Historic preservation

It's hard to keep a secret around here.  It's not that we're blabbermouths, exactly, it's just that there's not much elbow room to keep things quiet in.  My neighbors and I share about eight feet between the walls of our front porches--the usual condition in Mesta Park--so I'll just say that I'm glad I don't yell when I "disagree" with my husband.  People would talk.  That's just the way it is.

So when folks around Mesta Park decide to ignore the Historic Preservation guidelines and ordinance, removing windows or building new features without a C.A., it's no surprise that tongues start to wag.  Someone will call me up to ask if I've noticed what's going on over at so-and-so's address.  "Do they have permission to do that?", the caller will ask: or, "I can't believe they got approval for THAT!", they'll exclaim.  Then I have to call the City inspector to determine whether so-and-so has permission to do THAT, and when I determine that they don't have a C.A., the trouble begins:  The inspector has to go out and issue a citation, the home-owner has to complete a C.A. application after the project is underway or complete, and at least half the time the application eventually gets denied.  Of course, the homeowners can appeal the decision to the Board of Adjustment (for a $500 fee), but more often than not, their application is denied again.  If that happens, there's still the potential for an appeal to District Court (fee unknown, but it ain't cheap), which is a lengthy process and involves untold legal fees.  If the homeowners lose the case, they have to return the property to its previous condition.  This scenario isn't pretty.

I have to ask myself why so many people are choosing to ignore the HP Guidelines.  Yes, the Guidelines can be a bit inconvenient; and yes, the C.A. process does add a bit of time to the project.  But more often than not the folks who are violating the Guidelines are doing so because they think they won't get approval for their projects.  They just decide to go forward and hope they're not caught.  The problem (as I've pointed out) is that it's hard to keep a secret around here.  Eventually--and it doesn't have to be this year, or  even next year--people are going to talk, and tongues are going to wag, and the person without a C.A. is going to pay the piper.  This is miserable for everyone:  the homeowner, the neighborhood association, the neighbors, the HP Commissioners, and certainly ME.

My advice is:  don't keep secrets.  Go through the C.A. process (I'll guide you if you need my help!) and get approval BEFORE you begin working on your project.  This is really a promise we should make to one another--to honor the Guidelines and Ordinance as best we can--so that we can keep Mesta Park a true Historic Preservation District.  It's no secret that this is what makes our neighborhood unique and important.  [Contact me with questions regarding Historic Preservation issues at hp@mestapark.org ]