Ground Rules for this meeting Minimize side conversations Do - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ground Rules

for this meeting

• Minimize side conversations
• Do not repeat an example, story or point that has already been made
• No speeches longer than one (1) minute
• Discern between opinions and truths
• Resist temptation to start making recommendations for managing these

issues

• Save and remember your recommendations for respectfully managing these

issues

• Take notes – I will ask you at the end if anything surprised you and what key
• bservations you can make

Results of SCOV Views Survey

MARCH 2017

What views are most important to you from inside your house and from your patio?

How important is this view to you?

87% said views are very important from inside the house 91% said views are very important

• utside on the patio

How much of your important view is currently blocked, but was not blocked in the past?

Is your current view blocked by plants ? Or new house additions?

95% said blockage is from plants (trees and shrubs) 5% said blockage is from new house additions. 52% their view is not blocked by either new plants of new house additions.

In the past five years, have you personally been involved in a situation in which something on your neighbor’s property blocked or is blocking your important view?

46% said YES (178 responses) 54% said NO (209 responses)

Of those who replied ‘YES’, there were 131 comments of explanation:

• 63% of blockage situations involve trees that

had grown large

• 20% of blockage situations involved bushes

that were not trimmed

• 11% of blockage situations involved plants

bordering the golf course

• 5% of blockage situations involved new

house additions

Examples of Comments

• Neighbor built a huge wall blocking our view. Trees also. Very

unhappy.

• Neighbor who rented his home never trimmed a tree that

blocked our mountain view.

• Neighbors oak tree is now twice the size that it was when we

purchased our house in 2008. We had a nice view then.

• Over the past 10 years we are losing our wonderful view of

the Santa Catalina Mountains due to neglect of very large

• vergrown trees in our neighbors back yards. We enjoy our

neighbors, so we suffer with this situation so as not to cause ill

• feelings. I wish we had a law to limit trees height.

Examples of Comments - continued

• Trees have grown to be much larger than anyone probably

thought they would.

• Several trees on properties to the rear and side of our house

have grown to the point where they have cut the range of our view down by at least 50 percent.

• There are some trees blocking some of our view. However

they were there when we bought our house, so we knew that was the situation.

• A neighbor behind us had a VERY large tree in his backyard.

It had been watered for 20+ years and was twice as high as his house. It blocked the center half of our mountain view. Several times we requested help from board members. Finally we sold our home and moved.

Examples of Comments - continued

• The main reason we bought our house was the spectacular

mountain views. Now, thanks to a neighbor's Arizona Cypress (on list of trees not allowed in SCOV), and an oak tree, we have virtually NO mountain views in ANY room. This is a premium lot, and the blocked views are greatly reducing the value of our property.

• Overgrown tree problem has been gratefully removed. What

great new neighbors. Many neighbors have repeatedly thanked the new owners.

• She became angry and didn't speak to us after we requested

her to trim tree to not block mountains. We paid $10,000 premium for our view!

In the past 5 years has a neighbor talked with you about something

• n your property

that was or is blocking their important view ?

11% said YES (41 responses) 89% said NO (347 responses)

Of those who replied YES, there were 35 comments of explanation:

• 83% said they took action to improve the

neighbor’s view (29 responses)

• 17% said they did NOT take action to

improve the neighbor’s view (6 response)

Example Comments

• We are very aware that we should not block our neighbors view,

and if they complained, we would resolve the issue immediately. They should enjoy their home and all the benefits which definitely includes views of the mountains or golf course wherever their property is located. People buy in Sun City Oro Valley for a lifestyle and all our ads show the views so why not protect these views on each property and keep values up while enjoying our home and community.

• My neighbor actually acquired a view when we took down trees

that had become overgrown on our own initiative. She never knew she could have that view and was thrilled.

• We have respect for our neighbors and treat their feelings as we

wish they would ours.

Example Comments - continued

• We came from a neighborhood that had many of the same issues.

Lots of views. Growing trees started blocking views. Painful discussion ensued. As a result, we are overly aware of the issue. In fact, we just completed a landscaping project and before planting any trees we went to the neighbors and stood on the property and inside to make sure we didn't plant anything that would block their view now or in the future.

• The tree in the front yard was interfering with her view from the
• bedroom. The tree was trimmed back to bare branches. Never
• nce did the neighbor comment on her view being restored.
• Complained about a tree in my backyard blocking his view. This

was soon after he bought the house. If he didn't like the view that existed when he bought the home, why did he buy it?

Example Comments - continued

• Yes, but the trees were really in the wash close to our lot line so

we directed them to Mary Cunningham's staff.

• Not exactly asked, just commented that a shrub was really big.
• No but I would want to hear if something is bothersome so we

could talk.

Have you ever negotiated a resolution to a view-blockage issue with a neighbor ? If so, how was the issue resolved ?

21% said they have negotiated a blockage issue with a neighbor (93 respondents) 79 % have NOT negotiated a blockage issue with a neighbor (296 respondents) Of the 93 who have negotiated,

41 were resolved successfully

Example Short Comments

• Cut the tree back.
• I cut down the tree.
• Trimmed tree.
• Removed a tree that was blocking neighbors mountain view.
• Neighbor agreed to trim tree.
• I removed tree gladly!
• When our tree blocked our neighbor’s view, we had it trimmed.
• Tree removed.
• Cut down and removed the tree.
• Tree and shrub were trimmed.
• Asked previous older neighbor behind us if we could trim his tree and he

let us.

• I paid for topping or trimming.
• They trimmed the tree.
• I trimmed his tree.
• I had a branch removed that the neighbor thought blocked his view.

Example Comments

• I think the combination of emails and letter from the board influenced her

to trim back.

• Before we moved here, the situation was resolved by listening to our

neighbor and then coming to an agreement that met both of our needs.

• I paid to have a neighbors tree removed and gave them several hundred

dollars additional to the neighbor. Everyone involved was happy and even two other neighbors were happy because it improved their views also.

• We split the cost of trimming trees and shrubs in our neighbor’s backyard

until she passed away and the house was sold.

Of the 93 who have negotiated,

40 were NOT resolved successfully

Example Short Comments

• Neighbor refuses to negotiate.
• Will no longer speak to me.
• They are not open to discussion.
• Not successfully.
• Not solved.
• He said it is his property.
• No negotiation talk.
• Tried to but neighbor refused any solution.
• Neighbor would not resolved the problem.
• The only resolution would be removing the roof.
• They did nothing, said nothing.
• The previous neighbor was never there and I had no contact information.
• I was told she did not have to top her tree.
• My neighbors are not reasonable.

Example Comments

• I’ve owned this house for almost 1.5 years and have lived here almost 10

months now. This is our year-round home. In the time we have lived here, the owners of the house with the giant tree have been here only two weeks.

• I know that other neighbors have tried to talk to the guilty neighbors without
• success. My wife wrote a letter to the manager, which declared the trees

blocked off a third of our view. The manager said to discuss it with the neighbor.

• I told them if they wanted my tree cut down they could pay for it. I would be

willing to help. But trees keep growing. Trees give oxygen and that is why people keep getting stupid here because they keep cutting down all the trees and getting rid of all the oxygen in the air.

• We explained to the neighbors our view would be affected, but they were

eager to enlarge their house and did not show any concern for our view.

• Our three-time effort to address the issue was just ignored so the issue was

not resolved.

If and when you consider making an addition to your home, have you (would you) consider input from neighbors around you ?

90% said YES (346 respondents) 10% said NO (42 respondents)

How would you feel about requiring neighbors’ ‘approval’ as part of construction approval for a home addition that might impact a view important to neighbors?

74% would favor this (281 respondents) 26% would NOT favor this (109 respondents) 66% of respondents feel very strongly about their response to this question

How would you feel about having and enforcing rules limiting the height of trees and shrubs that block a view important to neighbors ?

80% would favor this (309 respondents) 20% would NOT favor this (80 respondents) 77% of respondents feel very strongly about their response to this question.

How would you feel about neighbors being encouraged to negotiate solutions to their own intra-neighbor view issues, with required mediation as a default ?

74% would favor this (278 respondents) 26% would NOT favor this (106 respondents) 65% of respondents feel very strongly about their response to this question

Other Comments --- Respondents wrote 269 additional comments

KEY OBSERVATIONS?

Key Conclusions

• Open space feelings and views is at least as important to

current residents as it used to be, if not more so

• Residents are happy the Board is looking into how to manage

this issue in a supported way

• Growing trees and shrubs that block mountain views are a

major concern

• Growing trees in common areas and along golf courses are

not maintained to protect views

• Lack of guidelines for potential view-blocking new home-

additions is a major problem

Key Conclusions - continued

• Lost mountain views really do affect home values
• Lack of consistent enforcement of existing rules and

guideline is a big problem, including vacant properties which are less likely to maintain trimmed trees and shrubs

• Neighbor-to-neighbor resolution of view issues have been

successful, but is not always possible. It depends on the values, attitudes and personalities of neighbors involved

• Residents want more clear definition and guidelines to help

resolve view issues

• Residents want consistent application and enforcement of

current rules and any future rules and guidelines

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Possible Ground Rules for the Next Committee

• Wear your SCOV hat
• “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” -- Steven Covey
• Keep an open mind; be willing to see and accept other viewpoints
• Understand and accept that situations change, people change and solutions

can change

• “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created the

problems” – Einstein

• Adopt a cooperative, caring, problem-solving attitude to help this effort

constructively go forward.

Thank you for attending