Actress goes to war with HOA over plan to install more gates to shut neighbors out of community
In an odd attempt to deter crime, an award-winning actress is battling to thwart a HOA plan to close the roads in her area.
Since relocating to their upscale Memphis, Tennessee, subdivision, Madeleine Stowe and her husband, actor Brian Benben, have had disagreements with their neighbors.
“By what right do they have to make this?” Stowe informed WMC, an NBC affiliate.
“These streets belong to you. My streets are them. They are funded by taxpayers.
Stowe is on the front lines of a conflict in Chickasaw Gardens, one of Memphis’ most desirable neighborhoods.
The star of Last of the Mohicans is opposing the HOAboard’s proposal to block access to their area in an attempt to deter criminal activity.
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According to the board’s application, limiting the number of entrances would “allow security to monitor the activity in the neighborhood going in and out.”
The plan’s opponents, however, think the action may discourage Memphis residents from using a public park located in the center of the community.
According to Stowe, the alteration is a covert attempt to make the area a gated community.
To defend other residents who disagree with restricted access, she and her spouse have engaged a lawyer.
During her interview, Stowe declared emphatically that the streets in her area are part of Memphis as a whole.
She claimed to be advocating on behalf of locals who utilize the public park but lack the time to make an appeal to the city council.
The celebrated actress from Short Cuts claims that only people with “wealth and influence” are allowed to attend city council sessions anytime they so like.
The HOA’s attempt to block off the two most used entrance points in the area was turned down by the Memphis Land Use Control Board in November 2023.
The drastic measure, according to city officials, was “not a sustainable remedy for crime prevention.”
Nonetheless, the board keeps bringing up the matter and reintroducing plans to lawmakers.
What is an HOA?
A homeowner’s association, or HOA, is present in the area where one in five Americans reside. However, what precisely do they do?
- An HOA is a homeowner’s association – an organization that aims to maintain a clean and cohesive place to live for its residents.
- Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within “a planned development” will often make up an HOA.
- They also act as a governing body for tenants, who run and fund the HOA through monthly fees.
- Their principal aims are to keep the community functioning and visually appealing and to maintain property values.
- They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools – but may also stipulate what residents can do with their properties, such as yards and driveways.
- Often these restrictions enforce uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring most houses look the same and all driveways are clear of weeds.
- An HOA rulebook of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
- Breaking these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation – as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
- HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restricting, or that the leadership has too much power.
- But others like that HOAs give communities the power of self-governance, and can ensure a degree of harmony between residents.
At the time the plan was first presented, several area residents were uneasy about it.
In 2023, resident Sarah Smith stated, “We need to be addressing the fact that we have a crime problem, and it’s not being dealt with effectively.”
“Why are we dealing with crime in Memphis by closing people out?”
Stowe now hopes to work with legal counsel to represent locals like Smith.
At a conference on Tuesday, she and her attorney were scheduled to present information that disproves the notion that the proposed gates will reduce crime in the neighborhood.
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Chickasaw Gardens has been contacted by The U.S. Sun for comment.
After another homeowner was fined $13,000 for storm damage, even though it occurred two years prior to the homeowner purchasing his home, the HOA drama ensued.
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