What if I told you that a town in Pennsylvania had intentionally ignored federal ADA standards on nearly half of the homes built in a major development, would you believe it?
If you were told that this builder was allowed to intentionally ignore federal standards requiring wheelchair access to 100% of the new condos in this township, would you find that acceptable? Would you feel that a federal lawsuit might be justified?
Well, that’s what’s happening in a Bethlehem Township, where city inspectors intentionally ignored federal rules mandating wheelchair access on new condo developments. Developers have been allowed to run roughshod over laws that require protection for the handicapped. And yes, a lawsuit has been filed.
We discussed this recently: the California bill to forbid Homeowners Associations from fining homeowners who allow their lawns to go brown.
The drought in the Southwest is historic, with water to Southern California all but going dry. The Central Valley is dry, the Colorado River is almost a dry basin. Commercial irrigation in much of the state has evaporated. People in Los Angeles County who suddenly can’t get drinking water from the tap are going to be astonished.
Despite the water disaster, arrogant HOA boards have been fining homeowners who don’t water their lawns enough. It took a state law to forbid HOAs, their management companies and their lawyers from ordering homeowners to ignore drought warnings. And now all those board members are whining that they have a new law they have to obey.
Strange that HOA boards can be so short-sighted. No concience, I guess.
Well, other headline writers got to it first so I just have to settle once again for being a copycat.
But in the town of Peculiar, Missouri there’s a really bizarre thing happening. Actually, it’s quite scary if you consider all the implications.
A homeowner is trying to get a permit for an above ground swimming pool. City officials say such a pool would violate the rules of her Homeowners Association so they won’t grant such a permit. The crazy thing is that there ISN’T a Homeowners Association there.
One was planned by the original developer, but he went bankrupt before an HOA ever came about. So here is a government institution enforcing a ‘rule’ that was never actually imposed by a non-governmental non-existing institution.
Reason finally prevailed once the homeowner hired a lawyer. But it’s hard to find any reasonableness in the city officials quoted in the story linked below.
Since we seem to have tens of thousands of people who log in here regularly, I try to keep a running chart of adjectives and descriptive words that embattled homeowners use for abusive HOA board members and managers. A frequent one that comes up is ‘rattlesnake’, as in “my board president is as dangerous as a rattlesnake.”
Really, that word comes up a lot in your emails and in news stories about out-of-control HOAs.
So I YouTubed the word and came across a funny video that’s been viral several times over the past few years. As you watch this, just remember that sometimes the Good Guy wins!
A California Homeowners Association, The Lake of the Pines HOA, is up in arms because an old war veteran uses his garage to build furniture for military families who can’t afford to buy their own.
He’s been building and donating the furniture for a decade. He makes no profit at all. But his HOA says he’s not allowed to use any part of his property to cut wood, sand, paint, or screw. (Yes, I know I’m overlooking a fun comment about that last line, but I’m resisting the urge).
But Vietnam war veteran Dennis Kocher is facing fines of 100 to 500 bucks if he doesn’t click his boot heels together and salute these lawn Nazis. Thugs, is what they are. And I’ve got so little patience for thugs.
