Leaders in the Fontaine Place neighborhood are working to establish protective covenants.
In the roughly 80 years since the neighborhood took shape off Old Canton Road, it has never had the protective guidelines for homeowners.
“Our full board has signed them for their homes,” said Jon Turner, vice president/treasurer of the Fontaine Place Neighborhood Association. “We’re just beginning to get around to all the homeowners so they can sign them.”
The Fontaine Place Neighborhood Association first rolled out its proposed list of covenants at its annual meeting in 2020.
“We are about to blast the covenants and affidavits out to all owners and will then follow up with them,” he said. “We expect good participation.”
Each homeowner plus a witness is asked to sign an affidavit and that is filed along with a copy of the covenants in the Hinds County Chancery Clerk’s Office in the file for each plat. The association will also maintain a copy on file.
Homeowners who sign onto the covenants can abide by the covenants themselves once they’re filed with the chancery clerk, or they could sign with the understanding that the covenants would not be enforced on the property until the property changes ownership.
Any existing covenant violations would be grandfathered in, Turner said.
Fontaine leaders have been discussing covenants to preserve property values and make the area more attractive to homebuyers, he said.
Several individuals who considered buying homes there asked if covenants were in place, he said.
Proposed guidelines govern everything from the placement of clotheslines to minimum house size and architectural requirements.
Among them, houses must have no less than 2,350 square feet of living space and cost no less than $250,000 to construct. Additionally, all residences shall have paved driveways that stretch from the street to a garage or carport, or to the rear of a dwelling to provide off-street parking.
Covenants also mandate that anyone who purchases a home or lot in the subdivision pays association dues. However, dues will remain voluntary for current home and property owners.
The neighborhood includes about 85 homes and lots in an area bordered by Brecon Drive to the north, East Northside Drive to the south, Old Canton Road to the west and Ridgewood Road to the east.
The Fontaine Place Neighborhood Association in Jackson is also exploring the idea of installing public access gates.
The association authorized the hiring of a consultant familiar with public access gates in March.
The consultant would provide information about the best locations for gates, the costs of installation and maintenance, the city’s gating ordinance and a preliminary design.
There’s a good chance the association would start with one gate that would be located on Fontaine Drive, Maurey Road or Jiggetts Road, Turner said.
The neighborhood association has talked about the idea of installing public access gates for years as a method to decrease and slow traffic, Turner said. The association would have to pay to install the gates.
Public access gates, unlike private gates, do not bar individuals from entering a neighborhood. All a motorist must do is drive up, push a button, or simply wait for the gates to open. The gates slow traffic by requiring motorists to wait before entering a neighborhood and are thought by some to deter criminals from making a quick getaway.
