View Full Version : HOA fight over WWII Tank
Wathen1955
10-04-2017, 5:37pm
HOA fight over WWII tank | khou.com (http://www.khou.com/news/local/hoa-fight-over-wwii-tank-/479844202?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=59d0927904d3013c0d6da927&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter)
boracayjohnny
10-04-2017, 5:48pm
HOA, a place for Mrs Cravitts to enforce her nosy ass, good for nothing ways.
MrPeabody
10-04-2017, 6:12pm
It depends on if that particular HOA owns and maintains the streets, or are they public streets owned by the city or county. If it's the latter, it's the police that will handle it. And it's bullshit that it's too heavy/big to remove. I've seen pieces of heavy equipment bigger than that on flatbed trucks going down the highway with pilot cars as a wide load. The towing bill he would have to pay would be four or five figures.
Ok the guy has the tank in the road, taking up a lane of driving.
Sorry buddy but you gotta move that thing.
Now if everyone likes it, and the guy is willing to spend $600,000 on it, then why not have the HOA and the owner work together to find a spot where everyone can enjoy it, safely.
Being in a public street is not safe and as soon as one person is injured the tank owner (an attorney) is going to enjoy a nice, fat lawsuit. :yesnod:
And the guy sounds like an arrogant prick and there's no short supply of those in any neighborhood.
Last time I checked, parking on the street is legal, even in tony River Oaks. There might be some kind of issue if the tank doesn't have a valid license plate, though. Perhaps he just needs to attach a slow moving equipment reflective triangle on the back to get around that. Not sure what city ordinance says about machinery parked on the road.
It depends on if that particular HOA owns and maintains the streets, or are they public streets owned by the city or county. If it's the latter, it's the police that will handle it. And it's bullshit that it's too heavy/big to remove. I've seen pieces of heavy equipment bigger than that on flatbed trucks going down the highway with pilot cars as a wide load. The towing bill he would have to pay would be four or five figures.
Those are public streets, even though that's the wealthiest area of Houston. I'm sure they would love to make them private and put up gates and guard shacks. The subdivision has their own private security patrol. Many subdivisions out in the county do the same thing, but it's rare to see private security patrols in the city.
MrPeabody
10-04-2017, 6:16pm
Last time I checked, parking on the street is legal, even in tony River Oaks. There might be some kind of issue if the tank doesn't have a valid license plate, though. Perhaps he just needs to attach a slow moving equipment reflective triangle on the back to get around that. Not sure what city ordinance says about machinery parked on the road.
If they are public streets the only way you park there in California is if it's a registered vehicle, or if you have a special permit which is what they do for some construction equipment if it has to be in the street for a certain amount of time.
Ok the guy has the tank in the road, taking up a lane of driving.
Sorry buddy but you gotta move that thing.
Now if everyone likes it, and the guy is willing to spend $600,000 on it, then why not have the HOA and the owner work together to find a spot where everyone can enjoy it, safely.
Being in a public street is not safe and as soon as one person is injured the tank owner (an attorney) is going to enjoy a nice, fat lawsuit. :yesnod:
And the guy sounds like an arrogant prick and there's no short supply of those in any neighborhood.
If that was me, I'd mat it onto my front yard and just park it there, on my private property. I'm willing to bet the deed restrictions don't prohibit tanks.
If they are public streets the only way you park there in California is if it's a registered vehicle, or if you have a special permit which is what they do for some construction equipment if it has to be in the street for a certain amount of time.
Well, technically, the tank is actually DESTRUCTION equipment, so......
MrPeabody
10-04-2017, 6:27pm
If that was me, I'd mat it onto my front yard and just park it there, on my private property. I'm willing to bet the deed restrictions don't prohibit tanks.
They could always just call it an RV. Most HOAs have rules about the parking/storage of an RV.:D
Thunder22
10-04-2017, 6:46pm
I sent the link to our property manager with the message:
I'm thinking of getting one too, can i have a parking permit please?"
she just laughed and said "go ahead, try it" lol
1. It is not street legal.
2. It is not being used as a vehicle or moving
3. It is impeding traffic flow
4. It is a safety hazard since he is letting people climb on/around while parked in the street.
It's really simple, he's a lawyer and trying to use "patriotism" to get his way. Plain and simple. And he's being a douche about it. :yesnod:
Like I said, he could easily try to work WITH the HOA to find a safer place for this. Instead he wants to flex his ego and keep the tank where it is. If the stated violations are in the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) then he likely has the following options:
1. Violate them and not care (action he's taking now)
2. Ask for an exception to the rules in violation
3. Follow the rules you agreed to follow when you bought your house
Funny people bitch, moan and complain about illegals not following the rules but guys like this douche flaunt not following the rules/laws and people come to his defense because "patriotism". :rolleyes:
I'm just enjoying the irony of rich folks who feel their money will let them avoid the problems of the plebes, having problems anyway.
I used to think the same thing till I got on my neighborhood's board.
It's not nearly as much of that as I once thought.
YMMV.
For what purpose does your HOA exist?
1. It is not street legal.
2. It is not being used as a vehicle or moving
3. It is impeding traffic flow
4. It is a safety hazard since he is letting people climb on/around while parked in the street.
It's really simple, he's a lawyer and trying to use "patriotism" to get his way. Plain and simple. And he's being a douche about it. :yesnod:
Like I said, he could easily try to work WITH the HOA to find a safer place for this. Instead he wants to flex his ego and keep the tank where it is. If the stated violations are in the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) then he likely has the following options:
1. Violate them and not care (action he's taking now)
2. Ask for an exception to the rules in violation
3. Follow the rules you agreed to follow when you bought your house
Funny people bitch, moan and complain about illegals not following the rules but guys like this douche flaunt not following the rules/laws and people come to his defense because "patriotism". :rolleyes:
If the HOA has no jurisdiction over the public street, he doesn't have to do a thing with the HOA, and can rightfully tell them to piss off.
The city/county is another matter though.
4. It is a safety hazard since he is letting people climb on/around while parked in the street.
The tank's owner is a trial lawyer. Maybe I'll go climb on, and fall off that tank, then sue him for millions. Attractive nuisance. Deep pockets.
JRD77VET
10-04-2017, 8:07pm
It's going to the tank owner's ranch in a couple weeks. The HOA is trying to show him they are in charge and he's telling them to piss up a rope.
I'd bet a dollar the HOA gave him a hard time about something in the past and he's just being a thorn in their side.
Sure he CAN do that but it's probably not the best idea.
Like the football players CAN take a knee. Just not a great idea to do so.
Yeah I'd like to see billy bazz tank owner pull the same "screw you I'll move it when I want to" attitude with the city/county/state. Come on tough guy, go for it! :funnier:
He made his fortune suing BP after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, and he was wealthy before that. He's got the deep pockets and the legal know how to put up a time consuming fight. He also represented Rick Perry against the BS charges made against Perry.
He's got $ 600,000 to spend on a tank, I'm sure wasting time on a legal battle with the city of Houston or Harris County would just be an entertainment expense for him.
OddBall
10-04-2017, 10:50pm
It's going to the tank owner's ranch in a couple weeks. The HOA is trying to show him they are in charge and he's telling them to piss up a rope.
I'd bet a dollar the HOA gave him a hard time about something in the past and he's just being a thorn in their side.
:iagree: He can legal tap-dance them for two weeks.
If it's a public road, the city/county may be able to act more directly. But he's probably already done the research on that.
Sure he CAN do that but it's probably not the best idea.
Like the football players CAN take a knee. Just not a great idea to do so.
Yeah I'd like to see billy bazz tank owner pull the same "screw you I'll move it when I want to" attitude with the city/county/state. Come on tough guy, go for it! :funnier:
Not a great idea why?
When he bought his house, he agreed to the deed restrictions that were attached. Nothing more. That the HOA is trying to overstep their bounds should be no concern of his.
Worst that can happen is that the HOA starts nit-picking anything pertaining to him that they DO have authority over. Not good for the HOA if they selectively target him for violations that are present elsewhere because they have their panties in a wad over his tank. That could get expensive for the HOA in a hurry if he slaps a discrimination suit on them.
boracayjohnny
10-05-2017, 7:58am
My previous post was not exactly correct. The HOA can also be the place for Mrs Cravitts husband. Et tu, Tx Ag? :D
mrvette
10-05-2017, 8:18am
I swear the following is true, but for substantiation you would have to contact my ex.....not happening....this happened long about '79 or so.....
we living in a townhouse community on a hillside, basements had sliding glass doors to the back lawns....out front is parking for two cars, right off the street, out in the weather.....each block had about a dozen homes, with some 60' of lawn in between structures/rows.....obviously we had a HOA, used to give me crap about our sailboat mast over hanging the sidewalk in front of our house....BUT at any rate, that 60' of grass area was used as a pet crap area dawgs on leashes, but CATS were allowed to roam per county rules.....
the guys on the two end units on each side decided to take over the grass for their kids to play ball on, football or soccer....anyway they did not want dawg or cat crap all over the lawn....so they pitched a bitch with flyers, and most of the folks paid it never mind....BUT the cats of course continued to use it as a crap/piss area.....
folks next door had a cat they let out front, our cats ran out the back when I removed the fixed glass and put in a cat door......SO one Saturday the parents of the kids gathered on their side around the lawn and were angry about all the cat crap....so they standing around talking, and the pet owners got on OUR side of the street....I set on the front stoop just watching, as some of the kid's parents looking like they wanted a brawl.....:dance::issues:
The couple next door let their cat out as per usual, cat bolts out from our crowd, as if on cue/well trained/fat chance, runs directly across the street, straight up the middle of the disputed lawn, stops and lays a large turd, and takes off for the tree line in back.......right in front of everyone, it was SO krazy WE pet owners just cracked up laughing, and even 1/2 the other side was laughing their asses off too......the 2 guys on the end units were trying to keep straight faces though...which made it even funnier.....
:lol::lol::lol::lol::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::issues:
OddBall
10-05-2017, 10:02am
Well, all-in-all, I think that the HOA would be well advised to realize who has a tank at their disposal and who doesn't.
:funny:
Iron Chef
10-05-2017, 10:26am
I think Chef might be either dropping his jaw or laughing his arse off at my responses. :funny:
Your skills have improved, young Padawan. :rofl:
Not a great idea why?
When he bought his house, he agreed to the deed restrictions that were attached. Nothing more. That the HOA is trying to overstep their bounds should be no concern of his.
It's been quite a few years since I've been the HOA Fuhrer, but from what I can recall, if the streets are public, the HOA can't really do much as it falls under the jurisdiction of the city. I'm actually surprised that the city hasn't gotten involved to this point as I'm sure there are a myriad of regulations against parking an army battle tank on a public road.
That said, you're always going to have a handful of obstinate, cantankerous bastards who feel that they are somehow special and not subject to the rules everyone else has to follow, with no regard for how it affects others.
boracayjohnny
10-05-2017, 11:02am
:Jeff '79::leaving:
:Jeff '79::Jeff '79:
Assuming that old thing can run and fire. :D
Even if it doesn't fire or is out of ammo, think of how many Mercedes' can be run over by that thing. Oh, and the lawn jockeys....won't someone think about the poor lawn jockeys that will be crushed by this tank?
Clearly, we need common sense tank control laws now!
mrvette
10-05-2017, 1:25pm
Even if it doesn't fire or is out of ammo, think of how many Mercedes' can be run over by that thing. Oh, and the lawn jockeys....won't someone think about the poor lawn jockeys that will be crushed by this tank?
Clearly, we need common sense tank control laws now!
Who is at the controls in that tank????
:issues:
Honestly, if it's anything like my HOA, he could get away with this for up to three to four months.
Usually three letters are sent before things start to get "interesting".
Each of those is a monthly letter.
Many residents know this and play the game with the HOA.
Example: We have a rule about no travel trailers in the driveway.
However, during the summer some folks put them there, for what ever reason.
Usually a "courtesy" letter is sent to the home owner just a gentle reminder that we can't do that. At least without permission. If they would like to request permission please contact the board/management company.
If the home owner continues to "spit in the eye" of the HOA, a letter is sent each month. Most of the board members likely know the routine but the "game" has to be played.
So each month a bit more stern letter is sent out until finally a certified letter is sent (which could be charged to the home owner the next year on their dues) that if the issue is not resolved then the matter will be turned over to the HOA attorney to handle.
At that point 99% of the time the home owner either resolves the issue or reaches out to the board to reach an amicable solution. All parties work together to fix the issue the overwhelming majority of the time. :yesnod:
It's usually in the cases of a belligerent home owner, who just want to "stick it" to the HOA that things get to a legal standpoint. I can imagine situations like that are even worse as the neighborhood is more affluent.
This guy sounds like he's doing this just to "prove a point" (or be a d-bag, probably both). The letter he got, based on all the information, is likely just a courtesy letter about the tank. Is it within the HOA's rules of enforcement? I'm not too entirely sure as I don't know their CC&R's or boundaries. I can say where I live we have some CC&R's that aren't really enforceable (ex: parking on the street, no soliciting) but so far as I've been on the board do not send out letters on those.
What does happen is an email maybe sent out regarding an issue (say street parking) noting it's much safer and helps traffic flow better when there are no cars parked in the street. Again, the vast majority of the time home owners respond positively to that and the issue is over.
I was very anti-HOA for the longest time till I actually started going to the meeting and joined the board. Sure it's unpaid, can be unnecessarily stressful and there are some people who need to not be there BUT if you live in an HOA community I recommend going to some meetings. Let the board at least think you are interested and get to know them. Just doing that alone can buy you some brownie points. :yesnod:
Sounds like you need a faster process.
My old HOA would give a friendly letter with a 10-day notice to comply. Then fines start with the second notice. It was still too damn slow. Literally took all summer to address the unmowed lawn of a guy who must have gone off his meds. Once someone made it to "step 3" (or whatever it was) we would jump right to the notice/fines if they repeated the offense.
Being on the HOA board for 10+ years really turned me off to the whole concept of HOAs. Aside from maintenance and insurance on commonly-owned property, I see little use for them.
Last time I checked, parking on the street is legal, even in tony River Oaks. There might be some kind of issue if the tank doesn't have a valid license plate, though. Perhaps he just needs to attach a slow moving equipment reflective triangle on the back to get around that. Not sure what city ordinance says about machinery parked on the road.
If the HOA owns and maintains the roads it's up to their rules. Inn the two HOA's I laved in you could not park a car in the street after a certain time. Nor could you park certain vehicle in your driveway over night.
I like the tank. The guy is an asshole. He has a ranch. Why is the tank in the street or at the ran ch or in storage?
OddBall
10-05-2017, 5:19pm
Assuming that old thing can run and fire. :D
Even if it doesn't fire or is out of ammo, think of how many Mercedes' can be run over by that thing. Oh, and the lawn jockeys....won't someone think about the poor lawn jockeys that will be crushed by this tank?
Clearly, we need common sense tank control laws now!
Just sayin'; a 30 ton tank brings a lot of weight to one's argument.
( pun intended :D )
JRD77VET
10-05-2017, 9:01pm
I'm willing to say he's a d-hole resident who has been a douche to the HOA.
Likely received letter for minor things and now is purposefully doing this just out of spite.
I mean honestly, who do you think called the news? Highly likely wasn't the HOA or someone driving by taking pictures.
Most folks in an HOA neighborhood live by the CC&R's, which most of the time are just common sense things people would do to keep the neighborhood looking nice for everyone.
Then you have some d-bags who want to ice skate up-hill and cause trouble. Based on my short time on the board of my neighborhood, I'm leaning to this guy being a d-bag.
I do concede it's entirely plausible both the HOA (or some board members) and the tank lawyer are all d-bags and in a huge pissing content that just went public. :yesnod:
:iagree:
Somebody else could have called in the tank to the news just because it's cool. But he could be tooting his own horn too.
The d bags angle is probably spot on :lol:
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.