« Drawing the Line | Main | Arizona Legislature Continues to Set New Standards in Stupidity »
April 24, 2007
The Next "Big" Issue That Will Cause Problems
In a nice little blog I read today, a women described the joys of seeing colorful clothes blowing gently in the wind while drying outside on a clothes line. She felt so good knowing she was saving energy ( according to studies, clothes dryers account for 6% of a home's annual energy usage). She also wondered when she was going to get a note from her homeowner's association, since the CC&R's specifically prohibited clothes lines. I'm sure it will be coming soon.
Whether you believe in global warming or not, the fact is that "going green" is the "IN" thing now. Developers are building energy-savings into new homes and high-rises and state legislator's are looking at ways to allow greater usage of wind and solar energy devices. Energy and ways to save it or produce it without creating emission problems will probably be a major issue in future elections.
In recent years, associations have found themselves stuck with documents that kept them from changing with the times, and as a result, governments have forced acceptance of satellite dishes, flag poles, comfort animals, signs and who knows what's coming next, but I'll be willing to bet it will have to do with energy-savings.
Clothes lines started to disappear about the time associations started to increase. For whatever reasons, association documents almost uniformly banned them. Maybe because the developer wanted to sell washer/dryer packages with the home or unit, or didn't want laundry flapping around when potential buyers drove through, but it was more likely that it started in condo documents because of the lack of physical space and was carried over to HOA documents either because they were copied without thinking, or developers/attorneys considered it another way of controlling the appearance of the associaton.
Associations have upheld these bans basically on appearance issues, after all who wants to see someone's underwear flapping in the breeze every week. That's kind of strange, given what we see on TV every day. But I guess that's in the privacy of our home - inside. You will probably see a push in various legislatures to everride association restrictions on any type of energy-saving device or practice.
For whatever the reason, banning clothes lines is the standard these days, but that's probably going to change, along with the prohibition of solar panels. You might want to start investigating it now. Using retractable poles and lines and maybe keeping a couple of days "laundry-free" might make for a reasonable compromise. You're going to be asked, or forced to "do your part", so why not get ahead of it for once. Seriously look at energy conservation issues and start talking to the owners about them.
Posted by joewest at April 24, 2007 9:12 AM