Architectural Control Committee
The Architectural Control Committee (“ACC”) is appointed by the Board of Trustees. It consists of three or more members, who may be Trustees or other Association members.
Before you do any construction on your property, you must obtain the permission of the ACC. This includes buildings, fences, walls, garages, carports, playhouses, storage sheds, swimming pools, light poles, basketball backboards and poles, or any other permanent structure. Also, if you make any changes to anything on the outside of your house, such as changing the paint color or major landscaping changes, you must get ACC permission. Maintenance which does not change the property but simply replaces an existing feature does not require permission (such as repainting the same color).
To obtain ACC permission to do exterior work on your property, all you need to do is mail, email, or deliver to the ACC a written description of the work. The amount of detail required depends on the size of the job. For example, if you’re going to change the paint color, a letter including paint samples will do. But if you want to add on to your house, build a new fence, build a playhouse or storage shed, or other major project, you will need to submit plans showing the location on the property, the dimensions and height, the materials to be used, and as much other detail as possible. If you have discussed the plans with your neighbors and found that they have no objection, it would be helpful to include their comments with your plans.
When the ACC receives your plans, it will study them to insure they are in harmony with the external design and location of surrounding structures, quality of materials, and the lay of the land. The ACC may disapprove your plans for any reason, including purely aesthetic reasons. ACC decisions are final and binding.
You will be notified within 30 days of submitting your plans whether the ACC approved or disapproved. If you do not hear from the ACC within 30 days, you can assume that your plans are approved. If your plans are not approved, the ACC may say what changes need to be made to obtain approval if you choose to resubmit your plans.
You may not start work until you receive approval or 30 days have passed. If you go ahead and make exterior changes without submitting plans to the ACC for approval, or after the plans having been disapproved, the Association may sue you to have your property restored to its previous condition. The fact that the Association may not have sued someone else in the past to restore their property does not prevent the Association from doing so in the future.