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Sawyer: Either lack of knowledge or resistance in Sun City

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After reading Mr. Bellows comments (“Resident wants neighbors to vote ‘no’ on CC&Rs,” Sun City Independent, Nov. 13, 2019) about the proposed changes in the CC&Rs, I felt he either doesn’t understand the proposals or just doesn’t like any type of change in general.

Most of what I have read and asked about these few changes are only trying to bring existing CC&Rs in line with county ordinances.

I have had a house in Sun City since 1976. Back then residents cared about neighbors and their neighborhoods. You seldom saw cars parked outside of garages or carports, seldom saw any type of fences or walls, never saw garages bigger than your house and seldom heard barking dogs or even saw them. You knew a great deal about your neighbors and not just the ones on either side but down the block. This is called “pride in ownership.”

According to Mr. Bellows, today’s values have changed over the years. Unfortunately, his prevailing attitude with some others now appears to be, “I paid for it and I’m going to do whatever I want and no one is going to tell me what I can do.”  Sad, but a commentary on life for some.

Mr. Bellows is grossly mistaken and uninformed about short term rentals. I would guess he does not even know how many STRs are listed on any of the various 60 platforms. Has he checked on what they are charging, what they are listing in their ads? Has he even bothered to check the problems they are creating, not just in Arizona, but across the country? SCHOA clearly stated that houses here would always be allowed for long term rentals so prospective buyers could “try before they buy.” 

Perhaps he would like to live next door to a STR “motel” as I have, where more than 40 cars per month come at all hours of the night, where the owners advertise to bring their dogs, and therefore I have had five large dogs next door. Where the backyard is now a recreational area and party venue. This was once a quiet cul-de-sac with long term home owners, now a profit center for one owner.

Further, Mr. Bellows stated SCHOA is nonsense and asks why more people do not join? SCHOA is the “last line” between chaos and some line of reasoning in attempting to keep Sun City a clean and vibrant community that it was originally intended to be. Does anyone honestly think their house would be as valuable if SCHOA was not around to try and keep your neighborhood from deteriorating?

Most people in SCHOA are strictly volunteers, so where are the special interest you claim? The ones I have met there care enough about Sun City to volunteer countless hours trying to keep this a community  most people want to live in.

Ed Sawyer

Sun City