With inventory limited, demand high, and prices even higher, the housing market in New York City—and indeed, the whole country—is in a state of crisis. It’s one of the few things lawmakers, activists, and nearly anyone trying to purchase a home in the last few years can agree on. Proposed solutions have included everything from […]
Since its first condo in 1970 Vancouver has become the poster city for a global phenomenon (BC)
The city of Vancouver’s first condominium complex is a modest, pleasant-looking six-storey building. Built in 1970 at 5350 Balsam, it continues to provide 24 units on a quiet, leafy street in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood. You could say it’s a historic site. Balsam House, as it’s known, marks the dawn of Vancouver’s remarkable condo revolution, which […]
Archaeologists discover eroded human remains at pioneer cemetery in Platte City (MO)
On Friday, a pair of archaeologists discovered the remains of Platte City, Missouri, pioneers inside the overgrown Jones-Bane Cemetery……Hanson has been mapping the cemetery for the Copper Ridge Homeowner’s Association, the group responsible for the maintenance of the property. Read the article…………………………….
What it’s like to live in a Calif. tourist attraction being swallowed by the sea
The Venetian Court homes are part of a central homeowners association, with each homeowner paying $179 per month, which goes toward communal expenses like upkeep of the public walkways, lighting, water and even maintaining the seawall that protects the homes from the ocean. But that seawall can’t fully protect the homes, with winter storms breaching […]
How Past Discriminatory Real Estate Practices Have Impacted Coronado (CA)
“What happened is a darker chapter in American history that occurred from the 1920s to the 1960s which involved racially restrictive practices in real estate,” said Ashley. “Coronado was not immune.” Read the article…………………………….
Sisters sue a luxury townhome community’s HOA in effort to save a historic Black cemetery (GA)
The cemetery is at the center of a lawsuit brought by descendants of people buried there against the homeowners association that owns the property. The lawsuit alleges the luxury townhomes’ HOA has failed to maintain the property as required, allowing nature to envelop the site and render it almost unrecognizable. Read the article…………………………….
Investing Association Reserve Funds—A Historical Perspective
When we discuss the best practices for investing association reserve funds in today’s world, it is probably best to review a bit of history with this topic. Community Associations began to take hold during the 1970s. During the 1980s, association reserve accounts began to grow. At the time, interest rates were substantially higher than today. Read […]
Sun City beginnings featured startup for two major community groups (AZ)
The story of Sun City Home Owners Association’s early history started by describing how those first 1,400 residents arrived in Sun City in 1960 and almost immediately recognized they would need to identify leaders to represent the fast-growing population. Read the article………………………..
The Preserve, which aimed to be a ‘New Town,’ turns 50 (MN)
They hailed it in 1970 as a “New Town” planned community, a $200 million development that would eventually put 15,000 additional residents in Eden Prairie amid a unique blend of housing, shopping, and natural areas. The Preserve neighborhood didn’t turn out exactly as planned. And yet, as the homeowners association that has paralleled it turns […]
Giving Up Your Rights to Live in a Planned Community? Yes, It Started in Orange County (CA)
Before the 1960s, if a developer built a community amenity such as a swimming pool, golf course or park, they usually turned it over to a municipal government to administer. In the early 1960s, when Black and Latinx people gained access to public swimming pools and public parks through the Civil Rights movement, developers designed […]
A Complete History of HOAs
Homeowners’ associations (HOAs) are non-profit organizations set up to help run, manage, and maintain a community. They’ve been a vital part of the community management industry for decades and have a history that stretches back to the mid-twentieth century. Across all those years, HOAs have grown and evolved to become the anchors of the community […]
Paradise Palms a Las Vegas gem, and Clark County moves to preserve it (NV)
It was the first master-planned community in Las Vegas, built between 1960 and 1965 with architecture that reflects its time: homes that ranged from 1,200 to 2,200 square feet (most were 1,800 or less) with “flat, folded plate, butterfly, pyramid and open gable rooflines, mixed with various decorative block accents.” Read the entire article……………………………….
An Unfortunate Legacy: A Brief History of Racially Restrictive Covenants
February is Black History Month, a time when we recognize the contributions of African Americans throughout U.S. history and remember the challenges they have overcome and continue to face in the pursuit of equality. When it comes to housing, discriminatory practices such as racially restrictive covenants left a disheartening legacy for Black homeowners and, while […]
Columbia, Maryland was an early template for smart growth. It turns 50 this week.
One part real estate project, one part social experiment, Columbia, Maryland is one of the most ambitious and successful planned communities ever built in the United States. Inspired by purposely planned and built “new towns” in postwar Britain, Columbia joined Reston, Virginia and Coral Springs, Florida as one of the most prominent communities conceived during […]
How Homeowners Associations Are Referred to Around the World
Common-interest communities are becoming a popular way of living. They are housing developments made up of individually owned units and share facilities or common areas (such as roads, clubhouse, pool, etc.). “Community association” is a generic term that encompasses many names used around the world to describe common-interest housing. A few examples include: Read […]
Master-Planned Communities Look to Innovative Future
Developers of master-planned communities (MPCs) must innovate to remain relevant, said Kathleen B. Cecilian, a ULI governor and chief executive officer (CEO) of Flemington, New Jersey–based marketing firm Cecilian Worldwide, speaking at the 2016 ULI Spring Meeting. “There are innovators in each of your companies who should stimulate discussions about the future of MPCs,” she […]
Happy 100th Birthday, Co-ops!
In 1916, the nation’s first nonprofit housing cooperative was born in Brooklyn. A century ago, Finnish immigrants banded together in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn to address an acute housing shortage. Sixteen families formed the Finnish Home Building Association, chipped in $500 apiece, and got the architect Eric O. Holmgren to draw up plans […]
Time For Community-Governed Associations To Wake Up And Smell The Coffee!
In 1978, Proposition 13, The People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation, passed within the State of California. This proposition limited the manner in which municipalities could assess property taxes. With the gravy train at an end, local governments began a frantic search to find new revenue streams to support city service. While it took them […]
How the rise of gated spaces like swimming pools can quietly perpetuate racial tension
For decades, swimming pools in America have been sites of racial exclusion. Many of the fights to desegregate communities and public resources in the 1950s were waged over access to swimming pools. And the way they’re used to this day still reflects a sweeping trend — more subtle in its exclusion but no less pervasive […]
Fact book an eye-opener on community associations
A community association is a popular lifestyle choice for many people, but it has been difficult to determine just how many — until now. A new body of research, the “Community Association Fact Book,” tallies the numbers of associations, housing units, residents and property values for the country and each state. It was published by […]