Development allows movable basketball hoops
By JOSH ZIMMER - Times Staff Writer
Article Courtesy © St. Petersburg Times
But they must be out of sight when not in use. Tuesday's approval came after assurances that the rules will be enforced. 

By JOSH ZIMMER
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2002

WESTCHASE -- From the beginning, the controversy over portable basketball hoops in image-conscious Westchase has resembled a hard-fought game. 

Should the development cater to hundreds of kids or jealously guard a more sedate atmosphere? The debate lasted years, and soaked up endless hours of discussion time around meeting tables and driveways. 

For the most part, Tuesday night was no different as voting members of the Westchase Community Association scrambled for a solution. But in the end, members reached a decision that reflects the overwhelming community sentiment: Movable basketball hoops are allowed. 

It was the second vote on an identical motion that was defeated earlier in the night. The board will recommend changing Westchase's covenants, so that residents can legally place portable hoops on their property. 

But, in a nod to the community's sense of decorum, the hoops must be kept out of sight when they're not being used. 

The results of a recent community-wide survey showed 609 favor portable hoops; 299 oppose them. The recommendation now goes before the association for a final vote on Feb. 28. 

"You can't keep avoiding what people are saying," said association board member Harriet Meier prior to the second vote. 

The results became possible after a change of heart by representatives from Westchase's ultra-restrictive enclaves who, battered by criticism, slowly became convinced the hoops would be policed. 

Westchase rules, which give the voting members considerable latitude, also were a factor. 

In West Park Village, for example, 59 survey respondents said they favored portable hoops while 42 said they did not. But on the first motion West Park representative Elaine Novak placed all non-respondents in the NO category, transforming her vote into 59 for portables and 426 against. 

After the overall vote failed 1966 to 1191, well below the 75 percent threshold needed to change covenants, Mike Cosentino, a resident of Westchase community The Greens, said, "To say this vote is what the community wants is a gross injustice." 

Novak's second vote was a big turnaround. Taking advantage of the proportional vote rules, she changed her vote to 283 for potables and 202 against. When the final votes were tallied, the second motion passed with 76.8 percent approval -- 2426 to 727. 

The controversy grew out of the proliferation of portable hoops throughout Westchase. Reflecting a widely held belief, Sueann Mills of The Fords, another community in Westchase, said the development's 128 in-ground hoops are "not enough." 

Two years ago, the association even stopped enforcing rules against the portable hoops until a solution could be found. 

Then last year, association members made some progress by approving guidelines that limited their use to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and requiring they be stored away during stormy weather. 

But that step did not answer the overall question of whether to allow the portable hoops. 

After the first vote Tuesday night, members slowly came around to the general view that by allowing portables, they also would require the association to enforce guidelines on their use. 

"I was fearful there would be no restrictions," Novak said about her first vote. "Then later on I realized they were going to go for very strong restrictions. I'm really trying to do the best for the community."