Westchase Rejects Changes In Rules
 

Article Courtesy of The Tampa Tribune

By JONATHAN KAMINSKY
Published July 13, 2006

 

WESTCHASE - The community spoke. This time, its elected representatives had little choice but to listen.

Westchase homeowners voted down a set of proposed changes in community rules more than a year in the making.

Just before the tallies were announced at Tuesday's voting members meeting, Westchase Vice President Ruben Collazo did his best to keep spirits up.

"If it passes, let's have a party," he said. "If not, we go to Plan B."

Three hours and several testy exchanges later, Plan B was settled upon.

The voting members, each representing one of Westchase's 28 neighborhoods, decided to circulate to homeowners a revised version of the proposed rules to be put to another vote. The poll will not be completed before late August.

Popular resentment against the proposed rules changes flared around two central issues, both of which were addressed by the new proposed rules.

First was the plan to make it easier for voting members to change guidelines controlling community aesthetics.

The new document scales back the ability to do so, requiring voting members representing at least 66 percent of Westchase homeowners to agree before rules are changed.

The other bone of contention was a clause banning "any standards, features, amenities, modifications, changes or other items" not specified in the residential guidelines.

The clause was removed from the new draft, but not before prompting a fierce debate among the voting members.

Without it, Collazo said, "People come and say, 'I can do this because it's not in the deed restriction.' It's a hard argument to have with an individual."

Mary Young, Village Green alternate voting member, was unmoved.

"I just think it's a negative statement," she said. "We have a [public relations] problem already."

Debbie Appel, a resident of Glenfield, offered a different take.

"It's restriction of the property," she told the voting members. "That's the problem."


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Revisions on deed rules fire up locals

 
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