Owning a piece of paradise at Better in Belize is a great feeling. Most people buy homesites at BIB because they appreciate the secluded forested feel and the still-wild aspect of the neighborhood. That’s why the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CCRs), which they accept when they sign the property deed, protect that wild jungle ambience by making sure each lot is surrounded by a 10’ deep zone of “NO disturbance” natural vegetation. Here’s what the CCRs say about those 10’ borders:
4.3.12. All setbacks shall be subject to and shall be measured from the appropriate property survey. Distances from the property line for any structural elements (e.g. structures, screened enclosures, porches, walls, equipment, accessory structure, garage, etc.) must be shown. EAB may modify, amend or waive setback requirements in accordance with this document.
1. Minimum front yard, rear yard and side yard setbacks for dwellings, patios, porches, decks, garages, buildings and screened enclosures is ten (10) feet except for exempted lots.
2. Minimum side yard setback for equipment, trash containers and other similar utilitarian devices is ten (10) feet. Such items must be landscaped from view.
3. The (10) foot setback will be a NO disturbance area except for pathways and one access road to the building.
Note: The “exempted lots” mentioned in the CCRs refer to lots which, due to their physical structure, don’t have natural vegetation in the 10’ zones, or don’t otherwise fit the requirements for a 10’ setback.
The mandated 10’ wild native-plant vegetation barriers serve to hide dwellings and outbuildings from the road and neighboring houses, and also provide corridors through which wildlife can move from place to place within BIB without exposing themselves to predators. These barriers must be protected and maintained to guarantee that resident wildlife can coexist with resident people.
The ten-foot-wide border may only be interrupted on the road frontage by a driveway and, if desired, a footpath to the house. The most skillfully designed driveways will curve so that the house is hidden from view. The CCRs also mandate that if you want to remove trees on your lot, you must have an acceptable reason for requesting this, and you must get an inspection and approval by the Ecological Advisory Board (EAB), before you start any actions that might damage the tree/s.
Better in Belize is not a place to showcase your architecture to those who pass by. It’s a place to live in serenity with the natural vegetation and wildlife and to make as little dent in the ecosystem as possible.
It is the responsibility of the owner to inform construction workers of the ten foot border requirements before clearing the site, so that they won’t remove or destroy these important elements of our community or stack building materials on them. Fines are mandated for destroying or removing any part of the 10’ border or for cutting down trees that have not been previously approved by the EAB.