Because it had never been done before, there wasn’t an established city permit process for a curbside EV station. They also needed to convince their condo association to approve the project. Torrella approached the city and the Pittsfield Village board of directors with the idea early last year. His persistence led to a closed meeting […]
Brick Planning Roadway, Dam Replacement in Flooded Neighborhood (NJ)
The streets, like any other in town, are publicly owned and the responsibility of Brick Township. The dam and culvert, which carry the street over a private lake, is the responsibility of the homeowners association. Projects to replace both will be combined in a unique solution worked out by township, state and Greenbriar officials. Read […]
Honolulu looks to Singapore to solve its housing shortage (HI)
There’s an old joke in Hawaii that state bird should be the crane — as in, the construction crane. A quick look around Honolulu’s Ala Moana neighborhood shows why: High-rise cranes dot the skyline, each one working on a new building. Most streets have at least a couple of active construction sites, and almost all […]
Condo Owners Are Still Fighting for Equal Access to Municipal Services
Condo owners usually understand that they give up some of the rights enjoyed by single-family homeowners. The right to paint their front door any color they choose, to play their music at any decibel level they choose, and even to smoke in their residences, for example, all may be prohibited by condo associations rules or […]
Lake Charlene flood project back in limbo after Escambia County attorney weighs in (FL)
A dispute over the terms of a proposed easement will continue to keep the $2.1 million project to control flooding in the Lake Charlene neighborhood in limbo. The Lake Charlene Homeowners Association voted March 25 to offer Escambia County an easement to give the county permission to use its private property for a flood control […]
Residents’ frustration is mounting as Lilley Road bridge remains closed two years later (MI)
When Canton Township’s Lilley Road bridge, located just north Michigan Avenue and one-half mile south of Palmer Road, was abruptly closed due to unsafe conditions in April 2017, neighboring residents were understanding, tolerant and patient, realizing the connector had outlived its serviceable days. A replacement would be constructed in due time, they rationalized. Exactly two […]
$2.1 million Lake Charlene flood project may be back on the table after HOA vote (FL)
A $2.1 million project to control flooding in the Lake Charlene neighborhood appears to have come back from the dead after the homeowners’ association reversed its position. The Lake Charlene Homeowners Association on Monday voted to approve Escambia County’s flood project and to offer the county an easement to replace the flood gate that controls […]
Mobile Homeowners Associations set to get city money for security cameras (AL)
Two more Homeowners Associations are set to get financial help from the city to install security cameras. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilmembers will consider giving the Llanfair South Yester Oaks and Huffman Estates homeowners associations a combined total of $7,500 in discretionary funds to install surveillance systems as part of Project Shield. Read the article……………………
West Mobile neighborhood wants city to pay for surveillance (AL)
A West Mobile neighborhood reached out to their city council representative asking for money to install security cameras that can be tapped in on by police. The Regency Oaks Homeowners Association collaborated with Mobile Police’s Project Shield program so that police can tap into those cameras at any time to help deter or respond to […]
Homeowners On Winnetka’s Private Roads Ask Village To Cover Costs (IL)
Winnetka trustees are set to discuss whether to change its rules for annexing private roads Tuesday. The most comes in response to a request from the president of a neighborhood association, who said the policy is “outdated, makes no sense and is patently unfair” to residents of private roads. Read the article…………………
Condo associations now eligible to apply for crumbling foundations funds (CT)
The Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company announced Monday that it will start working with condo associations to secure funds for the replacement or reimbursement of work done on their crumbling foundations. Read the article…………………….
Condo concerns voiced during Halsey Beshears confirmation hearing (FL)
Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) Secretary Halsey Beshears’ confirmation process has encountered some conflict. During a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, state Sen. José Javier Rodriguez, a Miami Democrat, voted against Beshears, a Republican former House member from Monticello. Rodriguez, explaining the vote, cited inaction on problems surrounding condominium complaints. Read the article………………….
La Porte PD Forms Partnerships With HOA’s To Enhance Security (TX)
The La Porte Police Department is asking home and business owners to join them in everyday crime fighting through a unique partnership. The proposal will allow business owners and area Home Owner’s Associations to provide access to video surveillance, which will help police ensure the safety of the community, officials said in a press release. […]
Centennial Lakes condo owners question fairness of parks fees (MN)
A group of condo owners are tired of paying more than the rest of the city’s residents to maintain Centennial Lakes Park. Homeowners from the Centennial Lakes Village condominium complex made their case at a Jan. 31 Edina Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting, asking to be relieved of the $28 fee they pay every month […]
They Are Taking Our Common Area! (NC)
The power of eminent domain, also referred to as condemnation, refers to the power of the government or other quasi-governmental entity, such as a utility company, to take private property for a public purpose. The law requires “just compensation” to be paid when a taking occurs. What happens, however, when the property taken is common […]
County gives Allenbrook paving money (VA)
A problem with roads in Lenoir City’s Allenbrook subdivision appears settled after Loudon County Commission voted Monday to share the cost of paving. Commissioners Matthew Tinker and Julia Hurley motioned and seconded, respectively, to contribute $55,000 to Lenoir City to help complete paving of three unfinished roads — Flora Drive, Tristan Court and part of […]
Sheriff to post full-time deputy in Spring Creek (NV)
A new year is bringing changes to law enforcement in Spring Creek, with a full-time deputy to be stationed in the homeowners association in the coming months. Elko County Sheriff Aitor Narvaiza made the announcement to the Spring Creek Association board of directors on Jan. 23, outlining his department’s vision to open communication lines and […]
Escambia County considers eminent domain to address flooding in Warrington neighborhood (FL)
An Escambia County project to address flooding in one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the 2014 flood is stalled as some homeowners in the neighborhood remain opposed to the plan. Now, the county is considering using eminent domain to make the project happen, even over the objections of those homeowners. Read the article…………………..
Homeowners get ‘re-leaf’ from Council (FL)
Normally, a dispute among homeowners in a gated community wouldn’t make its way before the Venice City Council. But one did Tuesday, and the Council approved an amended preliminary plat landscape plan for the Willow Chase subdivision. It all started a few years back when residents became concerned the live oaks planted in the right […]
Allenbrook roads in question (TN)
Residents in the Allenbrook community in Lenoir City are requesting action be taken to help fix roads in the subdivision that remain unfinished years after the developer went bankrupt during the recession and left without completing the job. Read the article………………………
Battle Creek Considers Funding Road Repairs At Condo Complex (MI)
The City of Battle Creek could be funding the cost of fixing a stretch of road in a condominium complex south of Lakeview High School. The Battle Creek City Commission will be considering Tuesday night a resolution which would authorize the city to fix up Woodhaven Dr, and then levy a special assessment on the […]
Taxpayers receive no help on private roads (OH)
It’s not just the city that has to scrape together funds to repair roads. Several residents are finding little help or money is available to fix their street if they live on a private drive. The about 20 property owners on Ginny Circle Drive just completed what they call “major road work” by resurfacing their […]
Managing the Headache of Compliance (NY)
The daily to-do lists for property managers in New York never seem to get any shorter. Overseeing capital projects, supervising staff, seeing to repairs, responding to shareholders, communicating with vendors… The list goes on. Read the article………………
Why HOA Dues Can Spell “Bad News” for Clearance Holders
I’ve had the privilege of writing for ClearanceJobs.com now for nearly five years, and with roughly one article per week that’s a whole lot of articles. People sometimes ask me how I still have topics to write about in the seemingly niche world of security clearances. The truth is that security clearances aren’t so niche […]
Lake residents frustrated by blue-green algae in St. Pete (FL)
People living on Harbor Isle Lake in St. Pete are frustrated with the city over lack of plans to fix an algae bloom in the water. Geoff Davis says it smells, it’s an eye sore and that birds fly out of the lake covered in green muck. “The water has become so cloudy it […]
Impact of the Government Shutdown on Community Associations
The partial government shutdown impacts several federal agencies and programs important to community associations. Homeowners and buyers, board members, community managers, attorneys, and other business partners may notice delays in condominium loan certification, flood insurance policy changes, drone licensing approvals, and more. Read the article………………….
Water supply for Clyde subdivision threatened (NC)
Several dozen homeowners got a minor reprieve at the Clyde Board of Aldermen meeting last week after the deadline suspending water service was relaxed. The town board had previously notified the homeowners on Maple Knolls Circle that the road had deteriorated to the point that portions of the town’s water line buried beneath the road […]
Roseland Council Votes to Provide Services to Private Streets (NJ)
In an effort to ensure that all residents of privately owned homes in the Borough of Roseland receive fair and equal treatment compared to other homeowners, the borough council has amended its “private roads” ordinance to authorize the borough to maintain, plow, salt, resurface and reconstruct private streets. Read the article………………
‘Alternative Facts’ from LA: City Claims Trailhead Gate to Hollywood Sign It Permanently Closed is Really ‘Open’ (CA)
….Nearby resident associations – Los Feliz Improvement Association, The Oaks Homeowners Association, Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association, and Lake Hollywood Homeowners Association – representing thousands of households in adjacent communities — have all expressed their desire for the gate to be re-opened to pedestrian access and their support for the Alternate Access Plan. Read the […]
Cambridge to consider ways to let renters, condo owners run power cords to charge their electric vehicles at the curb (MA)
Cambridge city councilors say renters and condo owners who buy electric cars are increasingly running extension cords out their windows and across sidewalks to power up their vehicles. Read the article………………….
County takes steps toward managing CSAs (CA)
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors announced Dec. 11 the hiring of a county service area (CSA) coordinator and approved street sweeping contracts in several neighborhoods as the county faces pressure to provide services it has failed to deliver in recent years. Read the article…………………..
Beyond an HOA: How, and why, some Homeowners Associations became towns (NC)
When homeowners associations can’t do it all, sometimes, homeowners help their developments become actual towns. Homeowners associations can manage most of the same services local governments do. Through fees and fines, they maintain streets, provide amenities, and contract out services outside their purview. But what happens when homeowners associations give rise to actual governments? It’s […]
Feds zero in on Surfside asbestos mess (WA)
North Beach Water District is under scrutiny from state authorities and the federal Environmental Protection Agency for improperly handling and storing asbestos cement pipes while working under contract for the Surfside Homeowners Association. An estimated seven to nine current and former workers were exposed to asbestos. The asbestos imbroglio is already costing the association and […]
Defunct HOA offers to gift Breckenridge, Summit County 20 acres of land in Illinois Gulch (CO)
A homeowners association that disbanded 20 years ago but still owns eight parcels of open-space land has offered them to Breckenridge and Summit County free of charge. All the town and county would need to do is cover title insurance and closing costs, said Scott Reid, the town’s director of recreation. Last week he described […]
SC island property owners want homes torn down after beach erosion
A private island community in Beaufort County is suing the state over beach regulations — but in a twist, a homeowners association isn’t trying to circumvent the rules, but rather get the state’s help in removing six homes. Read the article……………
Timberlake homeowners association working to create watershed improvement project (VA)
The Timberlake Homeowners Association is working to improve the conditions on Timber Lake. Neighbors say they’ve had constant issues with sediment on the lake bed since the August floods and it needs to be dredged. The homeowners say without the healthy return of the lake, each home is at risk of losing 2/3 of its […]
Emergency responders investigate source of oil spill behind Del Lago HOA (CA)
Government agencies including the Lakeport Police Department, Lake County Environmental Health, Lake County Water Resources, Lakeport Fire Department, Lakeport Public Works and Northshore Fire investigated the source of an oil spill coming through a storm drain spreading into Clear Lake on Tuesday morning behind the Del Lago Home Owners Association building in Lakeport. Read […]
County Line Drive residents seeks flood water help (WV)
Residents of the Horner subdivision off County Line Drive in Berkeley County say a beaver dam is causing rain water to accumulate in their neighborhood making it impassable for vehicles to enter………The Horner subdivision residents’ problem is compounded by them never having set up a homeowners’ association. “It’s a private road in here,” Hamilton said. […]
Highlands Park Estates Clubhouse called into question (FL)
……Howerton and Project Manager Kenya A. Anderson reported at that meeting that residents and county staff at the time determined the best way of repairing the dilapidated structure would be to tear it down and rebuild it. Howerton said on May 15 that the commission originally allocated $180,000 for the project, through the Highlands Park […]
Police upping patrols to curb chronic speeding in Fishers neighborhood (IN)
Neighbors in one Fishers subdivision are blowing the whistle on reckless drivers speeding through their neighborhood and ignoring school bus stop signs, and police are stepping up to help. “The city is taking it very seriously,” said Nick Metheny. “We know there’s a concern.” Read the article……………..
OKC to accept Lone Oak Farms land for park and trail development (OK)
The Oklahoma City Council voted Tuesday to accept 130 acres of the former Lone Oak Farms in far northwest Oklahoma City for park and trail development. Lone Oak LLC and Lone Oak Farms Homeowners Association are conveying the land to the city. Read the article…………………
‘I’m afraid to let my grandkids play in the yard.’ More access gates approved in Jackson (MS)
The Jackson City Council approved the installation of two public access gates Tuesday night, capping off a multiyear push from some residents to make their neighborhoods more secure. The council voted 5 to 1 to allow the installation of gates in the Northpointe and Rollingwood neighborhoods, both adjacent to Old Canton Road in north Jackson. […]
Flagler County says no to HOA’s ‘no parking’ signs at beach access point
At the end of Solee Road next to the small, gated community of Hammock Beach Estates, the serenity of the beach has been jarred by a debate, as not everyone agrees with the new “No Parking” signs. In addition to the gated community, the rest of the subdivision, known as Armand Beach East, also uses […]
Maalaea condo groups working on wastewater alternatives (HI)
The Maalaea Village Association has begun facilitating discussions among area residents, businesses and governmental entities about the feasibility of a regional wastewater treatment plant to serve the Maalaea community. Read the article………………
Sewage ‘detectives’ will search for Fairview Beach’s waste problems (VA)
After years of trying to determine the source of human and animal waste polluting the Potomac River at Fairview Beach, King George County officials are calling in an agency whose workers have been likened to crime-scene investigators. That’s the Hampton Roads Sanitary District, which in 2015 invested more than $400,000 in a microbial source-tracking program, […]
Homeowners upset over HOA park, handed over to Kaysville City (UT)
When Tim Hodges, originally from Texas, moved into his neighborhood back in April, he says the land supported by the local Homeowners Association was a major factor, because it included a park and an equestrian area. “It was perfect. It was everything we dream of,” Hodges said. “I mean, that’s a competition-size arena right there, […]
Bernath Drive residents ask Santa Rosa County for help fixing bridge (FL)
A new group of leaders in a Milton homeowners association is looking for assistance from Santa Rosa County to secure emergency service access to the neighborhood in the Avalon Beach area. The privately owned bridge serving the Bernath Place Homeowners Association has been declared structurally deficient, leaving the residents without access to firetrucks Read the article………………
HOA board asks city to make overnight street parking illegal in Greenwood subdivision (IN)
A homeowners association board is asking the City of Greenwood to make overnight street parking illegal, but only in their subdivision. The president of the Tuscany Village HOA board presented a letter to the Greenwood City Council August 20. It asks the council to pass an ordinance that would reinforce existing Tuscany Village bylaws by […]
Managing Government Approval for Community Repairs and Improvements
Do you live in a community that is planning repairs or improvements? You may not be aware, but it is often the case that in order to legally proceed you must obtain local government approval through the Planning & Zoning Board or City Commission. Whether you live in a single family home or in a […]