Allow Children's Play and Tree Houses in BRE

Why I do so many people want to kill trees. Please see this file by Virginia Tech 25 ways to kill trees. http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-210/430-210.html# I was surprised on how many members feel it is their Right to drive nails, screws and boards in a beautiful, living, breathing organisms called a trees. These beautiful trees, I believe should be protected and admired. Driving hundreds of nails and screws in these living, breathing organism is the death of 1,000 cuts to these beautiful gifts that required a 100 years or more to grow. Every nail penetrated into the tree's cambium level reduces the trees ability to lift water and allows bugs and diseases to enter the tree. Please visit Arbor Day Foundation http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm. see how important these living species are to us and the entire world. Yes, there are TV shows that have professional builders that build tree houses that meet all building codes. Please watch the treehouse shows and see the specialized hardware the tree house builders use so each tree only has a single penetration through the bark. Professional tree house builders do not drive thousands of nails into a living tree. We are all human beings and we have the ability to always do damage but we can also strive to do better. Please consider protecting and planting trees verse killing trees.

First off lets leave John Steele out of this, he's just the messenger. As a retired fire Captain with a large metropolitan fire department I can honestly say I have years of experience with structural firefighting and training with urban/wild land interface. The boards fire danger reasoning for these treehouses and forts doesn't work. This has been confirmed by our local Fire Chief. Yes, we all signed the C, C & R's but probably didn't read them word for word. If they need to be changed then we need to do it. And common sense needs to be on the top of that list. The majority of use come up here to relax, have friends and family time. This will and should include outdoor time with swings, forts and treehouses, it's part of this great outdoors. These structures should be up to certain structures and cosmetic standards, but they should be allowed! As long as these conditions are met our property values will remain the same or even go up. Not allowing will just drive people out or away, that could lower these values. We want a small shop and a small shed, but we can't have both. So we will have to find a loop hole. When I asked about a few of the homes that have 2 other buildings I was told they were "grandfathered" in. How is this possible when the C, C & R's should have been in place before anything was built here? We want and need an HOA, but it needs to work for the majority of the property owners not just the few on the board. It just might be time for a change. Allow the kids to play!!

We agree that if a tree house, play house or swing set, if built on your property, complies to the Fire Mgmt. Team, then, by all means why deny children the fun and recreation of such. Our next door neighbor in Blue Ridge Estates, built a "shanty" of a tree house 2 years ago, next to our property line. We were accused by the BOD that it was on our property. We do not have a cabin/or tree house on our property and the lot is for sale. The tree house is made of plywood and is rotten and unsightly, and surely a fire hazard. We wish the HOA BOD would make the neighbor take it down as it may hinder or prevent a buyer who may be interested in purchasing our property. Lot 99 Blue Ridge Estates, Happy Jack, Arizona

I agree with you whole-heartedly. I would not build on my land with this stuff going on. That's the reason we own in the mountains, so we don't have to deal with the strict rules of the HOA's in the city!

Interpretation of the CCR's by the current architectural committee & Firewise folks are out of line. Move to Sun City north equivalent if you want to regulate sheds, tree houses & play sets in the current manner/current board.

Dear BRE Members & Property Owners; Thank you for your letters and opinions regarding the issue of tree houses. The Blue Ridge Estates Home Owners Association (BRE HOA) has very clear recorded governing documents called Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&R’s). The BRE CC&R’s detail the Restrictions that all 193 BRE property owners agree to when purchasing their property per Arizona Revised Statues. The CC&R document does not allow any structure to be supported on or in a tree or trees. The BRE by-laws also call out this ownership agreement to the CC&R’s. The BRE Restrictions are as follows: Section 3.24 Improvement and Alterations - No improvements, alterations, repairs, excavation or other work which in any way alters the appearance of any Lot existing on the date such Lot was first conveyed by Declarant to a Public Purchaser shall be made or done without the prior approval of the Declarant or the Architectural Committee. Section 3.6 Temporary Structures - No temporary building or structure shall be or structure shall be placed, erected or maintained on any portion of the Property. Section 10.3 Submission and Review of Plans - No original construction and no modification, alteration or addition subject to the Architectural Committee’s jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, landscaping) shall be commenced until it has been approved These restrictions are provided so all 193 owners are respected, equally. The BRE Board, are all current BRE members, property owners, 100% volunteers, and are required to enforce all the BRE CC&R’s equally to all 193 property owners. The Arizona Attorney General and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on September 9, 2015, ruled on the discrimination complaint filed by two members of the BRE HOA. The ruling dismissed the discrimination complaint, “based upon its investigation, the Division of Civil Right Section concludes that the information obtained is not sufficient to establish viol

Absolutely unacceptable for the Board to make decisions based on personal preference. This is a matter for the owners. We agree that playhouses and playground equipment is out of the realm of board business. Happy Jack is a playground.

Have you also sent regular mail to all the property owners? You need to get a majority vote from all the property owners to carry real weight.

Tree houses and play houses for children should be allowed as long as they are in compliance regarding safety and fire compliance.

Sad to say this behavior is counter to maintaining good property values. On a positive note, the HOA does not rigidly adhere to every detail of the Rules and Regulations. R's and R's can be amended or massaged a bit. Perhaps that is what needs to be done here. Incidentally, John Steele has absolutely nothing to do with this issue and therefore is not the problem.

I see nothing wrong with allowing the tree house to remain.

I see no problem with having treehouses on the property of the owners in the neighborhood as long as they are safe for the children. I cannot see how this can be a fire hazard for the neighborhood.

We believe that since the treehouse is in compliance with the fire code and it matches the home reasonably enough it should be allowed. The lots are big enough that families should be able to enjoy and let their children play. There are always considerations to take into account regarding the impact on the community when allowing these structures, however common sense should always take precedence and every effort should be made to allow accommodations to homeowner's requests of this kind, especially when they are bending over backward to make it compliant. This type of restrictive thinking will hurt our community's reputation and keep people from investing into building it out.

Can't see the problem with this playhouse. We should still want to live and enjoy living there. Come on!

LEAVE THEM ALONE.

I agree with this petition for this playhouse. I think it was built properly and with due consideration. I also agree with others that the Fire Department should perform the property inspections even if we have to pay a small fee for that service.

I support a complete change in our community HOA. WE are the community and should have the right to enhance our property with tree houses, sheds or garages. I have two children and also received a letter from the HOA telling me to remove a platform I am building to view wildlife from. It's been a fun project that the kids helped create, and tearing it down would break their hearts and waste $800 in preasure treated wood. I hope the majority of BRE owners will help change this injustice, even if you dont plan to build a treehouse. The next rash decision by the HOA may hit you closer to home.

We have owned a home in BRE for 11 years now. For the first time, we failed our fire inspection! We actually mow our lot, so that it has a clean, pristine look about it. We are in total agreement that the Board is overreaching and out of control! They make us feel as though we are renting our homes and properties directly from them! We say, let someone from the Fire Department in our area, make the lot inspections, instead of letting someone with a personal agenda, do the inspections! What in the world is wrong about a treehouse that the HOA originally said would be just fine? We feel that the current board is anti-children and anti-family and should be replaced! The treehouse is adorable! Keep it, enjoy it, and fight for it! Don't leave this community - let's make it better!

Agree 100%.

We support these homeowners and hope that this issue is resolved quickly. We don't understand why there would be a problem with a safely constructed tree house. Will the HOA please explain...