Neighbors —

At the September 8th Board meeting, several amendments were proposed to go on the October ballot. All of them passed except one, and it's the one I proposed. I'd like to ask for your help getting it in front of the neighborhood for an actual vote.

Right now our HOA rules and regulations require boats to be stored at the rear of the lot, year-round. A lot of our homes don't have practical rear access, which means those owners have to pay for offsite storage all twelve months — including summer, when the boat is actually being used.

My amendment would allow a boat and trailer on the side lot from April through September only, with three conditions:

(a) It has to sit behind the front building line of the house. No bows sticking out toward the street.
(b) The boat has to be currently registered and operable. 
(c) It has to be kept clean, with no visible mold or mildew.

Violate any of those, or leave the boat there after September, and the current rear-lot rule would apply exactly as it does today.

I'll be honest with you: I think side driveways should be fair game for boats year-round. Six months is me meeting the folks with aesthetic concerns halfway, because I'd rather have a rule most of us can live with than win an argument.

• We need 28 signatures to put this on the ballot. Signing doesn't mean you're voting yes in October — it just means the neighborhood gets to decide instead of five people.

Original:

No more than one camper, motor van or similar recreational vehicle, nor oversized/commercial van or truck (greater than US DOT GVWR Class 2, except Class 3 pick-up trucks), nor one boat and boat trailer may be stored on any Lot at any time, nor shall any such camper, motor van or other similar recreational vehicle or oversized/commercial van/truck (greater than US DOT GVWR Class 2, except Class 3 pick-up trucks) or boat and boat trailer be permitted to be parked or stored on the street, the front or side of the Lot or Dwelling, but shall be stored to the rear of the Lot as inconspicuously from the street view as practicable.

Addition:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, during the months of April through September, a boat with boat trailer may be stored on the side Lot of the Dwelling, rather than to the rear of the Lot, provided that: (a) the boat and trailer are positioned no farther forward than the front building line of the Dwelling, meaning the bow of the boat may not extend beyond the plane created by the forward-most exterior wall of the Dwelling facing the street; (b) the boat is operable and maintains current registration with the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles; and (c) the exterior of the boat is kept clean and free of visible mold or mildew at all times.  A boat and trailer stored in the side Lot that fails to meet any of the foregoing conditions, or that is stored in the side Lot outside of the months of April through September, shall be subject to the rear-Lot storage requirement set forth above.