A purple playground has become a problem for a Lees Summit family after their homeowners association is threatening them with fines, sanctions and even jail time if its not removed.
The family said its fed up and wont keep quiet about the situation.
The playground which was built by the family wound up getting a purple paint job as a compromise. The kids wanted pink, but settled on purple. Marla Stout said they found a purple-tinted wood stain from Home Depot.
The Raintree Lake Neighborhood Homeowners Association wasnt happy about the compromise.
We got a notice that we were being fined by the HOA," Stout said.
That was last year. The family fought it and won, but the dispute wasnt over yet. The family received more letters outlining more serious consequences.
(The letters said) that if we didnt remove the swing set from the subdivision in a couple of weeks, we go to jail, Stout said.
She said the family talked to all of the neighbors who could see the playground from their homes and asked them to sign a petition saying that the color didnt bother them. Stout said that the homeowners association told them it wasnt good enough.
I think its ridiculous, said Dillen Steeby, who lives next door. He said he sees the purple playground quite a bit and the homeowners associations opposition to it has him seeing red.
Im really perturbed that they would waste money pursuing something like this, Steeby said. Money on court costs and lawyers fees to attack really good people like this and go after a swing set.
The homeowners association did not respond to a request for comment Monday. HOA guidelines require a playground to be subdued and within harmony with other colors of the community.
The Stout family said the next step will be a trip before a judge. There will be a community meeting Tuesday night.
The homeowners association did not respond to a request for comment Monday. HOA guidelines require a playground to be subdued and within harmony with other colors of the community.
The Stout family said the next step will be a trip before a judge. There will be a community meeting Tuesday night.
The HOA will lose, because color is a matter of taste and they certainly can't send anyone to jail, though I am curious on what charges they think they can? Still, when we were looking for our retirement house we told our real estate agent we had two absolute requirements. It had to have a pool and NOT have an HOA! I hate those little dictatorships.
We are building our new house in a community with a HOA and their are rules about colors and what can and cannot be built on the properties (e.g. n clothes lines, no wing sets, no sheds, etc).
We knew when we moved in and part of deciding to live there was knowing we would have to abide by the rules.
Perhaps a change in the HOA rules can be made, but do you think purple is a "subdued" color?
I hate those little dictatorships. So do I...But, the up-side is, you don't have to worry about your neighbor not cutting their grass, or not keeping up their property. I wouldn't move into an HOA....
My wife does...
I guess it depends on the shade of purple.
That's socialism at it's finest. I am surprised. What are you surprised about,, I'm not sure I understand....(not being snotty, I honestly am not sure what you are surprised about)
It's actually unfettered democracy run amuck. The HOA leaders are voted into office and then (in some HOA's) they change the HOA rules making it almost impossible to vote them back out. They, in effect, become a group of little dictators. There was one (in Florida?) several years ago who tried to force a woman to move out because they said her dog was too ugly to be walked there. The HOA leadership can, in many cases, change the rules on a whim and if you don't like the change you either give in or pay a fortune to fight them in court. Most people just give in. My hat is off to these people for fighting. Too many HOA's are led by neighborhood busybodies with nothing better to do then to get off on their little bit of power.
There as one in Florida several years ago ho tried to have force a woman to move because they said her dog was too ugly. WTH !!!
True, but there are usually city ordinances that cover those for health and safety reasons.
Some HOA's would make Hitler proud.
You can't park on the street.
You can't leave your car in the driveway overnight.
You have to paint you home in an approved color.
You can't have a boat of RV parked at your house.
Christmas lights have to go up, and have to come down by a certain date.
You have to have X% of "green" in your front yard.
You have to have an approved fence for your backyard.
No swingsets.
No trampolines.
Only certain dog breeds.
HOA NAZIS!!
HOA NAZIS!! Pretty much!
I guess that some people don't have anything better to do...
A friend of mine bought a house, and all of his paperwork said that there was NO HOA.
Well, after living there for 2 years, he gets a bill for his past due HOA fees.
Guess what? He does have an HOA, and that was a very important element to his purchase decision.
Can he do anything about it?
Nope.
I think a verylight purple would be OK...
That is so ,not right!!
So, he's pretty much screwed......that's terrible!
Joey
But you can choose to live somewhere else
Caveat emptor
Title search and proper due diligence before buying a house
Robert in Ohio
I wanted to let you know that I posted your comment over on the "Why aren't any blacks talking about leaving the US" article, because I found the ironyirresistible.
Said about HOA's, but if the police are murdering you, 'eh, just live with it.
I guess that some people don't have anything better to do... That's just sad...
I made a quick run through Google looking for a link. It was 5 or 6 years ago and I remember it was on local news stations out here in CA as part their strange news stories.
The article does say it was a purple stain, so maybe it is very light at that.
About 15 years ago my wife and I were looking to buy a home in Fountain Hills AZ and we found a nice one, but it had an HOA. I started to read the rules provided on a sheet of paper on the kitchen counter as information for prospective buyers. Each rule I read seemed more and more restrictive (no hot tub in back yard, garage door could only be open when entering or exiting with your car, no parking in the driveway, etc.) when I got to one that said you couldn't change the color of the rocks in the front yard. I told my wife that I'd probably get a little lit up some night and spray paint them all pink, so we keep on looking for another house. The one we bought didn't have an HOA and the crushed rocks covering the front yard were already a shade of pink to match the house.
See, sometimes it pays to read the fine print!!
We call ours "The Clipboard Nazi's".
We call ours "The Clipboard Nazi's".
Once the HOA paperwork is signed residents forfeit city or township ordinances. I questioned a Fire Marshal, over a HOA mandate concerning gasoline storage, and he refused to become involved.
It seems local officials are afraid to confront the HOA's. HOA's can legally show where you signed up for whatever they decide. As long as residents don't go to meetings and force the issues, they will decide them for you.
Dear Nona: This is a sham mockery of three outrages and a scandal of epic proportion.
Not since the egregious using parsley as a garnish controversy of 1999 have I been so vehement in my righteous anger over nothing!
Wait, what were we talking about again?
When I get emotional wisdom, perspective and logic seem to fly right out the window.
Enoch, picketing on both sides of the fence.
If it is a pale shade of purple (or even not) I think they are. It's their swing set contraption in their back yard, with no complaints from any neighbors and if the HOA wants it down, then the HOA should pay for a new one for the family to replace it with one that the HOA does like.
It seems local officials are afraid to confront the HOA's So very true....
Not to worry dear friend Enoch, I too picket on both sides of the fence.
I still can't figure out any way that a homeowners association can send anyone to jail, so their threat must be some kind of joke? Either that or they are utterly mad. Are they officers of the law because they run a HOA? I didn't know badges came along with the job. They can sue the owners, but jail them? Where? In the complex clubhouse?
I'm thinking it's a "scare tactic".
I'm sticking with they are utterly mad...
Suburban charm at it's worst.
Some of these busy bodies need to get a life.
Your connection of two totally different issues is total crap
We chose the quiet development for our retirement home, primarily because the HOA takes care of all the maintenance (snow, grass, leaves, plants etc) and that there are rules - no gym sets, no clothes lines, no garage sales, no trailers in the driveway, no storage sheds in the back yards etc.
Interestingly enough in a development of less than 30 homes, the HOA meeting is like a little UN - all colors, multiple religions (or lack of I don't know for sure and don't care) and a global assortment of ethnic origins. What that we have in common is that the HOA rules provide an neighborhood environment that we desire.
It is not for everyone, but all the restrictions are right there on the deed and listed when a property is for sale.
I'm sticking with they are utterly mad... That too...
Some of these busy bodies need to get a life. Exactly!!
Nona
I agree
Nona
I agree