What and Why is there an ARC?
The purpose of the Architectural Review Committee is to enforce the CC&Rs with an ultimate goal of helping the community maintain a high level of value for all of the properties in the neighborhood. 

Its primary purpose is NOT to deny permission for homeowners to make improvements to their property. However, “improvements” is a matter of personal taste.  A 6 foot tall Pink Flamingo in the front yard may be an improvement for some people, and an eye sore to others.

So, when the ARC considers a request it uses two specific criteria. First, is the request a violation of the CC&Rs. The ARC does have the right and under certain circumstances has granted variances to a request which might be a violation of the CC&Rs if the homeowner can provide sufficient evidence that a waiver is warranted. But just because a waiver may be granted to one property it does not mean that a waiver will be granted for all properties. Waivers are considered on a case by case basis.

It is important to note that the ARC is not responsible for verifying that requests will pass city or county requirements, so even if the ARC may vote to pass a request, the homeowner may also have to get approval from the county or city before proceeding.

The second consideration for a requested improvement is whether or not the improvement is consistent with the look and feel of the rest of the homes in the community. This criteria is much more subjective and subject to interpretation including but not necessarily limited to changes in technology and building materials.

 

What the ARC Isn't:
The ARC is not responsible for enforcing violations covered by city or county ordinance. That means things like cars parked on the grass, homes not being properly maintained in good condition, grass not being mowed, loose dogs in the neighborhood, trash cans being left out...in other words general nuisance items which are addressed in the city and county ordnances.  For these issues you should call 311 for non-emergency items.

 

The following link does a good job of discussing 311 action items.

http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/nbs/CodeEnforcement/nuisance/Pages/home.aspx