Desired Action

“What is the Purpose of an HOA? HOA’s are intended to maintain property values and promote peace and harmony within a neighborhood.” Jeffrey B. Cullers, Herms & Cullers, LLC

Our goal for the Spyglass Ridge Community is primarily to create a spirit of unity and friendliness that will make it enjoyable to live here and hopefully motivate the owners of the many empty lots to build their dream homes without the HOA horror story that Pam and I were subjected to. Of course it would be nice to get our $2000 deposit back, but our primary motivation is the well being of our community. Spyglass Ridge is a great place to live, but unfortunately, proper engineering for stable foundations was not understood in the early years. Many of the homes built, especially on the higher levels, experienced shifting foundation damage due to the expansion and contraction of bentonite in the soil. The city finally stepped in to require proper soil tests, which translated to new home foundations utilizing proper engineering techniques. There no longer appear to be foundation problems with the new rules; however, old frustrations over this issue still linger in the community. Combine rumors of foundation problems with HOA Horror Stories and you get depressed home sale prices.

Replace the HOA Landscaping Requirements

I’m not sure why there was a fear that new home owners would not tastefully landscape their homes in the Spyglass community. Our home cost $680K to build with a basic landscape irrigation ready preparation. Why would any new home owner not strive to create a beautiful yard to highlight their home? You can access the Landscape & Irrigation Standards which focus on many appropriate concerns about irrigation and erosion control, however, requiring how, what and when specific plants are to be used goes way beyond what is needed. Home owners in the Grand Valley don’t need to be told to use desert zone appropriate plants.

The real crime from an HOA making such regulations is the infringement upon the owners’ right and desire to landscape to their taste. I can’t help but feel that the HOA regulations have severely degraded the creativity of Spyglass homeowners. The specific regulation used to confiscate our deposit was the deciduous tree requirement.

Each property is required to plant four (4) trees (minimum). Two (2) trees shall be evergreen and two (2) shall be deciduous. At least one (1) of each must be planted in the front yard area.
Evergreen Trees: Minimum of two (2) trees, 6 foot tall or taller, as measured from the soil surface when planted.
Deciduous Trees: Minimum of two (2) trees, 1 ½” caliper trunk (4.7-inch circumference) or greater.

In any universe does the caliper of a deciduous tree having a slightly too narrow trunk justify the confiscation of the entire Landscaping Deposit? How does that help or protect a community, the tree is still growing.

The Spyglass Ridge HOA recently increased the Landscaping deposit to $5000. Do they see this as a revenue stream?

Replace Policing with Promoting Landscaping in Spyglass

We believe that a Landscaping Committee would be valuable for providing guidelines for a successful new home’s landscape design, but with an emphasis on promoting rather than policing those guidelines. How about highlighting homes and unique landscape ideas? My wife, Pam, would love to serve on such a committee. I have told many friends that I would donate our $2000 to setup a annual honorarium for a Spyglass owner who has improved their landscaping the most each year. The photo on the right is Pam deadheading our flowers one week after she had total hip replacement.

Return Spyglass Ridge to a Desired Community

Spyglass Ridge originated in 2006 and appeared to be thriving through the first 2 phases of construction. However, as the development moved to the higher ridge, the soil expansion/contraction problem severely impacted the completion of the subdivision. Of course, various economic events, along with the more recent high-interest rates, have also contributed to the slowdown. It has not been easy on lot owners who are underwater with what they paid for their land, but I would say that the price they paid is still a bargain. The soil expansion/contraction problem has been solved; the engineering is understood. Now we just need an HOA that is known for the promotion of building in Spyglass rather than obstruction.