A Villager said “Oops” after painting her driveway bright baby blue.
The home of Ellen Holtsberg at 285 Emmalee Place in the Emmalee Villas in the Village of Mallory Square was the subject of a public hearing Friday morning before the Community Development District 6 Board of Supervisors at SeaBreeze Recreation Center.
Holtsberg, who purchased the patio villa in 2021 for $215,000, did not seek approval from the Architectural Review Committee, before painting her driveway.
“I knew a resident must seek approval for major changes or building projects, I did not realize painting one’s driveway needed approval from anyone. So, there’s the ‘Oops!’” she wrote in a letter to the ARC when she sought retroactive approval for the paint job.
Holtsberg also took exception to the idea that she was out of compliance with the driveway, and quoted the ARC manual.
“Really, only one line applies to my case, page 9 under Patio Villa point #2: Driveway and walkways may be painted only colors that are harmonious to the home … hot, electric, neon or bright colors are not permitted. To my eyes, those four adjectives are easy to envision. My driveway color is none of those,” she said.
Holtsberg continued to submit applications to the ARC to try to win approval for her driveway, but was unsuccessful. Ultimately she repainted the driveway, but left the tips of the apron blue. She remained out of compliance at the time of Friday morning’s hearing. The CDD 6 board gave her 45 days to paint the driveway, returning it to its original color. If she fails to do so, she will face $50 daily fines.
Driveway colors have been a hot topic in The Villages since May 12, when Community Development District 1 Supervisor Judy Biebesheimer held up a photo of a home with a bright red driveway and said that it looked like it belonged in “a trailer park.” Community Development District 10 Supervisor Steve Bova followed up on the driveway debate on Thursday and said he wants CDD 10 to update its ARC manual to try to head off these types of paint jobs.
