The new Covenants will go into effect when they are officially recorded with the county, along with the notarized signatures that approved the Covenants. We expect that to occur in mid-June.
Prior to being recorded with the county, the President and Secretary of the Homeowners Association must sign before a notary that the necessary quantity of approval signatures was achieved. This will occur at the next Homeowners board meeting, which will be at 7:30 PM, June 8, at 217 Sitka Court. Homeowners are welcome to attend this meeting.
Once the new Covenants are officially recorded, we will deliver a copy to each lot owner. In the meantime you can download a copy of the Covenants showing the revisions.
Link to proposed new Covenants, showing changes from current Covenants
If you have trouble accessing the documents online, please email willowbrookinfo@gmail.com to request an emailed copy!
What will change when the new Covenants go into effect? Practically speaking, not much. The intent of the new Covenants was to restore the arrangements that, until recently, everyone had assumed were already in place.
By the way, as we were gathering signatures, we heard concern from homeowners who have not seen the Covenants enforced with the rigor they expect of their neighborhood. This message is being relayed to the Homeowners Board for action.
If you have further questions, contact Jay Reinhardt of the Covenants Revision Committee at 627-3690.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Revised Covenants Approved!
Congratulations, Willowbrook! You fixed your Covenants.
Approving the revised Covenants required notarized signatures from the owners of 75% of the lots in Willowbrook. To date we have received notarized signatures for 77% (166 of 214) of Willowbrook lots, and we expect this to go higher as builders who own vacant lots in the neighborhood turn in signatures for their property. '
Since the main problem with the old Covenants was its division of the neighborhood into two unequal parts, it was important to achieve approval from both parts of the neighborhood to remove the division.
In other words, it was important that homeowners in both parts of the neighborhood agree that removing the division and giving everyone equal rights and responsibilities was in the best interests of all homeowners, no matter which part of the neighborhood they lived in.
So we are pleased to report that the Covenants were approved by an overwhelming majority of homeowners in each part of the neighborhood.
For example, approval among the homeowners in the new section of Willowbrook was 78%. 26 of the 33 homeowners in the new section signed the revised Covenants. Six said no, and one we could not reach. (Note that this ratio does not include owners of the 11 vacant lots/tracts in the new section – we are still in the process of collecting signatures from them.)
The old Covenants had divided the neighborhood into a Division A (the “old” section) and a Division B (the “new” section). Click here to see a map of the division. The tallies by Division are shown below. Note that we have not yet collected signatures from the owners of vacant lots, and did not try to collect signatures from the non-resident owners of rental homes. So these quantities currently count against approval. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with our drive-up campaigns, and the eight teams who went door to door in their own areas of the neighborhood. Special thanks are due our two tireless notaries, without whom this would have been an expensive effort.
The Statistics:
We thank everyone in the neighborhood, whether they decided to sign or not, for taking the time to make a decision.
Congratulations, Willowbrook!
Approving the revised Covenants required notarized signatures from the owners of 75% of the lots in Willowbrook. To date we have received notarized signatures for 77% (166 of 214) of Willowbrook lots, and we expect this to go higher as builders who own vacant lots in the neighborhood turn in signatures for their property. '
Since the main problem with the old Covenants was its division of the neighborhood into two unequal parts, it was important to achieve approval from both parts of the neighborhood to remove the division.
In other words, it was important that homeowners in both parts of the neighborhood agree that removing the division and giving everyone equal rights and responsibilities was in the best interests of all homeowners, no matter which part of the neighborhood they lived in.
So we are pleased to report that the Covenants were approved by an overwhelming majority of homeowners in each part of the neighborhood.
For example, approval among the homeowners in the new section of Willowbrook was 78%. 26 of the 33 homeowners in the new section signed the revised Covenants. Six said no, and one we could not reach. (Note that this ratio does not include owners of the 11 vacant lots/tracts in the new section – we are still in the process of collecting signatures from them.)
The old Covenants had divided the neighborhood into a Division A (the “old” section) and a Division B (the “new” section). Click here to see a map of the division. The tallies by Division are shown below. Note that we have not yet collected signatures from the owners of vacant lots, and did not try to collect signatures from the non-resident owners of rental homes. So these quantities currently count against approval. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with our drive-up campaigns, and the eight teams who went door to door in their own areas of the neighborhood. Special thanks are due our two tireless notaries, without whom this would have been an expensive effort.
The Statistics:
We thank everyone in the neighborhood, whether they decided to sign or not, for taking the time to make a decision.
Congratulations, Willowbrook!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Just a Few More Signatures to Go!
The Center Boulevard drive-up signature effort Monday night, plus the door to door signature collection to date has put us within a few signatures of the goal we need for approval of the new signatures.
We currently have 163 notarized non-duplicate signatures. Technically we only need 161 signatures to make the 75% goal required to approve the new Covenants. However for practical reasons it will be very helpful to have more signatures so than that to achieve the undisputed supermajority needed to put approval beyond doubt. Plus, we want to make sure that everyone has the chance to sign, or at least ask questions and make a decision.
On Thursday evening, May 27, we will be visiting the last few homes that have not had a chance to sign the Covenants. Several people have already told us that they do not want to sign the new Covenants – we respect that, and will not be bothering them.
If you have not yet had a chance to sign, we hope you will consider signing when we come by Thursday night.
If you will not be available Thursday night and want to sign, please call 627-3690 and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
We currently have 163 notarized non-duplicate signatures. Technically we only need 161 signatures to make the 75% goal required to approve the new Covenants. However for practical reasons it will be very helpful to have more signatures so than that to achieve the undisputed supermajority needed to put approval beyond doubt. Plus, we want to make sure that everyone has the chance to sign, or at least ask questions and make a decision.
On Thursday evening, May 27, we will be visiting the last few homes that have not had a chance to sign the Covenants. Several people have already told us that they do not want to sign the new Covenants – we respect that, and will not be bothering them.
If you have not yet had a chance to sign, we hope you will consider signing when we come by Thursday night.
If you will not be available Thursday night and want to sign, please call 627-3690 and we can make alternate arrangements for you.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Status of the Signature Campaign to Fix the Covenants
The signature collection drive on Monday afternoon, May 17, was a big success. Thank you to all who stopped to sign -- we now have 112 signatures, over half the neighborhood!
A total of 161 signatures are needed to approve the new, fixed Covenants. Approving the new Covenants requires the notarized signatures of 75% of Willowbrook’s 214 lot owners.
To obtain the remaining signatures, we will be having a signature collection drive on Center Blvd on Monday, May 24, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. If you haven’t signed yet, please stop by then to help fix the Covenants. If you cannot make the signature collection drive on May 24 but would like to sign, call Jay Reinhardt at 627-3690 to arrange a time.
We’ll also be going door-to-door on Sunday evening, May 23.
To read more about why the Covenants need to be fixed, and to review a copy of the new, fixed Covenants we hope to approve, see the “Campaign to Fix Our Covenants” below.
A total of 161 signatures are needed to approve the new, fixed Covenants. Approving the new Covenants requires the notarized signatures of 75% of Willowbrook’s 214 lot owners.
To obtain the remaining signatures, we will be having a signature collection drive on Center Blvd on Monday, May 24, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. If you haven’t signed yet, please stop by then to help fix the Covenants. If you cannot make the signature collection drive on May 24 but would like to sign, call Jay Reinhardt at 627-3690 to arrange a time.
We’ll also be going door-to-door on Sunday evening, May 23.
To read more about why the Covenants need to be fixed, and to review a copy of the new, fixed Covenants we hope to approve, see the “Campaign to Fix Our Covenants” below.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Re-Zoning Petition - Richland Citiy Council May 18!
Please come and support before the Richland City Council our petition to rezone the property behind Willowbrook – to try to help keep traffic in our neighborhood under control.
When: Tuesday, May 18
Time: 7:30 p.m. – we will be heard at the beginning of the meeting
Where: Richland City Hall Council Chamber, 505 Swift Boulevard
When: Tuesday, May 18
Time: 7:30 p.m. – we will be heard at the beginning of the meeting
Where: Richland City Hall Council Chamber, 505 Swift Boulevard
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Annual Homeowners Meeting - May 11!
It’s that time of year again! The Annual Homeowners Meeting will be held:
May 11, 2010, 7:00pm
305 Piper Street
Agenda items to be discussed: major projects, the Willowbrook covenants revision, re-zoning petition, approving the board, and voting on the annual assessment. Hope to see you there!
May 11, 2010, 7:00pm
305 Piper Street
Agenda items to be discussed: major projects, the Willowbrook covenants revision, re-zoning petition, approving the board, and voting on the annual assessment. Hope to see you there!
Willowbrook Newsletter!
Click here to download an electronic version of the Willowbrook Newsletter! Let us know what you think and if you have suggestions for the next issue!
Meeting Minutes - March2010
Willowbrook Community Association
Board meeting Minutes
March 9, 2010
Association Members Present:
• Carol Moser
• Chad Mitchell
Board Members Present:
• Christopher Childers
• Jay Reinhardt
• Gretchen Luongo
• Jeff Rampon
• Brenda Birnbaum
• Mark Spinner
• Bonnie Mitchell
Review of Last Month’s minutes:
• Last month (February) not enough members were present for a quorum; therefore, there are no official minutes to approve.
Zoning Petition Update (Chad Mitchell):
• Petition has been submitted to the City of Richland, Chad also has additional signatures that have not yet been submitted.
• There appears to be positive support within the Willowbrook community, however the concern is that unless there is enough push no action will be taken by the City.
• Looking for HOA support and strategy ideas to move forward. HOA reiterated their support of this initiative and discussed strategy ideas.
• Discussed the necessity of being specific about what outcome we are asking to come from this re-zoning request. It was suggested that the request be made to add the re-zoning request to the list of comp plan amendments for this year – specifically to re-zone the land comparable to what we currently have in Willowbrook (lo-density housing).
• Chad will continue to work the issue and will talk to the city about the best way to proceed and get this issue to a decision by either the Planning Board or the Council. Chad will get back to the board on his progress.
• Tentatively plan to use the May 18th City Hall Meeting to show neighborhood support and possibly request a public hearing.
• HOA is willing to use the Blog to update homeowners as information becomes available.
Financial Update (Jeff Rampon)
• Account balance of $39,739.54 at the end of February. (Financial statement attached.)
Assessment Collection (Phil Pinard)
• 16 homeowners are currently outstanding – five are outstanding for the current assessments only and the remaining eleven are multi-year. Next step will be to process property liens on outstanding if payment is not received after final deadline. Interest will be added to outstanding assessment dues.
• Mark Spinner made a motion to post names of the homeowners who are delinquent on their assessments on the website. Jeff Rampon seconded the motion. The motion did not pass.
• Jay Reinhardt made a motion to file a lien on any homeowner who has not paid their assessments by the last deadline given (approximately 1 week from today.) Phil Pinard seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion passed.
Covenant Modifications
• Discussed the need to possibly update the Willowbrook covenants – 75% of homeowners will need to sign a notarized document to approve a change.
• Carol Moser was present to recap how the covenants were originally put in place. The driving factor in setting up the covenants in the first place was to get pressurized irrigation for the neighborhood and to create a vehicle to maintain the common areas such as the landscaping at the entrances to the neighborhood. 75% of homeowners had to sign a notarized document to get the covenants in place. It was a massive undertaking requiring door-to-door and having a notary available during certain hours at her home when people could come by and sign.
• Suggestion was made that we present a straw-man of the proposed new covenant at the Annual homeowner’s meeting in May to generate buy in – then go door-to-door in the spring and summer to obtain the required signatures.
• Need to verify that notoratized signatures are required for an amendment.
• Jay Reinhardt will lead a working group to draft changes to the covenants and determine a strategy plan for getting the updates approved by the homeowners. Working group will meet prior to the next monthly HOA meeting April 13 and will report back to the board for action at that time.
Executive Session of the Board
• Board members participated in an executive session subject to attorney client privilege. Due to the confidential nature of the session, minutes for this session will be kept separately and not published.
Other
• A get-well card will be sent to Carl Higby on behalf of the HOA. Gretchen will take care of this.
• Newsletter and welcoming committee will be agenda items for next months meeting.
Closing
• The next meeting will take place April 13th at 7:30 pm at the home of Gretchen Luongo, 108 Bebb Court.
• Motion was made by Bonnie Mitchell to adjourn, Chris Childers seconded the motion. All approved.
Board meeting Minutes
March 9, 2010
Association Members Present:
• Carol Moser
• Chad Mitchell
Board Members Present:
• Christopher Childers
• Jay Reinhardt
• Gretchen Luongo
• Jeff Rampon
• Brenda Birnbaum
• Mark Spinner
• Bonnie Mitchell
Review of Last Month’s minutes:
• Last month (February) not enough members were present for a quorum; therefore, there are no official minutes to approve.
Zoning Petition Update (Chad Mitchell):
• Petition has been submitted to the City of Richland, Chad also has additional signatures that have not yet been submitted.
• There appears to be positive support within the Willowbrook community, however the concern is that unless there is enough push no action will be taken by the City.
• Looking for HOA support and strategy ideas to move forward. HOA reiterated their support of this initiative and discussed strategy ideas.
• Discussed the necessity of being specific about what outcome we are asking to come from this re-zoning request. It was suggested that the request be made to add the re-zoning request to the list of comp plan amendments for this year – specifically to re-zone the land comparable to what we currently have in Willowbrook (lo-density housing).
• Chad will continue to work the issue and will talk to the city about the best way to proceed and get this issue to a decision by either the Planning Board or the Council. Chad will get back to the board on his progress.
• Tentatively plan to use the May 18th City Hall Meeting to show neighborhood support and possibly request a public hearing.
• HOA is willing to use the Blog to update homeowners as information becomes available.
Financial Update (Jeff Rampon)
• Account balance of $39,739.54 at the end of February. (Financial statement attached.)
Assessment Collection (Phil Pinard)
• 16 homeowners are currently outstanding – five are outstanding for the current assessments only and the remaining eleven are multi-year. Next step will be to process property liens on outstanding if payment is not received after final deadline. Interest will be added to outstanding assessment dues.
• Mark Spinner made a motion to post names of the homeowners who are delinquent on their assessments on the website. Jeff Rampon seconded the motion. The motion did not pass.
• Jay Reinhardt made a motion to file a lien on any homeowner who has not paid their assessments by the last deadline given (approximately 1 week from today.) Phil Pinard seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion passed.
Covenant Modifications
• Discussed the need to possibly update the Willowbrook covenants – 75% of homeowners will need to sign a notarized document to approve a change.
• Carol Moser was present to recap how the covenants were originally put in place. The driving factor in setting up the covenants in the first place was to get pressurized irrigation for the neighborhood and to create a vehicle to maintain the common areas such as the landscaping at the entrances to the neighborhood. 75% of homeowners had to sign a notarized document to get the covenants in place. It was a massive undertaking requiring door-to-door and having a notary available during certain hours at her home when people could come by and sign.
• Suggestion was made that we present a straw-man of the proposed new covenant at the Annual homeowner’s meeting in May to generate buy in – then go door-to-door in the spring and summer to obtain the required signatures.
• Need to verify that notoratized signatures are required for an amendment.
• Jay Reinhardt will lead a working group to draft changes to the covenants and determine a strategy plan for getting the updates approved by the homeowners. Working group will meet prior to the next monthly HOA meeting April 13 and will report back to the board for action at that time.
Executive Session of the Board
• Board members participated in an executive session subject to attorney client privilege. Due to the confidential nature of the session, minutes for this session will be kept separately and not published.
Other
• A get-well card will be sent to Carl Higby on behalf of the HOA. Gretchen will take care of this.
• Newsletter and welcoming committee will be agenda items for next months meeting.
Closing
• The next meeting will take place April 13th at 7:30 pm at the home of Gretchen Luongo, 108 Bebb Court.
• Motion was made by Bonnie Mitchell to adjourn, Chris Childers seconded the motion. All approved.
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