Building a House in neighborhood with inactive HOA

[Alex Smith]

I have purchased a vacant lot in a neighborhood that has an inactive HOA. The residents are not paying dues. In the early 90s there were covenants and restrictions that were filed with the city and it states that the only style of exterior allowed is brick, stone, or wooden plank. There are about 20% of the current houses with vinyl siding. I would like to build a house there with vinyl siding. Who do I need to contact about approval for this? I called the city zoning department and they said that they do not make those decisions for residential location.

Any ideas on how to approach this?