Another community development district in The Villages is initiating a divorce from the Architectural Review Committee.
The end of another long marriage comes with the usual complaints: a lack of interest and a lack of ability.
The latest dissolution petition comes from Community Development District 4, which has struggled to find residents willing to serve on the all-volunteer board. The committee meets for several hours each Wednesday to review applications for home additions, patio improvements, driveway enhancements and landscaping projects.
CDD 4 Board Chairman Cliff Wiener previously served for years as the ARC chairman. He said his presence at last week’s ARC meeting headed off a potential disaster.
“Had I not been there, there would have been a major blunder,” Wiener said, indicating that he stepped in and prevented the ARC from making a irreversible ruling. It was the last straw for him.
“We need someone to look out for the residents of District 4,” said Wiener, a resident of the Village of Piedmont.
His comments seemed to echo remarks made earlier this year by fellow ARC alum Mike Miller, now a Community Development District 1 supervisor. Miller’s remarks about a marked decline in the ARC’s professionalism ignited CDD 1’s divorce from the committee.
Community Development District 6 previously quit the ARC.
The departing CDDs are now working with a paid professional, specifically an engineer who reviews the applications. Community Development District 11 in the Fruitland Park section of The Villages is using a hearing officer, as are the CDDs south of State Road 44.
Community Development District 3 supervisors recently broached the subject but expressed their determination to stick with the ARC.