Fall Landscaping City of Scottsdale Collection Services In the Spotlight - SRCA Knitwits

On behalf of SRCA, we’d like to thank Sonja Perez, SRCA Homeowner Liaison, for six and half years of hard-work and dedication at Scottsdale Ranch Community Association. Sonja’s last day in the SRCA office was September 30th. She was a tremendous asset to the SRCA team and the community, and she will be greatly missed. Sonja had a difficult job but handled it with grace and professionalism as she truly cared about Scottsdale Ranch and its residents. Sonja has decided to move on to new adventures and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors!

Friendly Reminders

Areas Void of Plant Material

As some residents know, we are looking at yards that are lacking plant material and sending notices requesting plants be installed. This request is twofold. The SRCA Summary of Rules & Architectural Guidelines state the following.

Landscaping, page 52-53

5. Shrubs and ground plant material must be utilized in all front yards to soften the look of granite as well as the visual aspects of homes. Large, open expanses of yard with only granite will not be allowed. 10. The Architectural Committee reserves the right to ask for additional plant material to be added, if necessary. Plant material is required to reduce the impact of large structures, uninterrupted expanses, or large spaces.

From an aesthetic standpoint large expanses of decomposed granite/landscape rock with no plant material are not attractive and looks barren.

From another aspect, with the water crisis our state is in, SRCA is encouraging homeowners to be mindful and practice heat mitigation as encouraged by the city. SRCA is planting more trees in our common areas to help with this.

Summer Winds Nursery recommends incorporating 50% shade cover over the top of your rock by planting heat tolerant trees and plants to avoid excessive heat from the rock groundcover. https:// www.summerwindsnursery.com/az/inspire/blog/the-drawbacksof-desert-rockscapes/.

We ask all residents to look around their yards to determine if there may be open areas and an opportunity to put in plant material. Planting to fill those areas void of plant material is encouraged when the temperatures cool and it is safe to install plants.

Right of Peaceful Enjoyment

This is a reminder to all residents in SRCA that hours for construction differ from that of the City of Scottsdale. The city has summer and winter hours for construction where SRCA has the same hour all year around. Please see the full rule below.

Standards for Construction and Exterior Appearance General Conditions Normal construction, routine landscaping and maintenance activities on a Lot or Parcel shall not be considered a nuisance or otherwise prohibited by this Declaration; however, normal construction, landscaping and maintenance activities which may interfere with the right of peaceful enjoyment of Neighboring Properties may only take place between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Sundays.

A clarification needs to be made for this rule and that is for emergencies. We recently were informed of a situation where a resident’s tree had fallen due to storm activity and was blocking the street. This happened on a Saturday night and the tree needed to be removed from the street. Sunday morning the resident was able to get a tree service out to deal with the tree, but it was before 10am. Allowance for emergencies must be made as this is not considered normal maintenance and landscape activity.

The Standard for Construction and Exterior Appearance can be found in the community CC&Rs on page 14 and in the Summary of Rules & Architectural Guidelines page 44.

Holiday Lights

It’s that time of year again!! There have been changes to our holiday lighting rules. As many residents have lights professionally installed around the holidays, the timeframe to place lights has changed from 30 days prior to the identified holiday to 45 days. However, the lights may not be illuminated more than 30 days before the identifiable holiday. Please see the full rule below.

Lights and decorations intended to celebrate an identifiable religious or cultural holiday are allowed to be temporarily placed without prior written approval from the Architectural Committee so long as the following standards are followed, as determined in the sole discretion of the Architectural Committee. Holiday

decorations and lights shall be of reasonable design and magnitude so as not to disrupt neighboring residences and property. Holiday lights and decorations may be installed no more than forty-five (45) days prior to the identified holiday; however, may not be illuminated until thirty (30) days prior to

the identified holiday. This lighting must be taken down within fifteen (15) days after that same holiday. Seasonal decorative flags must be house mounted below the roof line. Decorations must be maintained in good repair and not be allowed to encroach on neighboring properties. Decorations shall not contain offensive language. No amplified music or amplified sound devices where the music or sound can be heard from outside of the Lot is allowed. Furthermore, installation shall not take place prior to 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. Additionally, any blinking lights and music within displays shall not be left on after 10:00 p.m. each evening. Edison-style string lighting is not considered holiday lighting.

All community documents are available on the SRCA website. www.scottsdaleranch.org. Please contact the SRCA office with any questions or concerns regarding the community.