Sharpstown Civic Association, Inc.

Part 3

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Each day that a violation occurs/exists constitutes a separately offense each subject to a fine and a lawsuit. For example, having the same car for sale for 10 days constitutes 10 separate offenses. Separate offenses can be consolidated in one lawsuit.

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''Exterior colors shall be generally limited to earth tones, and forest tones and white; (including white, with the exception of a white roofing material); non-traditional incompatible paint colors include, by way of example and not by way of limitation, purple, fuchsia, canary yellow, magenta, orange, goldenrod, fire engine red, chartreuse, and hot pink.''

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We should limit garage sales to certain days like other neighborhoods. For example, the 3rd Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of April, June, August, and October. No cancellations or rescheduling due to bad weather. Special permission would be required if someone is moving.

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Some neighborhoods require homeowners to register their cars and to put neighborhood decals on the cars. Residents, including children, can now determine if cars they see on the streets belong to homeowners.

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voting rights



We should have voting rights for homeowners in good standing.




Currently changes to the deed restrictions required a majority of homeowners to agree. This does not favor large neighborhoods/sections in decline. The greater the decline, the more difficult it is to change the deed restrictions. Homeowners that don't care about Sharpstown have to do absolutely nothing. The bad guys have the advantage.




Some neighborhood deed restrictions allow only one vote if an owner owns more than one property. I think we should give voting rights only to homesteaders.




Voting rights favors residents that are concern about the future of Sharpstown. With voting only those homeowners who show up and vote determine the future of Sharpstown. We need to be able to change the deed restrictions promptly in response to changes in the law, or court decisions, or unforeseen problems. Chapter 209 is good example of this. Chapter 209 was passed on January 2002.




There is an old saying that ''all politics are local''. Well, it doesn't get anymore local than this! Being able to vote for Sharpstown future is more important than voting for mayor or president of the USA.













By Sharpstowner Section One

Food for Thought





The following are some quotes culled from local newspapers and the Internet. We need to amend the restrictions to allow for foreclosure.




Deed restriction enforcement is the most important function of the Association. By being able to enforce the deed restrictions the Association can increase property values and reduce crime.




The proposed amended deed restrictions call for mandatory membership. Chapter 209 of the Property Code prohibits associations that have mandatory membership from using foreclosure to collect non-payment of deed restriction fines.

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''In the euphemistic language of city planners, it is a neighborhood in transition.''

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''We can't even get the city to pick up the trash on time, we can't even get the city to fix drainage problems,'' he said. ''The theory is good, the intent is good. But the feasibility isn't good.
Several civic club presidents said they have not gotten much help from the city Legal Department.''

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''Council members pointed out parking on front lawns can kill grass, cause weeds to sprout up and lead to unsightliness that lowers the value of that property and neighboring ones.''

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''The most serious damage can come when a community disintegrates so far that it fails to enforce its deed restrictions ..... deed restrictions are the only control the owners have over the character of their neighborhood''

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''What should the next Board do for you and your community? Should X become the next Sharpstown or should it become the next highly desired close-in neighborhood? One thing is certain, change will occur. It is up to each of us to manage and influence the direction.''




Comment: Google ''next Sharpstown'' in quotes to find the webpage.

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''Compliance with those Restrictions can be both tedious and stressful; yet home values in Houston are intrinsically impacted by the standards established in Restrictions and an Association's success in enforcing them.''

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''You know how one bad apple makes the whole bunch rotten. That's what has happened to the area. A handful will get in or maybe a few less than a handful and it will just sour the whole environment''

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''Studies confirm that neighborhoods in decline act like a magnet for crime and drugs .... ''

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''The University of Houston Center for Public Policy estimates that property values in a subdivision with an inactive association can fall as much as forty percent due to failure to enforce restrictions.''

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''Most neighborhoods have reasonably good deed restrictions. The crucial factor is the willingness of the men and women who make up the association's board of directors to enforce the rules that you do have.''

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''Failure to enforce your community rules is like allowing a bacterial infection to go unchecked. At first it may appear to be a small problem, but it soon spreads and becomes very serious. ''










By Sharpstowner Section One

Green Ribbon Campaign





It should be easy to amend the deed restrictions to allow for foreclosure. The sales pitch does not involve any money such as ''only 55 cents per day'', ''only 38.5 cents per day for deputy patrolling'' or that membership fees can be increased by only 10% each and every year.




Many homeowners are skeptical of the constable patrol program, the mosquito spraying, the ability of the Association to enforce the deed restrictions, and the ramifications under Chapter 209 of the Property Code. This is why I am against the current proposed changes.




With foreclosure all the Association has to do is talk about the neighbor-from-hell, the lowering of property values relative to other neighborhoods, and how Sharpstown can turn into SlumTown.




All the Association has to do is leave a 6-foot piece of green ribbon with a card attached at homes. The card has the address of this website. On the website the Association can explain why foreclosure is needed. Be sure to advertise the ''Green Ribbon Campaign'' on the first page of every newsletter.




Homeowners that want foreclosure can tie a green ribbon to a tree and to their car antenna. If while driving around Sharpstown you see a homeowner with a green ribbon, please honk your horn and wave to him/her.




After enough homeowners support foreclosure the Association can have an attorney draft the amended deed restrictions.




The best time of the year to have the campaign is in the spring time.





By Sharpstowner Section One

Great Idea

I think this is a terrific idea. My husband and I go back and forth about staying in Sharpstown or moving to a more expensive neighborhood. We love our home and our spacious lot with its big trees, our mortgage is paid, the interior of the neighborhood is 95% beautiful, the location is convenient for commuting to our jobs, and living here is economical enough to allow us to enjoy other nice things in life, such as travel, fine dining, entertainment, etc. instead of buying a $500,000 Bellaire home and being ''house poor''.

What makes us want to give up the ghost and head to a more prestigious neighborhood is the accumulation of sleazy businesses, multiple used car lots, trashy run-down rented duplexes and apartment complexes on Fondren, Gessner, and other surrounding streets, as well as the scorn, ridicule, and derision directed upon a once-fine neighborhood by the public. I used to proudly tell people that I and other families members lived in Sharpstown. Now I tend to tell them I live in southwest Houston, unless they press me for details. Shameful.

My husband and I are proud dues-paying members of SCA and comply with all deed restrictions 100%. We are quiet, thoughtful neighbors. I am for ANY idea that gets my fellow Sharpstown homeowners out of their inertia bubbles, taking some responsibility, and supporting SCA, even by just tying a green ribbon to their radio antennas, if it results in increased pride, an improved neighborhood, and elevating property values.

The LEAST you can do, if you care about this neighborhood, is pay the comparatively puny dues and COPS fees each year. Compare our civic association dues in Sharpstown to those in newer neighborhoods like the Woodlands. You will be shocked, and it should make you grateful that our Civic Association does all the work it does for such a paltry sum.

By CCT Homeowner