Bella Vista property rules don't make sense

Bella Vista property rules don't make sense

We bought a home in Bella Vista three years ago, followed the rules and got permits from the city and the Property Owners Association for everything we did to the house. From day one, we parked our truck beside the driveway on the decorative gravel parking space so as not to block the cars in the garage. Never once did any of the inspectors comment on the truck being parked on inappropriate gravel.

Now three years later, we are being threatened with fines if we don't park on the driveway or remove the decorative gravel and replace it with ugly driveway gravel. According to the notice hung on the door, this is supposed to improve property values. Really! Ugly driveway gravel will reduce property value and curb appeal. Duh! Only in Bella Vista!

Since it has been three years of parking in the same place without anyone complaining, we assumed that like the rest of the USA that grants "grandfathered in" status, we would request and be granted one. No, the city of Bella Vista says -- "We don't grant those," accompanied by a cheap excuse that would apply to anywhere in the USA where they are granted.

After pulling up the Bella Vista Municipal code online, we ask ourselves how they can pick and choose which rules to enforce. Our favorite is "No parking on the street all night." At 5 a.m., you can drive around and see the same cars parked on the streets night after night. Why is this code not enforced? Obviously, because they don't work at night. So why have a code that will not be enforced? There is no viable excuse for selective enforcement/discrimination, nor is there for refusal to grant "grandfathering in."

They don't want to accept that "We the people" pay their salaries and they are supposed to be civil servants who work with the citizens, not against them. Unyielding, refusal to accommodate and always having an excuse is not professional or productive behavior. Any lawyer can take an excuse and restate it in what appears to be a reasonable explanation, but it will still lack common sense.

This code Chapter 26, Article 2, Sec 26-36 (d) needs to be revised to allow "grandfathering in" and be addressed on a case-by-case basis. We observed that most of the codes are reasonable and productive; a few, such as the one we are addressing, needs revision. Revision is pointless without instructions to Community Development to actually employ common sense and leniency. Unlike ruling with an iron fist and refusing accommodations, this approach would go a long way toward making the enforcement of codes appear more civil.

Sadly the beautiful city of Bella Vista enjoys the dubious honor of being considered "the most over-regulated city in Northwest Arkansas." Is this the reputation we want for Bella Vista?

Denia and Douglas Taylor

Bella Vista