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Hunter: No new provisions in Sun City CC&R amendments

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First, thank you to all who have and continue to show interest in the proposed amendments to our covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs).

Since April 2018, the Sun City Home Owners Association CC&R Review Committee received invaluable community input through town-hall type meetings, open committee meetings, online comments through our website and in person at the SCHOA office, 10401 W. Coggins Drive.

Recently, we have received input and comments from residents who apparently missed those earlier opportunities to address the proposed amendments. I will briefly address a couple of significant concerns voiced to us or through the media.

First, SCHOA is not introducing any new provisions. I will repeat that — there are no new provisions to the CC&Rs. There are proposed amendments to existing provisions in the CC&Rs. Nothing more.

As has been stated repeatedly since we began a formal review of the CC&Rs in April 2018, our intent has always been to remove conflicting language in the CC&Rs, clarify some language in the CC&Rs and take into account some realities today that were not factors when the CC&Rs were created six decades ago, or even when they were last amended in the late 1990s. The goal is to have a document where fair and consistent enforcement of these community standards is possible. The CC&Rs should be clear and concise; today, they are not.

Restrictions already exist to parking in the streets. Restrictions already exist on the time you may have a trailer or RV at a property. Commercial vehicles at a property are already prohibited. Operating a business, including a short-term rental business, from a home is already restricted. Detached structures are restricted. Minimum standards for the condition of and appearance of properties are already defined.

If you don’t have a copy of the CC&Rs, they are online or available at our office. Most of us did not read them as thoroughly as we should have when we purchased our homes. Many have still not read them.

The proposed amendments would put our CC&Rs in line with county ordinances as they relate to fences and setbacks, eliminating conflicts in those areas. Proposed amendments would limit the height of unattached garages and clearly define when a detached structure of any kind might be permitted. Proposed amendments would insure that a surviving spouse under 55 years of age is not required to move.

The proposed amendments do not benefit “a few special interest people,” as has been alleged. They benefit every homeowner in our community. The proposed amendments do not give any additional power to “an organization that wants to have the power to control you,” which has also been alleged. SCHOA exists to benefit the homeowners, and the homeowners are part of our team.

SCHOA is already tasked with the responsibility of enforcing the deed restrictions. In addition to our advocacy efforts in matters of government affairs, roads and safety, it is our mission to protect your property values through the fair and consistent enforcement of the CC&Rs. The proposed amendments will contribute to our ability to accomplish that mission.

So, thank you again to all of you who have provided meaningful input and suggestions, to the volunteers on the committees, to the volunteer board of directors and to our staff.

Editor’s Note: Jim Hunter is Sun City Home Owners Association board president.