DECLARATION OF RESTRICTIONS FOR WOODLAND HEIGHTS
THE STATE OF TEXAS §
COUNTY OF HARRIS §
This agreement is between property owners of lots in the Woodland
Heights subdivision.
The parties to this agreement intend to restrict the use of the
lots owned by them, so that all of the restricted lots will benefit
from these restrictions as a result of the preservation of the
value and the character of the said lots.
In consideration of the mutual benefits, promises, covenants,
and agreements, the undersigned individuals owning lots in the
Woodland Heights subdivision, as conventors and conventees, on
behalf of themselves and their successors in interest, agree to
the following terms.
ARTICLE I: DEFINITIONS
- "Owners" shall mean each of the undersigned property
owners, whether one or more persons or entities, of the title
to any real property located in Woodland Heights, an addition
to the City of Houston, Harris County, Texas, according to the
Map or Plat thereof recorded in Volume 2, Page 33, and amended
in volume 295, page 373, or the Map Records of Harris County,
Texas; and further amended under the provisions of Title 11, Texas
Property Code to exclude the following: Lots 1-12; Block 1; Lots
1-13, Block 2; Lots 1-4, Block 10; Lots 6-9, Block 25; Lots 9-12,
Block 31; Lots 1-8, Block 32; Lots 1-7, Block 43; Lots 1-8, Block
44; Lots 1, 2 and 10-15, Block 45. "Owner" shall include
contract sellers, but exclude those having such interest merely
as security for the performance of an obligation.
- "Properties" shall mean all real property specifically
described in Exhibit "A" to this document.
- "Lot" shall mean that portion of any of the plots
of land shown upon the plat and subdivision map recorded in Volume
2, Page 33 and Volume 295, Page 373 of the Map Records of Harris
County, Texas, as described in paragraph 1 of this Article and
described on the attached Exhibit "A".
- "Residence" shall mean a single, enclosed dwelling
unit containing facilities for living, sleeping, cooking and eating.
A "residence" could be a house, townhouse, condominium
unit, apartment or garage apartment.
ARTICLE II. RESTRICTIONS
- All properties shall be used for residential purposes only,
except that a business office or professional activity to which
the general public is not invited, shall be allowed, as long as
it is incidental to the primary residential use of the property,
and as long as there is no physical evidence of the business office
or professional activity apparent from the street or neighboring
properties. Such business office or professional activity shall
be allowed to employ and use on the property only residents of
the property. The allowed incidental business office or professional
activity specifically excludes food service, industrial, manufacturing
(other than incidental home crafts and hobbies), warehousing,
motor vehicle and equipment repair or storage activities or any
other business activity that would detract from the residential
character of the Woodland Heights Addition. Except as described
above, no lots shall be used for any type of business or commercial
purpose, or for any industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, or
motor vehicle and equipment repair purpose whatsoever. Use of
any of the properties as a hotel or boarding house is expressively
prohibited. NO structure of a temporary character, trailer, mobile
home, tent, shack, or other out building shall be used on any
lots at any time as a residence either temporarily or permanently.
- Only one residence shall be constructed or permitted for every
2,500 square feet of contiguous property subject to these restrictions.
All new structures in excess of one story shall be built at a
minimum of three feet from the property line on the sides and
back of the lot. New structures shall be placed at least ten feet
from the property line on all borders of the property which abut
a public street, or 45 feet from the center of the street, whichever
is greater. No structures shall contain more than three stories
or floor levels, nor shall they be more than forty feet high.
No lots shall be used for any type of corporate, business, commercial
or industrial purpose, except as permitted in paragraph 1 of Article
II of any of the properties as a hotel or boarding house is expressly
prohibited.
- No beer, wine, liquor or other alcoholic beverage shall be
sold on any of the properties.
- If a residence located on a lot covered by these Restrictions
is totally destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by fire, wind,
rain or any other disaster, or is condemned by the City of Houston,
then the owner or owners of the lot shall either begin repair
and restoration of the property or clean the lot of debris within
nine (9) months of the date of the disaster or condemnation. This
Restriction is not intended to prevent the owner from rebuilding
the premises. Completion of restoration/rebuilding/repair shall
be completed within twenty-four (24) months of the time the work
begins.
- No lot shall be used as a storage facility, or as a dumping
ground for rubbish or trash. No garbage or other waste shall be
kept except in sanitary containers.
- No signs, advertisements or billboards may be put up on any lot. The only
signs allowed will be those (i) advertising the premises for sale or rent,
and those signs shall not be larger than six (6) square feet; and (ii) plaques
or markers or other type of designation erected or affixed on the property
awarded by federal, state or municipal government or a civic association.
- Persons subsequently acquiring title to the lots described
in Exhibit "A" shall accept title to those lots subject
to these restrictions and covenants. These restrictions and covenants
shall be deemed covenants running with the land, and those acquiring
title, as well as their successors in title, shall b bound by
these restrictions as long as they are in effect. If any person
shall violate or attempt to violate any of these conditions or
restrictions, any person owning property subject to these restrictions,
and/or the Woodland Heights Civic Association, or its successor,
may take whatever legal action is necessary to enforce these restrictions.
- If any of these restrictions are held to be invalid or unenforceable,
then that holding shall be construed narrowly, and the remaining
restrictions shall remain in full force and effect.
ARTICLE III. GENERAL PROVISIONS
- Any owner of property described in Exhibit "A";
and/or the Woodland Heights Civic Association and its successors
or assigns shall have the right to enforce, by any legal means,
all restrictions imposed by this agreement. Failure to enforce
any restriction shall not waive the right to subsequently enforce
the same, or other, restrictions.
- As provided in Title 11 of the Texas Property Code, the restrictions
of this agreement shall not be binding unless seventy-five percent
(75%) of the lot owners in Woodland Heights sign this instrument
by August 31, 1989 and this instrument is filed at the Harris
County Courthouse by August 31, 1989.
- The restrictions in this agreement shall run with the lands
restricted by it, and shall be enforceable by any owner of any
lot subject to this agreement, or by the Woodland Heights Civic
Association, and their respective legal representatives, and/or
successors in title. Unless this agreement is amended or canceled,
it shall be effective for ten years from the date it is filed
in the County Clerk's records of Harris County, Texas. At the
end of the first ten years, the restrictions in this agreement
shall automatically be extended for successive periods of ten
years. This agreement may be amended or canceled at any time by
an instrument signed by not less than seventy-five percent (75%)
of the owners of the restricted lots. No amendment shall be effective
until recorded in the County Clerk's Records of Harris County,
Texas.
- Any use or condition which does not comply with the restrictions
set forth in this agreement, which was in existence prior to the
adoption of this agreement, shall not be affected by the terms
of this agreement. None of these restrictions shall be enforceable
against any present owner whose non-conformance falls within the
terms of this paragraph. However, the voluntary discontinuation
of any "non-conforming use" by any owner shall operate
to prevent the reestablishment of such use after it has been abandoned.
- Owners who desire to challenge the procedures of this deed
restriction project and who, therefore, do not sign the petition,
must file suit under Section 201.010 of Title 11 of the Texas
Property Code before the 181st day after the date on which these
deed restrictions are filed in the Harris County Courthouse.
- Owners who do not sign the petition may delete their property
from the operation of these deed restrictions by filing a statement
described in the fourth category in Section 201.009(b) of Title
11 of the Texas Property Code before one year after the date on
which the owner receives actual notice of the filing of the deed
restrictions.
This instrument may be executed in multiple counter-parts, all
of which shall be considered part of the same instrument.
EXECUTED by the undersigned owners shown in the attached Exhibit
"B" as of the dates of the respective acknowledgements
shown on the attached sheets, and effective for all purposes as
of the dates of such respective acknowledgements as to the property(ies)
owned by the undersigned owners, respectively.