A letter to the Meriwether Architectural Review Committee and the Board of Directors of the Meriwether HOA:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am sorry to hear that you have denied my initial request for the install of a 5x5 inch vent on the side of my building. I also wish to reiterate that this request was for a vent only, and not for a natural gas fueling station.  The chosen location is in an extremely hidden place, and not visible from the streets or any other property within our community. The planned vent will be installed by a certified and trained installer ensuring a 100% color match. The vent used will exactly match existing vents in the Meriwether community. This 5x5 inch vent is the only outside exposure of my NGV fueling station. The entire appliance will be inside the garage on the inside of my property, and will not be seen from the outside. No vapor or noise will be emitted, only some warm air, less than a gas dryer vent, and I have documents proving these statements. This appliance is UL approved in all 50 states and has gone through rigorous safety testing. This has been proven to be safer than a gas stove! Please examine attached documents.

By no means will the 5x5 inch vent weaken or damage the integrity of the building. It is approved by the fire marshal and has all applicable city permits. This exact same install has been done thousands of times without any problems. I will be fully liable for any possible damage caused by this vent, such as a leak or any other damage caused directly by the install or use of the vent.

I understand that the outside of my property is very well maintained and governed by the HOA. I feel that this HOA has done an outstanding job in keeping up the properties in its jurisdiction. I completely understand that I need permission and a stamp of approval to make any exterior changes. On the other side of the coin, the inside of my property is my jurisdiction. As per the agreement between the HOA and myself, I do not need any approval from the HOA to make any interior changes to my property. If I wish to install any type of government tested and approved appliance, I may do so at my discretion, the HOA has no say in the matter. I recently installed a flat screen TV in my home and a new washer and gas dryer, if what you are telling me is true; I need to get an HOA approval for that. I believe that this is unacceptable, and may be a breach of our agreement.   

If not approved I will not be able to keep driving the cleanest car on earth, the Honda Civic GX. Public fueling stations are far and in-between (the closest is almost 9 miles away within my standard commuting route). These stations are not very reliable and often not easily accessible and sometimes just don’t work. I can not justify the added commute time and the risk for being late for work. That’s why the home fueling appliance is so great. I believe a 5x5 inch vent is more than justifiable for drastically reducing my carbon footprint. Please take a minute and look at Jay Leno talking about this unit http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=193319 he is a great supporter of making our environment cleaner and greener. He also has a 54 kWh solar system on top of his garage! http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=242010

The Meriwether CC&R’s state in chapter 2.12.3… attached units… no person may modify any condominium… incl. walls… if the modifications will impair the structural integrity or fire safety of the residence…

- this 5x5 inch vent will not have impact to the structure or fire safety and is in compliance with the CC&R’s

Further more in chapter 5.9… The Architectural Review Committee shall review and approve … solely on the basis of aesthetic considerations, consistency with the Neighborhood Ass. Gov. Documents, …. And the overall benefit or detriment which would result to the immediate vicinity…. Shall consider the aesthetic aspects… color, exterior finishes and materials…  
- This 5x5 inch vent will be matching in color and structure. It will be matching in the type of vent used elsewhere in the building and community and will be 100% hidden from street view or the view of any other property, not damaging the overall appeal and beauty of our neighborhood. This is in compliance with the CC&R’s. See attached picture for the proposed location.

I strongly feel there is no reason to deny my request to install a 5x5 inch vent to greatly reduce my daily pollution on our streets. I believe we all have to do our part to become greener. This is only one of many steps I have taken: I recycle, use my bike as much as I can, have water saving devices, HE washers and dryers, I don’t use my AC, I will have a solar system providing 100% of my electric energy needs to just name a few steps to a greener environment. Please help me to do what I can with no negative impact to our community. I have no interest in creating any friction in our community, nor do I want to upset any homeowner. I have very high interest in living in a friendly and clean environment. I appreciate the rules and regulations in effect to ensure the above. However I have great interest in conserving our energy resources in any way possible.

If you are still thinking it is necessary to be heard at the next open board meeting I will be more than happy to present my case and explain why I want to reduce my negative impact on our environment. Furthermore I will able to explain to you that there will be no visible or damaging impact to our community and that Phill appliance is 100% safe! However if you believe there is no need for any further discussion of my case please let me know of the approval as soon as you can so that I can proceed in creating a greener environment.

Thank you

Sincerely,