A Villager known for a mermaid mural and bright colors on her home has been given 30 days to bring her co-mingled colors back into compliance.
Erin Kellett, who lives at 1012 Aloha Way in the Village of Orange Blossom Gardens, appeared Wednesday afternoon in a public hearing before the Village Center Community Development District Board of Supervisors at Savannah Center.
During the hearing, it was revealed that a complaint had been lodged Nov. 29 with Community Standards about the foundation and trim of her home being painted in various colors and a railing that has been painted green and pink.
When Kellett decided to depart from the required color palette and hue range by co-mingling her colors, she should have sought permission from the Architectural Review Committee, according to testimony presented by Community Standards.
Patricia Vanderwielen, a neighbor from the Historic Side of The Villages, testified in defense of Kellett’s bright color choices.
“I think it’s a work of art. I smile every time I ride past it,” Vanderwielen told the VCCDD board supervisors. She encouraged them to drive past Kellett’s home and judge for themselves.
Vanderwielen said “other houses are a much worse problem” on the Historic Side and she began describing those perceived transgressions in detail before she was warned to stick to Kellett’s deed compliance case.
Kellett also testified in defense of her color choices.
“Many residents feel alienated living on ‘the wrong side’ of The Villages. And now many people are feeling abandoned by the Developer (who stopped a revitalization effort on the old side),” she said. “I wanted to inspire people to make their little trailers look like Key West.”
VCCDD Supervisor Robert Chandler IV, who also serves as a vice president for The Villages, clarified that the supervisors had a very narrow scope in deciding the case.
“It has nothing do with whether we like the colors,” he said.
The board voted 5-0 to order Kellett to bring her home back into compliance. If she fails to do so within 30 days, she will face a $150 fine followed by daily fines of $50.
