Great Hills Park
Great Hills Park
Written by Rachel Youens Thursday, 24 April 2008
Neighbors join together to preserve land near Great Hills Park
Under a tight deadline, a neighborhood near the Arboretum is trying to buy back land adjacent to Great Hills Park recently sold at auction.
According to Sierra Vista III Home Owners Association Directors Dan and Jenn Moore, when the first Sierra Vista III HOA was established by the developer in the early ‘90s, the HOA was never turned over to the homeowners. The Moores say some homeowners were told that the three plots of land near Great Hills Park belonged to the city and could not be developed. After the developer moved on to other projects, taxes on the land were not paid. Because the land was under ownership of the developer, all tax notices went to him and his now-defunct HOA, and not to residents. In November, the three properties were auctioned by the city for failure to pay taxes and were purchased by two private buyers.
The Moores said what is known as Great Hills Park will not be affected by the auctioned land. Neighborhood deed restrictions protect the land from certain types of development. The plots of land are zoned as single-family residence, but the HOA president Brett Goodman says that the only way to guarantee the land’s preservation is to get it back.
When the residents of Sierra Vista III found out about the sale of the land, a new HOA was formed with the specific goal of redeeming the land. The new HOA met April 13 to clarify what was happening and formulate solutions.
Sierra Vista III must buy the properties from their new owners for the auction price, costs, penalties and expenses, plus a 25 percent premium, within 180 days from the date of the sale, which is May 4. The Moores estimate the lots will cost approximately $35,000, but the exact amount won’t be known until the redemption process is started. The new association already has $18,000 and raised an additional $3,900 at the April 13 meeting.
0 Comments 