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Again, there is no thru traffice. It's a dead end. There are 3 town homes between ours and the end of the cul de sac.
My wife and I sit on fold up lawn chairs in the street at our driveway level and the kids play in front of us to the end of the cul de sac. The only traffic is if a neighbor is leaving at which point my children are told to stand in the grass. Which, believe it or not, they actually do because we parent them. And if they don't I'm up in 2 seconds to rectify it.
I suppose I should put them in a 6x6 cage with an xbox and Wii like most parents do these days. Sorry...that isn't happening. There are times where requests are reasonable. This is not one of them. The only thing that makes me feel better is that these peoples' lives are so miserable that all they have for happiness is to gripe about something that isn't an issue.
There are still places where singles or people with grown kids move from the cul de sac or don't buy on a cul de sac or are thought of a strange if they buy on a cul de sac because that's where the kids place, that's where the basketball hoop is put up.
Stop letting someone tell you that your kids cant play outside, really is it a prison?
I would just have laughed at the guy and let it roll off my shoulders. Tell them that you are the parent and not the hoa.
Since they are moving soon anyway, who cares about the neighbors. Right?
That's the great thing about renting. If you don't like what's going on in the neighborhood, you can move on.
The HOA has the ability to fine the homeowner if his tenants don't follow the rules. So there's that to be concerned about.
But really, what's a couple of hundred dollars compared to letting your children run free as they were designed to do?
And if they get hit by a car when darting about, as even well-behaved boys tend to do, lesson learned, eh?
Be sure to clock your time from the lawn chair (or the garage for those times when you need to get a toy) to the kids, should you need to grab them out of the path of a someone driving into their own parking spot unaware that your family has designated the street and parking lot as your own personal playground.
Since they are moving soon anyway, who cares about the neighbors. Right?
That's the great thing about renting. If you don't like what's going on in the neighborhood, you can move on.
The HOA has the ability to fine the homeowner if his tenants don't follow the rules. So there's that to be concerned about.
But really, what's a couple of hundred dollars compared to letting your children run free as they were designed to do?
And if they get hit by a car when darting about, as even well-behaved boys tend to do, lesson learned, eh?
Be sure to clock your time from the lawn chair (or the garage for those times when you need to get a toy) to the kids, should you need to grab them out of the path of a someone driving into their own parking spot unaware that your family has designated the street and parking lot as your own personal playground.
Kids grow so fast, though. One of them will probably be in school next year. Every moment is special. Every summer is special. Well, let this be an old fashioned backyard summer. Maybe collecting sticks for the firepit (if they're allowed); get a gas grill and do cookouts and hang lights in different shapes...those patio backyard lights all around, catch lightening bugs out back, grow a vegetable each, see if you can catch bugs and look them up or dig worms and fish. They're at a great age for fitting in one of those small inexpensive pools; run through a sprinkler. Make ices and milkshakes and malted milks in the house.
Go out to simple things. Check out google maps for parks and ponds to fish in and pools. Go bike riding. Head to the beach before prices go up.
And resolve to stay away from places with such bylaws in the future.
Again, there is no thru traffice. It's a dead end. There are 3 town homes between ours and the end of the cul de sac.
My wife and I sit on fold up lawn chairs in the street at our driveway level and the kids play in front of us to the end of the cul de sac. The only traffic is if a neighbor is leaving at which point my children are told to stand in the grass. Which, believe it or not, they actually do because we parent them. And if they don't I'm up in 2 seconds to rectify it.
I suppose I should put them in a 6x6 cage with an xbox and Wii like most parents do these days. Sorry...that isn't happening. There are times where requests are reasonable. This is not one of them. The only thing that makes me feel better is that these peoples' lives are so miserable that all they have for happiness is to gripe about something that isn't an issue.
I get exactly what you are saying..My kids were raised on a cul-de-sac and lots of
hot wheel, skaing, bball, roller hockey went on in the street..
If you think it is safe , I don't see how they can make up rules..
A couple of thoughts. First, if the CCR's state that kids aren't allowed to play in the road & parking area then that's pretty much that. Some townhome complexes don't have play areas just like some don't have pools. You'll have to look for someplace that has the amenities that fit your needs. If there were some inalienable right to a place for kids to play hockey none of a big city's condo buildings would ever have been built.
Second thought, you seem a bit cavalier about people's concerns over damage to their cars. Kids sometimes break things. Their your kids, they should break your stuff, not your neighbors. A place where kids are not damaging your car is not unreasonable expectation when buying a townhouse.
I get exactly what you are saying..My kids were raised on a cul-de-sac and lots of
hot wheel, skaing, bball, roller hockey went on in the street..
If you think it is safe , I don't see how they can make up rules..
They can make up the rules because it is their property. When the dead end street and parking areas need repaving, the HOA pays for it. HOA also pays taxes and carries the liability insurance.
Homeowners own the inside of their townhomes and belong to the HOA that owns the common areas such as the lawns and parking areas, pools, playgrounds, etc.
HOA communities exist for a variety of reasons, but one is to create communities where the neighbors are bound by rules of behavior.
Anchorage, AK has a lot of zero lot line homes, where you own your townhouse and yard, but there's no HOA, no dues and no rules to speak of. Might be a few covenants attached to the property about paint or building an attachment, but short of going to court, no way to enforce them.
As long as neighbors are respectful of one another, it all goes well. Alas, there is often disagreement on what behavior is respectful and appropriate, what maintenance is necessary and so forth. It can be a can of worms.
A place where kids are not damaging your car is not unreasonable expectation when buying a townhouse.
Nor is it unreasonable to expect that when you pull into your parking spot you don't risk running over kids.
This discussion is the first I've ever heard of the unwritten law of the land that kids have a right to play in cul de sacs.
I've seen kids skateboarding and rollerblading, playing basketball etc. on residential streets, but they've all been older and I've always assumed they were getting by with something that was illegal.
But that kids have a right to play in the street is new to me. Live and learn.
In any case, it sounds like kids do not have a right to play in this HOA's street.
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