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Country Club Estates

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Entrance Sign

Other sub-divisions have entrance signs and it appears that many of you want one, too. While it may be difficult to qualify with the Michigan Registry of Historical Homes, we can install one similar to it. We are proposing installing one or two signs --- Where do you think they should be located? A draft of the two-sided sign is attached. Also, please advise Al Rice, or any of the other Board members, if you know the name of the architect who designed your home.

A section is also available called "Architects."  The section includes a directory with Name, Address, and Architect.  We have heard from some of the subdivision residents regarding their architects, but are looking for more responses.  Please forward the information for your home so others can share the history of your architect.

Golfcrest Country Club Sub-Division
Entrance Sign 1st Side Proposal

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Golfcrest Country Club Sub-Division
Entrance Sign 2nd Side Proposal

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Deed Restrictions

DECLARATION OF RESTRICTIONS
COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES

THE UNDERSIGNED, LEYS R. RITENOUR, IRVING F. IM’OBERSTAG and NATHAN KING, BEING THE OWNERS, as joint tenants with right of survivorship, and not tenants in common, of property located in the City of Dearborn, County of Wayne and State of Michigan, which said described land comprises all of the lots in a purposed sub-division to be known as Country Club Estates Sub-division, hereby declare that the following restrictions constitute a general plan for the development of said sub-division, and all future conveyances of any part thereof shall be subject thereto.

Such restrictions shall run with the land be effective until January 1, 2009, and may be extended for additional periods thereafter, in each case by recording, prior to said date or to the expiration date of any extension thereof, an agreement to that effect signed by the owners of at least 60% of the area of land in said sub-division, exclusive of land occupied for highways, governmental or school purposes.

Invalidation of any one of these covenants by judgment or court order shall in no way effect any of the other provisions which shall remain in full force and effect.

1. All lots in the track shall be known and described and used as residential lots and no structures shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any residential building plot other than one detached single-family dwelling not to exceed two stories in height and a private garage for not more than three cars.

2. No building shall be erected, placed or altered on any building plot in this sub-division until the building plans, specifications and plot plan showing the location of such building have been approved in writing as to conformity and harmony of external design with existing structures in the sub-division and as to location of the building with respect to topography and finished ground elevation by Leys R. Ritenour, or someone designated by himself, Irving F. Im’Oberstag and Nathan King, or the survivors of them and the said Leys R. Ritenour, or his successor shall have full authority to approve or disapprove the design, type of construction and location in said sub-division. In the event said Leys R. Ritenour or his successor fails to approve or disapprove such design and location within thirty (30) days after said plans and specifications have been submitted to him, such approval will be presumed to have been given and this covenant will be deemed to have been fully complied with. Neither Leys R. Ritenour or his designated successor shall be entitled to any compensation for services performed pursuant to this covenant.

The powers and duties of Leys R. Ritenour or his designated successor shall cease on and after January 1. 1960. Thereafter, the approval described in this covenant shall not be required unless, prior to said date and effective thereon, a written instrument shall be executed by the then record owners of a majority of the lots in this sub-division and duly recorded appointing a representative or representatives who thereafter exercise the same powers previously exercised by said Leys R. Ritenour, or his successor.

3. The front of all buildings in this sub-division shall be located forty (40) feet from the front lot line and no building shall be nearer than ten (10) feet to any side lot line.

4. No more than one dwelling per lot as per originally planned shall be constructed in said sub-division.

5. No noxious or offensive trade or activity shall be carried on upon any lot nor shall anything be done thereon which may become any annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood.

6. No trailer, basement, sent, shack, or garage erected in the tract shall be at any time used as a residence temporarily or permanently, nor shall any structure of a temporary character be used as a residence.

7. The following limitations are hereby placed upon the following structures as to a square foot of ground floor area, as follows: all one story houses shall have not less than 1.200 square foot ground floor area, exclusive of garage or breezeway; all one and one-half story houses to have not less than 1.200 square foot ground floor area; all full two story houses to have not less than 900 square foot ground floor area.

8. All garages in this sub-division must be attached to houses either directly or with breezeway, and must be constructed the same time as the house.

9. The exterior walls of all dwellings, including garages, in this sub-division shall be brick, masonry or stone construction, except frame may be used (or decorative purposes not to exceed fifty (50%) per cent of exterior walls. Cement or cinder blocks are prohibited, unless the exterior walls are stuccoed or painted to the satisfaction of Leys R. Ritenour or his successor.

1. By a substitution of authority, this function is now the responsibility of the Association. Building plans are reviewed by the Association’s Building and Plans Committee.

10. No professional or commercial business of any kind, including rooming houses and beauty parlors, can be conducted in this sub-division.

11. Parking of commercial vehicles and trailers is prohibited in this sub-division, except as temporarily necessary in making delivery therein.

12. The building grade on all lots in this sub-division will be fifteen (15) inches above the front Street sidewalk grade.

13. All dwellings when constructed in this sub-division must face the front of lot, provided that, subject to municipal regulations, dwellings on lots, 60, 84, 85, 98, 112, 131, 132, 143, 144, 155, 175, 189, 190, 198, 201, 210, 214, and 223 may front on either street bordering said lots.

14. No out building of any kind will be permitted in this subdivision, and no poultry or live stock stored or raised therein.

15. All public utility connections shall be installed underground from the easement.

16. The height of all one-story houses shall be not less than eighteen feet (18 ft.), nor more than twenty feet (20 ft.), and one and one half story houses not more than twenty-three feet (23 ft.) measured from grade line to peak of roof.

17. Only one and one-half and two story dwellings shall be erected on lots 144 to 154 inclusive. 180 to 200 inclusive, 210 to 214 inclusive, and 223 to 226 inclusive. On all other lots, either one or one and one-half story dwellings may be erected.

18. The natural grade or contour of the land as now existing shall not be changed or altered by fill or excavation on lots 21, 22, 23, 24, 63, 64, 80, 81, 114, 115, 129, 130, 155, 156, 157, 166, 167, 174, 179, inclusive 201, 202, 208, 209, 215, 216, 217, 220, and 221, nor shall the ravine adjoining said lots be filled, or the natural flow of water therein be diverted or obstructed in any way, without the approval of Lays R. Ritenour or his successor.

19. Garage entrances on any lots adjacent to Cherry Hill Road shall be from the front or rear only.

DECLARATION OF RESTRICTIONS
GOLF CREST

THE UNDERSIGNED, LEYS R. RITENOUR AND ESTER RITENOUR, his wife, being the owners of property located in the City of Dearborn, County of Wayne and State of Michigan, which said described land comprises all of the lots in a subdivision to be known as Golf Crest Subdivision, hereby declare that the following restrictions constitute a general plan for the development of said subdivision, and all future conveyances or any part thereof shall be subject thereto.

Such restrictions shall run with the land and be effective until January 1, 2009, and may be extended for additional periods thereafter, in each case by recording, prior to said date or to the expiration date of any extension thereof, an agreement to that effect signed by the owners of at least 60% of the area of land in said subdivision, exclusive of land occupied for highways, governmental or school purposes.

Invalidation of any one of these covenants by judgment or court order shall in no way affect any of the other provisions which shall remain in full force and effect.

1. All lots in the tract shall be known and described and used as residential lots and no structures shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any residential building plot other than one detached single-family dwelling not to exceed two stories in height and a private garage for not more than three cars.

2. No building shall be erected, placed or altered on any building plot in this sub-division until the building plans, specifications and plot plans showing the location of such building have been approved in writing as to conformity and harmony of external design with existing structures in the sub-division, and as to location of the building with respects to topography and finished ground elevation by Leys R. Ritenour, or someone designated by himself, or the survivor of him; and the said Leys R. Ritenour, or his successor, shall have full authority to approve or disapprove the design, type of construction and location in said sub-division. In the event said Leys R. Ritenour, or his successor, fails to approve or disapprove such design and location within thirty (30) days after said plans and specifications have been submitted to him, such approval will be presumed to have been given, and this covenant will be deemed to have been fully complied with. Neither Leys R. Ritenour or his designated successor shall be entitled to any compensation for services performed pursuant to this covenant. The powers and duties of Lays R. Ritenour or his designated successor shall cease on and after January 1. 1960. 1./ Thereafter, the approval described in this covenant shall not be required unless, prior to said date and effective thereon, a written instrument shall be executed by the then record owners of a majority of the lots in this sub-division and duly recorded appointing a representative or representatives, who shall thereafter exercise the same powers previously exercised by Leys R. Ritenour or his successor.

3. The front of all buildings in this sub-division shall be located forty (40) feet from the front lot line and no building shall be nearer than ten (10) feet to any side lot line. Lot numbers 4, 5 and 6, 10 and 11. 18 and 19 will not be governed by the forty (40) foot setback, but must be not less than forty (40) feet and the location of the building must be approved by Leys R. Ritenour or his successor.

4. No more than one dwelling per lot as originally plaited shall be constructed in said sub-division.

5. No noxious or offensive trade or activity shall be carried on upon any lot nor shall anything be done thereon which may become any annoyance or nuisance in the neighborhood.

6. No trailer, basement, tent, shack, or garage erected in the tract shall be at any time used as a residence temporarily or permanently, nor shall any structure of a temporary character be used as a residence.

7. The following limitations are hereby placed upon the following structures as a square foot ground floor area as follows; all one story and one and one-half story houses shall have not less than 1500 square foot ground floor area, all two story houses shall have not less than 1000 square foot ground floor area, exclusive of garage and breezeway.

8. All garages in this sub-division must be attached to houses either directly or with breezeway, and must be constructed the same time as the house.

9. The exterior walls of all dwellings, including garages, in this sub division shall be brick, masonry or stone construction, except frame may be used for decorative purposes not to exceed fifty (50%) per cent of exterior walls. Cement or cinder blocks are prohibited, unless the exterior walls are stuccoed or painted to the satisfaction of Leys R. Ritenour or his successor.

1. By a substitution of authority, this function is now the responsibility of the Association Building plans are reviewed by the Association’s Building and Plans Committee.

10. No professional or commercial business of any kind, including rooming houses and beauty parlors, can be conducted in this sub-division.

11. Parking of commercial vehicles and trailers is prohibited in this sub-division, except as temporarily necessary in making deliveries therein.

12. The building grade on all lots in this sub-division will be fifteen (15) inches above the front Street sidewalk grade as established by City of Dearborn Engineers.

13. All dwellings when constructed in this sub-division must face the front of lot.

14. No out building of any kind will be permitted in this sub-division and no poultry or live stock stored or raised therein.

15. All public utility connections shall be installed underground from the easement.

16. The height of all one story houses shall be not less than sixteen (16) feet, nor more than twenty (20) feet; one and one-half story houses not more than twenty-three (23) feet; and on the full two story house not more then twenty-six (26) feet measured from building grade line to peak of roof.

NOTE:

ALTHOUGH THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NOT COVERED BY THE ABOVE RESTRICTIONS, THE CONCENSUS OF RESIDENTS IN BOTH SUB-DIVISIONS IS THAT GOOD NEIGHBORLINESS IS NOT ENHANCED BY THE FURTHER ERECTION OF FENCES, THE BUILDING OF PATIOS NEXT TO LOT LINES. AND THE PARKING OF RESIDENT’S AUTOMOBILES ON THE SUB-DIVISIONS BE KEPT OFF OF THE GOLF COURSE.

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Zoning Updates

The following is an update regarding changes in the current zoning laws.

The purpose of this letter is to update the members of the Golf Crest Country Club Civic Association regarding changes in the current zoning laws. The intent is to protect the compatibility, harmony and conformity in the Subdivision that was previously enforced by attachment to the property deed.

The last two years have witnessed the construction of several units that were approved by the city without compatibility considerations. In the last year, the Board of Directors has worked, along with the Federation of Associations support, to change its policy.

For proposed exterior changes, the compatibility issue has been moved from the City Building Department to the Zoning Board of Appeals (Z.B.A.). All residents living within a three hundred-foot radius of the proposed project must be notified of a modification to a structure. The plans will be available for review by these affected residents at the Z.B.A. office located at the Dept. of Building and Safety. A notice of at least one-week prior to the Z.B.A. meeting will be required and if the review of the proposed work is objectionable, then the residents should organize to state their opposition at the Z.B.A. meeting. The Association will support these organized members. The primary consideration is compatibility, the one issue to which the Z.B.A. guidelines are directed. Primary attention would be given to: the mass of the proposed work, the height, yard encroachment, the color of the brick and overall look of conformity to existing neighboring homes.

Present zoning laws do moderately protect us. City Policy dictates front yard set back while zoning law spells out rear and side yard restrictions. The parking of commercial vehicles, boats, and motor homes in residential areas, as well as businesses operating from homes, is prohibited. Yard backfilling requires City approval. Backfilling along drainage ditches is to be done only with approval by City of Dearborn Engineering.

Banning detached storage units and open storage of any material, firewood, building products, unless contiguous to the primary unit is still under consideration.

The City of Dearborn is reviewing and updating its zoning laws. When these laws are complete, the Board intends to issue a pamphlet letting you know what laws you may use to protect your subdivision from undesired variances.

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Concerning Issues

One of the most popular issues in Dearborn today concerns residential construction.  This issue is becoming increasingly popular within all boundaries of the city. Widespread concern of compatibility construction is a major issue needing resolvement.  The following article expressed the concerns of the Dearborn Planning Commission and their ordinance proposal.  This issue has entered our subdivision and is a very pressing issue the Golfcrest Country Club Association is involved with.

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The following article was written by Gary L. Thompson, Times-Herald Staff Writer and appeared in the July 5, 2001 edition of the Times-Herald Newspapers.

Dearborn struggles with zoning compatibility rules

Dearborn Planning Commission will schedule a vote at its July meeting on whether to recommend the passage of new zoning ordinances aimed at enforcing more compatibility in construction.

The commission had decided to hold a special study session solely dealing with the proposed ordinances, after encountering strong opposition from several builders.

One ordinance change would quantify what the city means by its present requirement for new construction to blend in with surrounding neighborhoods. The components of compatibility are to include the front facade, height and bulk (defined as indicating the size and setbacks of buildings, and location in respect to each other). The other ordinance change would send certain variance requests to the City Council rather than the ZBA.

Planning Commission Chair Linda Hallick took issue with the proposed ordinance, saying the city already has vehicles for dealing with the issues that the ordinance is supposed to address. Lot coverage, setbacks and closeness of houses to each other was of prime importance, Hallick said, but the current laws were being negated by variances granted by Zoning Board of Appeals variances, or by builders who ignore the laws and are permitted to do it.

One of the commissioners’ key discussions regarded the requirement of compatibility with 51 percent of the homes within 300 feet, whether it should be a radius of 300 feet from the property, or if the zone should be rectangular (Dr. Tawfiq Hassan said that homeowners would likely be primarily concerned about the homes on either side of theirs, facing their back yard, and across the street).

City Planner John Nagy and City Attorney Debra J. Walling promised to present two or three proposed methods of measuring the area of compatibility.  The commission was told that the proposed ordinance language had simply adopted the 300-foot standard for notifying neighbors of proposed zoning changes, and that language could easily revised. Objections were raised to requiring compatibility with rear homes on a separate street, with ZBA member Janet Burg raising the question of enforceability since she and other ZBA members were not supposed to go into backyards when examining a site.

Jewel Morrison, president of the Dearborn Federation of Civic Associations, said that the local homeowner associations were having trouble agreeing exactly what is compatible. However, she told the commission, they certainly want compatibility to some extent; and that if a new house’s size, difference in look, or lot coverage proved to be "overpowering;" the neighbor-hood associations "are pretty well in agreement" that would not be compatible.

Some builders continued to attack the proposed ordinance. One proposed provision particularly targeted was requiring builders use red brick (this pro-vision was in the city’s zoning law for years, but was dropped in the 1993 revision of the city’s zoning).

The second ordinance would send variances more than 20 percent from city standards to the city council rather than the ZBA. Through extended discussion, the commission clarified that it would be Nagy who would make the decision to send the variance to the council, if he found the proposed use did not match the city’s master plan for the area.

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The following article was written by Gary L. Thompson, Times-Herald Staff Writer and appeared in the May 2, 2001 edition of the Times-Herald Newspapers.

Residential construction ‘compatibility’ rules to be considered at public hearing

The Dearborn Planning Commission will hold a public hearing May 7 on whether the City Council should pass proposed ordinances aimed at enforcing "compatibility" with existing neighborhoods in new residential construction.

The proposed ordinance changes being reviewed by the 7 p.m. meeting in the City Hall council chambers would make new buildings conform in front facade, height and bulk to 51 percent of the other homes within 300 feet. Another proposed ordinance change would put any requested use variance deviating more than 20 percent from the zoning ordinance before the council, rather than before . the Zoning Board of Appeals.

City Attorney Debra A. Walling said that she had worked with City Planner John Nagy to draft the proposed ordinance changes, in response to concerns she had received from the council, and also from the Building & Safety Department and Zoning Board of Appeals chair. Walling said that the council would like to make it clear that new homes and additions to existing homes should blend in with the neighborhood.

There was concern that ZBA variances were making a "mishmash" neighborhood compatibility, such as bulk— i.e.; mass, size and density, such as a two-story home next to ranches or 1 1/2-story homes. Walling said she would not discuss a proposed restoration of the city’s former standard requiring red-brick, as she was still researching whether that provision could stand up in court today.

It is hoped that the new ordinance would cut the workload of the ZBA, Walling said, whose volunteer members now spend time driving around examining around 20-40 lots prior to meetings. The meetings often last past midnight, according to Walling.

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