Community Development District 1 is considering leaving the Architectural Review Committee.
The purpose of the ARC is to maintain the high quality and consistency of the aesthetics and design of the residences and home sites found throughout The Villages.
The all-volunteer board of residents meets for several hours each Wednesday, reviewing applications for additions, patio improvements, driveway enhancements and landscaping projects.
A few years ago, the District Government introduced the option of using a trained hearing officer to review applications on behalf of the CDDs, rather than relying on the ARC board.
CDD 1 members agreed this past week to look into the possibility of shifting the responsibility to the hearing officer.
Supervisor Mike Miller, who previously represented CDD 1 on the ARC, said there has been a marked decline in the professionalism of the volunteer board.
“There are some individuals who maybe should not have been appointed. I am hearing that some of the good members are considering resigning, because of the lack of professionalism of some of the members,” Miller said.
Recruiting volunteers for the ARC has been a challenge for several years. The meetings are long and cumbersome and they are held at Brownwood, which is a hike for ARC representatives from the northern section of The Villages. When screening applicants, CDD supervisors generally look for some background in construction or planning, but those types of applicants have been getting harder to find.
And the responsibility of being an ARC member is getting more challenging as the types of additions and alterations being sought by residents have been growing more complex and sophisticated.
“We probably had a 10-page ARC manual in the beginning and we have a 50-page ARC manual today,” said Deputy District Manager Carrie Duckett.
The Community Development District 6 Board of Supervisors could not find a volunteer and recently switched to the ARC hearing officer. Community Development District 11 in the Fruitland Park section of The Villages is using the hearing officer. CDDs south of State Road 44 are also using the hearing officer.