Opinion ID: 1694303
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: the property owners association

Text: Every person or entity who owns any site, including a builder, shall be a member of the Village of Woodgreen Property Owners Association and shall abide by its Articles of Incorporation and bylaws. Membership shall be appurtenant to and may not be separated from ownership of any site. The Village of Woodgreen Property Owners Association shall be governed by its Articles of Incorporation and bylaws. Article VI of the restrictive covenants is reiterated verbatim in the bylaws of the Village of Woodgreen Property Owners Association. On February 21, 1993, approximately one month before she purchased the lot, Goode submitted a set of house plans for approval to the Committee of the Association. This set of plans, dated March 1983, had been previously approved for construction in the Sherlock subdivision in the Village of Woodgreen. Sherlock subdivision is composed entirely of contemporary style homes, while Victoria Square, the subdivision where Goode's house is located, consists of only Victorian styled houses. According to Roger Dennis, property manager for the Association and chairman of the Committee, this first set of plans was rejected by the Committee, and Goode was asked to get a set of Victorian plans or to have the home redesigned with a steeper roof pitch and higher elevations and to make the house a Victorian style house and resubmit the plans. Also, Dennis testified that at that first meeting, Paul Crimm, Goode's builder and supervisor for the construction of her home, assured the Committee that he would modify the roof line and do other things to change the house to a Victorian style. Doug Thornton, architectural consultant for the Committee, testified that the first set of plans was rejected by the Committee because the elevation of the house had to be increased to fit the architectural scheme of Victoria Square and the foundation was inadequate to give the house stability. Minutes of the February 21, 1993, meeting indicate that Goode was asked to have the elevations redrawn to a Victorian style and also to have the foundation redrawn to provide stronger support for the house. Goode indicated that she was only asked to incorporate a new foundation plan. Goode had the plans redrawn and had Wayne Caldwell, her uncle and a civil engineer, redraw the foundation. At a Committee meeting held on March 30, 1993, Goode submitted the new set of plans redrawn as the first three sheets attached on top of the old plan. The new plans included the foundation sketch dated March 30, 1993, and stapled onto page 1, and new elevations demonstrating a steeper 10 to 12 roof pitch on the roof line of the garage and of the main part of the house, instead of the 8 to 12 roof pitch that was drawn on the original set of plans. Pages 1 through 3 of Goode's plan submitted on this occasion were dated March 15, 1993, while the remaining pages (4 through 11) of that plan were dated August 1983. Goode testified that she did not notice the roof pitch changes on the newer plans which she had redrawn. On March 30, 1993, the Committee approved Goode's building plan which had three pages dated March 15, 1993, attached on the front of the old plan. Minutes of the meeting held on March 30, 1993, verified that the elevations had been redrawn to Victorian style and that the foundation was now adequate. Dennis testified that there could be no confusion as to which plans were approved because Goode and Crimm were the ones who attached the new plan to the old plan. On March 31, 1993, Crimm applied to the City of Madison, Mississippi for a building permit for construction of Goode's house. Crimm subsequently submitted the plan approved by the Committee to Madison. The plan was approved by Madison, and a building permit was issued by Madison on or around April 2, 1993. Construction on Goode's house began during the first part of April 1993. Although the exact date was not known, Dennis testified that framing began on Goode's house on a Monday and was essentially completed by Saturday of the same week. During the weekend that framing was completed, two residents of Victoria Square and one member of the Committee contacted Dennis and told him that Goode's house had the wrong roof on it. Dennis went to the house the following Monday morning where he saw a crew working on the roof. He then located Crimm at the site of another house and told Crimm that the roof pitch on Goode's house was wrong and would have to be changed. At that point, Dennis indicated that only the decking was on the roof and that when he saw the house again on Wednesday, shingles were on the roof and it was basically complete. Goode testified that the roof, including shingles, was completed on May 22, 1993. On the day that Dennis confronted Crimm about the roof, Dennis told Crimm that Crimm needed to come to a meeting that afternoon with the Association. The meeting was held on June 1, 1993, according to Goode. Crimm informed Goode and both of them went to the meeting that afternoon where Crimm stated that he had already finished the roof and could not change the pitch and would refrain from building for a week or two weeks. During the meeting, Goode was told that the roof was not high enough and should be corrected. On June 14, 1993, Goode, accompanied by her house designer, went to another meeting with the Committee. Crimm testified that at this meeting, Goode had her designer make some sketches of what could be done to the house to bring it into harmony with the other houses in Victoria Square and that the architect on the Committee stated that he would recommend acceptance if all of the proposed changes were made. Minutes from the meeting indicate that Goode proposed changes to bring the house up to acceptable standards and was asked to produce to scale drawings for future consideration. Following that meeting, Crimm testified that Goode told him about what was proposed at the meeting and the reaction of the Committee, to which Crimm replied, Okay, we'll go ahead and finish it then. Crimm continued building. On June 21, 1993, Goode met once again with the Committee to submit her proposed changes to the plan. Minutes from that meeting indicate that the Committee reviewed the changes that were proposed to correct the builder's mistakes, and the changes were not approved. Yet, Crimm continued to build the house. On July 2, 1993, Dennis wrote a letter to the city of Madison indicating the discrepancy between the house as built and the plans approved. The next day, July 3, 1993, a stop work order was issued by the Director of the Department of Public Works to Happy Homes, Inc. (owned by the builder, Crimm) directing that Crimm cease construction of Goode's house in order to give the city authorities time to evaluate the house and its deviation from the approved plans. On July 16, 1993, the Association filed suit against Goode and Crimm, d/b/a Happy Homes, Inc., in the Chancery Court of Madison County, Mississippi, seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent further construction on the house. On July 22, 1993, the Association filed suit against the appellants seeking a preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction to enjoin the appellants from continuing the construction of the house until they comply with the plans as approved by the Committee. The hearing on the request for a preliminary injunction was held on July 26, 1993. After hearing testimony, the trial court denied the request for a temporary restraining order. Crimm and Goode contested the stop work order before the Mayor and Board of Aldermen for the City of Madison. After investigation and inspection of the house by the City, the stop work order was confirmed and ratified by that order dated August 11, 1993. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen for the City of Madison found that the house as constructed substantially deviated from the plans approved by the City and that the stop work order should remain in effect until the house is brought into compliance with the approved plans, specifically including but not limited to a 10:12 roof pitch. Goode appealed the decision of Madison concerning the stop work order to the Circuit Court of Madison County, Mississippi. By agreement of the parties, that action has been abated until this Court renders its decision in the present case. On November 17, 1993, a hearing regarding the permanent injunction was held, and after hearing testimony in this action, the trial court granted a permanent injunction. The permanent injunction prevented Goode and Crimm from conducting any further construction on Lot 16 until they complied with the protective covenants of the subdivision, including getting the approval of the Committee on plans submitted to correct the builder's mistakes.