By Fiaz Sindhu
DCCOA ARB Liaison
Deercreek is one of the most prestigious and picturesque neighborhoods in North Florida. One of the functions that help keep Deercreek looking great is the Architectural Review Board (“ARB”). The mission of the ARB is to “protect the value of the property and desirability of Deercreek Country Club by maintaining tasteful and aesthetically pleasing architectural and landscape designs that are in harmony with their surroundings and consistent in overall quality while allowing for each owner’s taste.”
How does the ARB come into play in helping keep Deercreek beautiful? If you are doing any exterior modification to your home or landscape, you must file an ARB application through our property management company. The ARB applications and guidelines are available on the Deercreekcc.comwebsite or our property manager’s Building Coordinator, Mr. Herb Boyett. The ARB reviews every type of project ranging from new home construction to pavers, pools, solar panel installation, removal, or planting of trees – anything that results in an exterior home or landscape modification. The DCCOA is over 30 years old, and as the community is nearly 100% built-out, we don’t see too many new home construction projects these days, so the mix of projects people are doing is different from where 15 or 20 years ago. Given our community’s construction maturity, most of the projects the ARB sees these days are related to an existing home or landscape modifications.
ARB costs are now virtually a passthrough cost for DCCOA, and they cover our agent’s processing costs only and do not generate any profit for the HOA. ARB Guidelines and application materials are available on the website.
The ARB meets once per month (1st Wednesday of each month), and applications are due to the property manager the week prior (by 2 pm the last Wednesday of the month, for the property manager to process the application). The property management company will review the application against our documented guidelines, collate the necessary application documentation, and apply to the Deercreek ARB for review. The ARB will either vote to approve or deny the application based on the DCCOA ARB guidelines. If a Member is not happy with the ARB’s decision on their application, the Covenants do provide them the ability to appeal the ARB’s decision directly to the BOD.
Please note that executing an exterior modification project without making an ARB application will have very dire consequences based on our Covenants, Rules & Regulations. The spot fine for an unauthorized ARB project is $250, ranging up to $1000 if an application is not filed in response to the request in the spot fine. Additionally, residents could be asked to undo unauthorized projects at their own expense per the Covenants. These rules are in place to prevent people from doing exterior modification projects without ARB review and approval. It pays to follow our rules and covenants – please make sure to file your application before starting your project.
If you have any questions about making an ARB application or the ARB in general, please reach out to one of our other ARB Team Members.