Dear neighbors,
I hope to see you at the RCHCA meeting next Monday, March 6th at 7:30 PM at Grace Episcopal Day School, 9411 Connecticut Avenue.
You should have received in the mail a copy of the RCHCA newsletter, which can also be found online at: <https://rchca.org/wp-content/
Please note, here are three updates since the newsletter went out:
1. ROCK CREEK BEAVERS
It is still Winter, but Spring is in the air, and beavers are in the creek.
Photos at <https://goo.gl/photos/
2. SILVER CREEK CLEANUP
There will be a cleanup of Silver Creek on Earth Day.
April 22nd, 9 AM to Noon (check-in starts at 8:30 AM).
This will be discussed at the meeting.
See flyer at <https://goo.gl/jvx3jK>
3. COVENANTS: POSSIBLE DISCUSSION OF FRONT-YARD FENCE
The neighbors who built a fence, including a (partial) front-yard fence, in violation of the covenants on their lot, have asked to address a meeting of the Association.
By way of background, you may recall that these homeowners submitted, after the fact, an application to construct the fence that they had already built (notwithstanding the fact that, prior to making other renovations to their home, they had sought approval from the Association). In response to this after-the-fact application, the Board, keeping in mind that the language of the covenants is clear; that the absence of front-yard fences is a positive aesthetic characteristic of the neighborhood; that the restriction against front-yard fences has been enforced consistently for decades; and that neighbors have expressed alarm over this fence, declined to approve the fence, and requested, on three separate ocaisions, that the homeowners reconfigure it. The homeowners, however, have not indicated an intention to comply with this repeated request.
We have now warmly accommodated their request to appear before the Association because we are a friendly community, and because we hope that, by so doing, they might be enlightened as the history of the covenants, the Association’s consistent success litigating to secure compliance with them, and the unequivocal position that the unauthorized fence must be removed.
To be clear, consistent with the vote of the RCHCA membership at the October 17th meeting, your Board is preparing to take legal action to have the fence removed. This accommodation in no way impedes that effort, nor is it intended to be a debate on the covenants, or a vote on the infringing fence, as neither can be addressed in this manner. Rather, it is an expression of neighborliness and an effort by the Association to enhance understanding so that the parties may avoid wasting time on an enforcement action, the outcome of which is quite clear.
I hope to see you at Monday’s meeting!
With best regards,
Jim Pekar
President, Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association