Harvest Ridge Avon

Town of Avon ordinances require that any development with common areas (i.e., the ponds and the entry) must have an Owners Association with a Board of Directors.

Proposal: Terminate the existing The Harvest Ridge Homeowners Association (HOA) and establish a bare-bones HOA whose purpose is to maintain the common areas.

According to the Harvest Ridge covenants, the existing HOA can be terminated by a 2/3 vote of members (135 of the 203 members). The way the covenants are written, there will be ONE opportunity to terminate the HOA in 2024. After that, there’s an automatic 10-year renewal.

From the Covenants, Article XI:
Duration (Covenants and Restrictions) and amendment
Declaration effective for 20 years (from April 12, 1994).
Renews for ten year periods thereafter.
2/3 vote required to terminate the HOA.
Termination effective at the end of the 10-year period in which vote occurred.
Deadline: April 11, 2024. After that, it means waiting another 10 years.

Observations:

• Our HOA is barely functional, communication is sparse, participation is negligible.
• Enforcement of the Covenants is hit-or-miss, and the Board can decide whether or not to address complaints (as per the Covenants).
• The HOA is effectively run by a paid management company. The Board has little to do.
• Sentry Management supposedly maintains a Harvest Ridge website. In my opinion, it’s grossly inadequate. No news, updates, announcements, etc. It primarily serves Sentry, not the homeowners, in my opinion.
• Do you know how to contact a Board member? I have done so and was told to take my question to Sentry Management.
• Sentry Management supposedly tours the subdivision once per month or so to look for violations of the Covenants. Do they? (We pay for that.)
• Whenever the Board changes, there are inevitably changes in policy and interpretation of the Covenants. The phrase “helter skelter” comes to mind.
• The Covenants are nearly 30 years old and are outdated and vague. They should be revised but the Board keeps kicking the can down the road.
• “Rules and regulations” have never been formally established, but the Board arbitrarily enacts them, without formally documenting them (beyond meeting minutes) and without seeking member approval.
• A recent Board was not elected in accordance with the governing documents; it could be argued that the Board was therefore illegitimate.
• Apathy: Homeowners are not involved. Boards have done little to promote interest and participation. One or two people (out of 203 homes) may attend virtual Board meetings. The last annual meeting (virtual) was attended by only a few people.

Terminate the HOA?

Pros:

• Reduction of annual dues.
• Elimination of selective and arbitrary enforcement by the Board.
• Reduction of petty rules (which may change when the Board changes) and selective enforcement of Covenants.
• Elimination of a hired “management” company (~$10,000 per year).
• Streamline the Covenants, eliminating outdated or vague sections.

Cons:

• Funding (annual dues) still required for such things as maintenance of common areas (e.g., the ponds and entrance, grass cutting, replenishing mulch).
• A decline in aesthetics may result from fewer restrictions. However, some people who have lived here for awhile say the place has already declined, and I don’t see the Board doing enough to address that. Harvest Ridge is already on a downhill slide (see pics below).

Existing “aesthetics” with our current HOA (a few examples):

Proposal:

• Terminate the existing HOA Declaration, eliminating our outdated Covenants.
• Establish a new, streamlined, HOA and Declaration dedicated primarily to maintaining common areas and such things as utility bills. Make life simpler.

Are you interested?

If you are interested in terminating the existing HOA Declaration, use this contact form to provide your name and email address. We will add you to our mailing list for updates.

Click here for forum discussion.