Jeff Finke Realty Team
951 25th Street
Columbus, IN 47201

(812) 373-SOLD (7653)
(877) 296-SOLD (7653)
Fax (812) 373-0477

Email: jeff @ jefffinke.com

Wildflower Estates Covenants

Purpose: These covenants of the Wildflower Estates residential subdivision are established to insure proper use and development of the property so as to provide for a pleasant residential community and to maintain and enhance the value of the homes and lots in the subdivision.

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1. No lot shall be used for anything other than single-family residential purposes. All dwellings shall have a minimum floor area of 1600 square feet. All two story and one and one-half story houses shall have a minimum of 900 square feet on the first floor. Open porches and breezeways, decks, and garages are not to be counted as part of the minimum floor area.
2. All houses are to have, as a minimum, an attached, enclosed, 2 bay garage not less than 22 feet by 22 feet in dimension and not less than 484 square feet in area.
3. All houses must have a concrete, exposed aggregate, or brick driveway from the street to the garage doors. It must have minimum width of 20 feet for front entry garages and 12 feet for side entry garages. Only one driveway per lot will be allowed.
4. All lots are to have sidewalk(s) of concrete along the entire side(s) of the lot facing any street. It is to be built to Columbus City specifications and thus must be a minimum of 4 feet wide and 4 inches thick and have a maximum cross slope of .02 feet per foot. Handicapped accessibility must be maintained as required by Columbus City specifications. The sidewalk must be completed prior to occupancy of the residence, and the lot owner or his contractor is responsible for construction of the sidewalk.
5. The exterior of the first floor of the front of the house facing the street its address is on is to have a minimum of 50% brick or natural stone covering. Brick or natural stone covering above entry doors and garage doors, and either above, below, or both above and below windows, shall be considered as if it was totally covering the door or window for purposes of calculating this 50% minimum.
6. Each house is to have a stone or cast stone address number placed in the brick or stone covering of the front of the house to improve safety by allowing for easy identification of houses by firefighters and police.
7. No modular houses will be allowed.
8. No basements will be allowed unless full perimeter drains connected to a sump pit are installed and waterproofing, (such as an impermeable membrane with drainage control to the perimeter drains, i.e., not just damp-proofing) of the outside walls of the basement is placed. 2 sump pits are required for any basement. Each sump pit must have an electric sump pump. Additionally, each of the 2 electric sump pumps must have some ability to function in case of an electrical outage. This can be done by providing a battery to supply back up power, or it may be done by the use of a separate water powered back up sump pump.
9. Any outbuilding, such as, but not limited to, a storage shed, extra garage, or gazebo, must meet the current city zoning requirements and be placed in the back yards. For corner lots, they must also be placed no closer to the intersecting street than the side of the house that faces the intersecting street. All such buildings must be approved by the Architectural Control Committee prior to the building of the structure.
10. No above ground pools will be permitted except those that are temporary and no more than eighteen inches high and no more than six feet across. No in-ground pool, hot tub, spa or similar structure will be permitted in front of the dwelling toward the street, and it must be entirely within the rear and side building set-back lines. Pools, hot tubs, spas or similar structures must be surrounded by an appropriate fence if city code requires it. All such structures must be approved by the Architectural Control Committee before construction begins.
11. Every lot on which a building is erected shall have at least two deciduous trees of at least one and one-half (1 1/2) inch caliper placed and maintained in the front yard. These shall be placed and maintained by the owner as soon as possible after the dwelling is complete, as the season permits. Front foundation landscaping must be completed within six months of completion of the house.
12. HVAC may be geothermal, heat pump, or natural or propane gas. Any propane tanks must be buried.
13. No septic systems will be allowed—dwellings must be connected to the Columbus City sanitary sewer.
14. No exterior lighting shall be suspended from a pole in excess of ten feet from the ground except those expressively approved by the Architectural Control Committee or required by governmental agencies. No exterior lights that have a principle beam that falls on another lot or causes an unreasonable interference with the use of and enjoyment of Wildflower Estates will be allowed.
15. No receiving or transmitting antenna or device shall be located on any lot unless it is entirely inside the dwelling. The exception to this would be no more than two satellite reception dishes, each no more than 39 inches in diameter. If they are free standing they must be placed in the back yard behind the back of the house. For corner lots, they may be placed no farther toward the intersecting street than the side of the dwelling that faces that intersecting street. No solar panels or solar heating panels may be placed without the express written consent of the Architectural Control Committee. This covenant is intended to allow this technology to be used if it becomes a well recognized and commonly used technology in the future, but to discourage the unsightly appearance that current solar panel technology exhibits.
16. No commercial signage may be placed on any lot at any time except for a reasonably sized sign advertising the lot or dwelling for sale. The developer, JOLI Development, is exempt from this requirement while any lots owned by them are left unsold, and additionally, JOLI Development may, at their sole discretion, while any lots owned by them are left unsold, allow others to place larger signs that are approved by JOLI Development.
17. Garage sale, rummage sale, yard sale or other similar advertising signs may not be placed on a lot for more than seven days in a calendar year.
18. Fences are to be limited to the side or back yards (that is, they cannot extend past the adjacent front of the house). If the fence is a chain link fence, it must be either black or brown in color and not over 48 inches tall. Any other fencing must not exceed 72 inches, and must be of a brown to tan color, or of natural weathered wood finish. The intent of this covenant is to maintain an appearance complementary with other structures in Wildflower Estates.
19. Columbus City Utilities shall be the residential water supply. Wells will be permitted for other purposes, such as sprinkler systems or pools.
20. All utilities must be placed underground.
21. No house is to be erected on any lot until the construction plans and specifications (to include elevations on all four sides), a plan depicting the relationship of the building to the finish grade and to the topography of the site, a description of the general color scheme of the building, and the Wildflower Estates New Construction Review Application has been approved by the Architectural Control Committee. This is to ensure structures in harmony with the external design of existing structures and the topography of the land, placed at appropriate locations, and built with quality materials and workmanship. This will help maintain Wildflower Estates as a visually pleasing, safe, and pleasant development for all residents to be proud of.
22. No structure shall be built nor shall any grading be done in such a manner as to block the drainage of any lot or parcel of ground except that the owner of a lot may reroute the drainage on his or her lot so long as it is not detrimental to his or her neighbors.
23. The Architectural Control Committee is to be comprised of the developer (JOLI Development) or the developer’s appointee so long as the developer owns any lot in the subdivision. The committee’s approval or disapproval shall be in writing and is to be made within 30 days after the information listed in Covenant #21 has been submitted to it. If the plans and specification are not approved, appropriate corrective actions will be suggested in writing so that corrections can be made and the plans and specifications can be resubmitted for approval.
24. After all lots have been sold, the owners of the lots may, by majority vote, select a new Architectural Control Committee consisting of six property owners to carry on the architectural control functions. Once the control of the Architectural Control Committee has changed to the duly elected members, the committee may then change the composition and duties of the committee as they see fit.
25. The owner of each lot shall be liable for and hereby agrees to maintain his property neat and clean and free of paper, trash, weeds, or unsightly growth or debris. Each lot owner shall mow and maintain the street right of way along his or her property lines, in a similar manner to his or her own yard.
26. All recreational vehicles, campers, trailers, boats, or similar items shall be stored no farther forward than the front of the garage and they must be stored on the garage side of the house or in the back yard. For corner lots, these items must be stored no farther forward than the front of the garage and no closer to the intersecting street than the side of the house that faces the intersecting street—that is they may not be stored on the driveway leading to a side-entry garage. In addition, they must be stored on a concrete (which could be exposed aggregate) pad. The storage of an inoperable or disabled motorized vehicle that is not properly registered or licensed to a resident on the lot is expressly prohibited, unless such vehicle is kept from public view in a private garage. Any storage of the above items shall be limited to 30 days per calendar year.
27. No noxious or offensive activity shall be carried on upon any lot, nor shall anything be done upon the property that may be or may become an annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood.
28. No structure of a temporary character (such as a trailer, tent or shack), or a garage, barn or outbuilding shall be used on any lot at any time as a residence, either temporarily or permanently.
29. No animals, livestock (such as horses, goats, pigs, or cows), or poultry of any kind shall be raised, bred or kept an any lot, except that dogs, cats, or other household pets may be kept in reasonable numbers provided that they are not kept, bred, or maintained for any commercial purpose.
30. If any person violates these covenants, then it shall be lawful for any other person owning any real property in this addition to, by due process of law, prevent or stop or remedy such violation.
31. These covenants shall run with the land and shall be binding on all persons, successors and assignees of property owners in Wildflower Estates. They shall run for 12 years and then be automatically extended for successive 10-year periods; unless a legal document has been prepared and signed by a majority of the lot owners as of the date the document is duly recorded in the office of the Bartholomew County Recorder, giving notice of such change.

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