Hainesville: Park that hot tub elsewhere
Citing health and safety concerns, Hainesville officials say a homeowner has been ordered to remove a hot tub from a driveway that was the source of a complaint at a village board meeting this week.
Police Chief Wallace Frasier visited the house Thursday and issued a warning citation, along with the request to have the tub off the front drive by today. Mayor Linda Soto said the homeowner was expected to comply.
"It's a health and safety violation," Soto said. "Driveways are not meant to be storage areas."
Former trustee Deborah Lee Bonds brought concerns about overall home appearances in town and the hot tub to the village board Tuesday night. She called the driveway hot tub a nuisance and said it's not improving her attempt to sell her house.
Soto said part of the problem in the neighborhood, just south of Washington Street and Hainesville Road, is small lot sizes for single-family homes. She said the lots with two houses each originally were meant for duplexes in the Settlement development.
With little backyard space, residents sometimes set up shop with patio furniture or other items in the front of their homes.
"I've always had more challenges with the homeowners because of (small lots)," Soto said.
Meanwhile, the Hainesville village board this week approved an ordinance amendment allowing officials to seek priority liens to secure repayment when public money is spent on services for removal of neglected grass, weeds, trees and shrubs at vacant properties.
Village Attorney James Rock said the priority lien designation for towns came from a new state law. He said municipalities will be higher in the pecking order for payment from a property owner with a priority lien as opposed to a conventional lien.
Rock said the village will have "a little more teeth" when seeking repayment to take care of vacant properties. Soto said most of the problem lots are foreclosures.
<div class="infoBox">
<h1>More Coverage</h1>
<div class="infoBoxContent">
<div class="infoArea">
<h2>Stories</h2>
<ul class="links">
<li><a href="/story/?id=386869">Front-yard junk worries Hainesville officials <span class="date">[06/10/10]</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>