I will readily admit that I like having tidy neighbors. I fully agree that junk and yard clutter decrease the value of property resale.
I am also happy to hear that Virginia is considering a law to overrule the local POA’s policy against hanging one’s clothes to dry outside.
There are over 300,000 Property Owner’s Associations in the US and many of them have adopted a policy to disallow clotheslines.
I initially thought this to be a good thing, but as my understanding of environmental impact and cost savings has grown, I’ve changed my ideology. I think that homeowner rights and efforts to decrease utility costs out weigh the Property Owner’s Association rationale for policing how a homeowner dries their clothes.
According to the New York Times article “Debate Follows Bills to Remove Clotheslines Bans” many states have already taken away the POA’s right to ban outside drying and Virginia is among others that are moving that direction. The article points out that clothes dryers account for about 6% of the normal household’s total electric bill.
I think there is a compromise. I don’t wish to see my neighbor’s underwear dangling in the wind for days at a time, so perhaps clothes drying could be contained to daylight hours, etc…
The world is changing, many homeowners find solace in their ability to take actions that will help the environment and will continue to fight for those rights. Admittedly I find that there is an generational barrier to this issue. Those of the Baby Boomer and Silent generation are not thrilled with the ideology of the predominantly Generation X and Y, that would rather sacrifice a small bit of ascetics for a better earth. I happen to think the POA policies against solar energy collectors will be the next article up for grabs.
Mindset and beliefs will be challenged as Generation X and Y become more active in “making the sausage”. POA committees that have predominantly been made up of older generations may start finding some new challengers.
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Our last Land’Or newsletter asked us to be courteous and remove clothes from the line promptly, or something like that. I got a clothesline last year. I’ve pretty much left it up since then and never gotten a complaint — and it was visible when we were cited for tall grass. But I don’t leave anything dangling in the wind for days at a time.
I thought you could not use a clothesline at all in Land’or… Interesting. I also thought it was funny that a community with a beach and a pool did not let you have a clothesline to dry those swim items.