A NEIGHBORHOOD has descended into chaos after its HOA demanded $29,000 from each resident to maintain a lake that only a few people can enjoy.

Residents of the neighborhood outside Atlanta, Georgia, are at war with one another over who should pay to fix the dam in the center of the subdivision.

"There's been a lot of tears. There's been a lot of tears over these past couple of weeks, months, and days," homeowner Asya Richardson Green told WSB-TV.

"People are scared that they're going to lose their homes."

On Tuesday, homeowners clashed in explosive arguments before choosing to oust the HOA board at Lake Dow Estates.

Dramatic video taken inside the event space showed residents yelling across the room at one another as moderators begged them to calm down.

Cops were called to keep the peace as the bitter divide widened over what should happen to the lake located in the neighborhood.

A few years ago, Georgia officials determined the lake was unsafe, and said either the water levels in the lake needed to be lowered, or the dam inside should be repaired.

However, it takes an eye watering $8.9 million to make the repairs, meaning residents must pay $29,000 for each acre they own.

Now, the water has been drained off, and lakefront property owners are stuck looking at a muddy mess.

But residents who live away from the lake say the eyesore isn't their problem.

The HOA board sent out a notice of an assessment warning of the fee, and an all out war was sparked in the community.

"We've always had a wonderful neighborhood, and it's completely changed," homeowner Charlotte Burton told Fox affiliate WAGA.

Another 30-year resident, Kristine Bobo, said, "There's a lot of people who don't want to pay for it."

In Tuesday's emotional meeting, HOA members demanded an election to vote for new board members.

The board complied with the request and chose to step down.

The residents chose their new leaders, and this board now has to determine how to deal with the lake issue.

Homeowner Pkale Robinson blasted the fine, and said those who actually enjoy the lakefront view "should cover more of the cost."

Meanwhile, resident Beck Kennedy said, "They've known it's coming for so long, that if you didn't like it and didn't want to fix the lake, why didn't you sell and get out of this neighborhood.

"You knew it was coming so why haven't been planning for it."

Another homeowner, Richardson Green, simply said the fee wasn't right.

Demetria Bolar, who stepped down from the board, said the drained lake has left nearby residents sad.

"People just have an empty hole of mud with trees and what it's doing to the value of our homes," she said.

"Not being able to come out and enjoy your backyard is sad."