Lake Mead – Photo Credit: LATimes.com
We all know that we have water issues looming not just in Scottsdale but also in all of Arizona. It is a topic that has deservedly gotten a lot of attention from us here at the Arizona Progress Gazette. But what if I told you that it’s not all doom and gloom?
That’s not to say that it’s not serious and trending downward, but even the darkest clouds often contain silver linings, and this one is not an exception, even if it might be a faint silver lining. . In this case, it means less green grass but more green currency.
The Scottsdale City Council recently announced that they were outlawing mandatory overseeding in the city along with other rules related to making for a beautiful lush lawn. These sometimes onerous rules from HOAs are obviously designed to increase property values but are increasingly becoming antiquated and silly considering our current water crisis.
So for those who have privately or publicly griped about your HOA, their silly rules and sometimes overexuberant enforcement, and what they cost you as a homeowner, rejoice! You are now no longer under the (no longer green) thumb of your HOA overlords in this scenario. This will likely save individual homeowners considerable money on both seeds and water, as well as money spent on landscapers or time spent for the DIYers out there.
While some HOAs have gotten ahead on this (wise and forward-thinking either politically, socially, or both), others will no doubt be irked by this. But I’m not sure that anyone will cry tears for them. The headlines regarding Lake Mead and the Colorado River have been dire and frequent, and only the most spoiled and self-serving will recognize a perfectly manicured green lawn as being a critical component of Arizona life at this point.
So while we will not underemphasize how dire our water issues are, it’s always best to look for some positives. And we believe that many homeowners will greatly appreciate that their HOAs will have fewer teeth and less power than before. Even with a negative macro situation, we can still celebrate the micro wins.