward!

Here is the response I received from ARC regarding artificial turf and my wish for them to reconsider the rules that don't allow it:


Thank you for your email. The deed restrictions and the District’s adopted Rule for the area you are referring to provides: All Homesites shall remain finished with the same quantity and style of water-conservative, drought-tolerant sod and landscape as originally provided by the Declarant. Notwithstanding, Owners are encouraged to and may add landscape that is more water-conservative and drought tolerant than originally provided; however, any such alterations to areas visible from roadways or golf courses must receive prior written approval. The deed restrictions are a legal contract between the Developer and the Owner and cannot be changed by the District. Therefore, artificial turf is prohibited in this area.



If you can think of another way to go to have this rule rethought please do!

I think it looks great too, and with many benefits as preciously noted. However, having artificial turf would put many landscapers out of business. Maybe the developer is trying to protect the landscapers and the bug companies?? Just a thought....

Depends ...
 

......on who is making money on the recycled (brown) water that we are all paying for. If too many folks put in astro-turf the system used for the recycled stuff might start to actually cost money to own? I do not claim to be an expert - just thinking here. Besides those lawn guys have a tight union :1rotfl:

:what: Maybe the developer is trying to protect the landscapers and the bug companies??

How about this? The purpose/ reason for the Community Standards Dept of the District Government - All taken from the District Web Site..... that few seem to read.

MISSION
To assist residents in upholding the aesthetic value of their property in The Villages.

The Community Standards Department is committed to upholding the high standards of our community’s residential architectural design, landscaping and aesthetics. The department has two divisions: Deed Compliance and Architectural Review.

You have chosen to live in a community protected by Restrictive Covenants. The Declaration of Restrictions was issued to you at the closing on your home. It was at that time you signed a covenant with the Developer to comply with the Restrictive Covenants. We urge all homeowners to read their Restrictive Covenants.

Why a lot of us moved here! :ho:

it sounds like it must be more of an ego thing...i.e, if she would have /known to apply for arc/cdd/whatever approval, it may have been approved, but, because she either didn't know she needed to, for whatever reason, the committees want to punish her or anyone, just because she didn't follow their rules. Per the picture, it looks MUCH better than SO MUCH rock, with only the 'required' 2 or 3 small plants sprinkled around. If it's really as pretty as it looks in the picture, I'd say just give her some sort of fine for not following protocol, then maybe thank her for coming up with a beautiful idea. Of course, I guess one would need to wonder/worry/consider if/how long it will stay that nice looking..

Just curious, is the owner living there, or renting it out most of the time?

Consistancy
 

The problem I see is that if they allow this artificial turf to be allowed, some old “Hippie” is going to put down ORANGE turf or RAINBOW turf Or something else that wouldn’t fit in.

no painted concrete ? interesting as MANY driveways are coated - NOT original concrete

The problem is that she did not get ARC approval to do it. I contacted ARC about 4 years ago about doing the same thing, but they told me that it is not allowed, so I did another type of landscaping. Do you want to have a consistent standard and approval process for landscaping in The Villages? Or, do you want to just allow homeowners to do whatever they want, post a photo on a TOTV thread, and have posters weigh in on whether or not it meets their approval? If that works, then we could eliminate the ARC.

Anyone who works in TV knows that they need to have ARC approval. Unless you hire people who want your money and don't care about getting it.

Not a natural system
 

Perhaps the reason for the regulation is that by definition "artificial" turf is not a natural biological system. Rain falling on it will not percolate, but must run off into the street and storm drainage system. It acts like concrete and asphalt, which washes excess water loads and pollutants into these systems. From a larger environmental point of view, it does not support a biological community of microorganisms, nor does it engage in photosynthesis, which removes carbon dioxide and returns oxygen to the atmosphere. If you want to live in a biological desert, move to a large city, where the air temperature is significantly higher than areas with greenery. It is called the urban greenhouse effect. Heaven knows, our summer is hot enough as it is.

Posts 65&68
 

I stated in an earlier post that I lived in another community with restrictions before moving here. In the other community, we had an opportunity to and a method to suggest changes or additions to the original rules if it was shown to be a benefit to the community. Property owners were able to request a variance for certain things that could enhance the property and would not negatively impact their neighbors (neighbors approval). Posts 65 and 68 show that, apparently, only the developer has the ability to make changes to the covenants. If this is true, than an appeal to the developer is the only hope of providing an avenue for updating or improving the covenants. If this is also true, and, as has been suggested or inferred from time to time, the developer has a financial interest in some of the companies that supply products and services to our community, than there is little, if any hope of any changes that might impact their bottom line.
So, tow the line or leave. Many of us, me included, turned our lives upside down to move here. This is home now. And, I love living here, but it would be nice if the ARC or CDDs had the ability to make a judgement call instead of just leveling fines.

I agree with everything you said. But, other posters think that the lady should be able to ignore the rules and get away with it just because some people like her lawn.

Wow. That is a big assumption. Cannot imagine the sod laying crews would go to the trouble of getting approval of something so stupid.

No homeowners association involved, they don't exist in TV.

My lawn is fine.........

The Community Standards Department is committed to upholding the high standards of our community’s residential architectural design, landscaping and aesthetics. The department has two divisions: Deed Compliance and Architectural Review.

You have chosen to live in a community protected by Restrictive Covenants. The Declaration of Restrictions was issued to you at the closing on your home. It was at that time you signed a covenant with the Developer to comply with the Restrictive Covenants. We urge all homeowners to read their Restrictive Covenants.