Dear Sir,
This is in response to the November 7 article “Property owner refutes report on Ajijic condo development.”
I also reread your October 10 article on the issue, and it is accurate as I understand the project. The project, however, is located in Rancho del Oro, on Calle la Montaña, not in Villa Nova and therefore it is more correctly a Rancho del Oro condo development.
One Saturday in April, a huge earth moving machine made its way up the streets of Villa Nova. The noise was so loud and unusual that about six of us homeowners in the immediate area came out to see what was happening. When the driver parked the machine, we inquired what he was doing. He called someone who came to the site and explained that he worked for the architect. He got an attorney on the phone and handed the phone to me (as the Villa Nova president). The attorney proceeded to tell me that the project had all the necessary approvals to proceed and if Villa Nova was to cause any problems we would be sued.
That was my introduction to this project. Michael Harrison sent me a package of 19 documents a few days later, indicating the scope of work to be carried out and told me that currently he was only preparing to collect soil samples. The current status of the project with regard to Chapala is unknown, but the excavation continues. I have never met the developer, Alma Harrison, nor spoken to her. I have only been in contact with the man who calls himself Michael Harrison.
The property being developed is located in Rancho del Oro, but Alma Harrison is using the streets of Villa Nova for heavy equipment and removal of excavated material. We want her to stop using Villa Nova streets and to access her property from Calle La Montaña. We want the damage to our cobblestone streets repaired and we do not wish to provide Villa Nova services to properties not located within it. We wish to see documentation that the unusual retaining wall construction has been proven to be structurally sound.
The Villa Nova office has been closed since late March. However, the names and contact information for all of the directors and the architectural review contact are posted. No director of Villa Nova was informed of this project prior to start of construction. Alma Harrison has never reached out to the representatives of the Villa Nova subdivision to collaborate on the project.
Nicholas Hanson, homeowner Fracc. Villa Nova, past president and current chair of Architectural
Review Committee of Fracc. Villa Nova