Narrow minded associations demand green grass during extreme drought

Area Home owner associations have crossed way over the line on demanding owner's have green grass and live trees during times of severe drought. The HOA for Margot's Pond subdivision in Wake Forest demand owners make the neighborhood "look good" no matter what and the hired enforcer, Talis Management is harassing them to make sure they follow the demands.

Have these associations gone too far? Do they have the right to demand watering during severe drought when there isn't even enough water to insure everyone will have clean water for drinking and bathing? This is a sign that some groups don't have the brains of a rock and should not be allowed to set rules that violate measures to prevent draining reservours and water supplies that supply the whole region.

Contact your representatives or the Governor's office to ask that these associations and organizations follow the same rules as everyone else so all will have a fair share of limited resources. Email the Governor's office (Click here) or call the Governor's Office at:
1-800-662-7952 (valid in North Carolina only), (919)733-4240, or (919)733-5811.

Read more about how this problem affects you...

News & Observer
September 7, 2007
Sam Lagrone and David Bracken, Staff Writers

Grass must be green, HOA decrees
Community board cuts homeowners no slack during drought

WAKE FOREST - Amid record drought and heat that have pushed Raleigh into severe water conservation measures, residents of the Margot's Pond community off Ligon Mill Road have been told by their homeowners association to keep the grass green.

"While the Board is aware of the inconvenience presented by the heat and water restrictions, we believe that having neatly landscaped lawns of grass is of the utmost importance to our community," said a letter sent to the homeowners in August.

Local homeowners associations are loosening restrictive covenants requiring green grass and manicured lawns. But the Margot's Pond association is not giving residents a break -- and it's causing dissension among some members.

In a letter Aug. 16, Talis Management Group, which carries out the policies of the Margot's Pond HOA, required the homeowners to have:

* Healthy grass free of brown patches and weeds.

* Living trees with mulch.

* Planter beds with living shrubs and flowers.

The letter gave an October deadline to meet the HOA standards. Violators would be subject to fines or "self-help" -- a landscape company would fix the violations; the homeowner would get the bill.

Vann Holland, a member of the Margot's Pond landscaping committee, thought the requirements were too stringent. In an interview with WTVD last week, she asked the HOA to "give the homeowners a break." Read more...

Ranch homes gaining appeal

Tired of climbing the stairs every time you want something from the bedroom? And making the long drive to and from an outlying commuter home neighborhood? Take a look at ranch home living. Stylish in the 50's and later, many are being torn down so builders or buyers can build a large McMansion on the lot. In many cases this comes with a loss of a good and affordable home that can be remodeled or expanded at a much lower cost than building a new one.

Many of these homes are the right size for a starter home and need little change to provide a cozy lifestyle. Most are on lots larger than builders offer now and often have backyard space that provides an excellent area for outside recreation, a home garden or expansion of living space. With a little remodeling of old pipe systems, addition of insulation, a modern HVAC system and occasional layout changes the homes are an excellent alternative to homes now offered with high price tags.

News and Observer
July 29, 2007
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Staff Writer

Ranches regain some respect
Dominant lifestyle of 50's and so comfy, so American

It's easy to ridicule the ranch.

They're modest, one-story houses with small closets and low ceilings, little insulation and old pipes.

And they're common. Ranches were the predominant style in Raleigh and across the country for a couple of decades starting in the 1950s.

Now, they're a regular victim of the trend of tearing down old houses and building larger ones.

But even as the once innocuous style disappears, there is new awakening to its subtle appeal. The affordable but bland ranch home is becoming hip to a new generation and an object of desire to an older one.

Younger people love them for their kitsch. Baby boomers seek them for their stairs-free living. Read more...

Flex space popular again

Flex space, buildings designed to be used for offices, storage or light manufacturing, is becoming popular again due to rising costs of prime rental space. Flex space lost popularity late in 2003 after much of the current supply was built and is now becoming attractive again.

News and Observer
April 9, 2007
Jack Hagel, Staff Writer

Flex space back in the race
Slowdown since '03 ending; vacancy rate at 5-year low

Surging office rents are causing more investors and developers to return to a somewhat forgotten frontier: the flex market.

Just ask Adam M. Lutz. His Farmington Hills, Mich., firm is the latest to bet that flex space -- property that can be used for offices, warehouses or light manufacturing -- is ready for a rebound in the Triangle. Read more...

Profiting from the taxpayers pocket

SAS leader Jim Goodnight says he will give profits made on a Wake County land sale back to taxpayers. Many think the land sale hints that there was "insider knowledge" that the Wake County school board would buy the land for a new school on the site. Interestingly enough Goodnight publicly advocated supporting the record $970 million school construction bond issue approved by voters in November and even asked all of his company employees to support the bond issue.

So... just how do you give profits back to taxpayers? In reality none of us will ever get a cent from Mr. Goodnight if he pulls this off. He might make a donation to some community cause or build another soccer field or take some other step to get a big tax break but taxpayers won't get anything.

Read the complete article...

News and Observer
February 23, 2007
Michael Biesecker, Staff Writer

Goodnight plans to donate profit
Any profit from a land sale to Wake schools would go to taxpayers

RALEIGH - Software mogul Jim Goodnight will return to taxpayers whatever profit he might gain from a proposed $8.7 million land deal with Wake County, according to his development partner.

Tim Smith, president of Preston Development Co., said Thursday that Goodnight had no direct knowledge of the proposed sale of 108.4 acres of land off Humie Olive Road in Apex for a new high school and middle school.

Apex Olive LLC, a company in which Goodnight is a financial backer, bought the land April 28 for $3.25 million. The current county tax value of the undeveloped tract, which had previously been owned by a local family for decades, is $794,180.

The Wake County school board voted Feb. 6 to buy the land for $8.7 million -- a 168 percent jump from what was paid for the tract just 10 months ago. The purchase will not be final until it is approved by the Wake County Board of Commissioners, which is expected to take up the issue in April. Read more...