DFW's Top Neighborhoods

What makes the difference in the quality of life of your community?

CMA (RTI/Community Management Associates, Inc.) is pleased to manage dozens of HOAs that contribute to the great lifestyle and livability of the Dallas Fort Worth area. We congratulate the many communities which were recognized in the recent ranking of tops neighborhoods in the Dallas Morning News. We especially appreciate Association Board members and other community volunteers for working to make their communities wonderful places to live.

1 CENTRAL PLANO

Central Plano has found the formula for success: strong schools, low crime, impressive parks. Those things, along with easy commutes, corporate growth and a lifestyle and amenities that appeal to empty-nesters, make it the top neighborhood in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the Dallas Morning News’ analysis.

The Frisco ISD schools that serve Central Plano — Anderson, Taylor, Borchardt and Riddle elementary schools and Fowler Middle School — are what powered the neighborhood to the top over many neighborhoods that were similar.

The neighborhood, largely between Preston Road and U.S. Highway 75, also scored as the top spot for empty-nesters, and the area near Legacy Town Center was rated high for walkability.

The community has put a premium on parks, and with Russell Creek Park and a greenbelt trail that links it to other green spaces, there’s no shortage of outdoor spaces to explore.

Central Plano was among 10 North Texas communities that recorded areas of virtually zero serious crime in the last year, making it one of the safest neighborhoods to live in.

To read the full list of top Dallas area neighborhoods, click here.

And across the web, you'll find more rankings and data here:   Top 10 Best Cities to Live in America

And the specific Plano page here: Plano Livability Score

Not the Usual Annual Meeting

Owners Circulate, Meet and Greet and Sign Up

Copyright Photo Courtesy of  Hometown/Arcadia

The HomeTown HOA Annual Meeting was unlike anything CMA had undertaken for a community.  A major goal was to create interaction among neighbors. Typically at annual meetings, most owners walk in with their spouse or neighbor, sign in at the sign in table, and then go straight to their seat with said spouse or neighbor. They may talk with this person until the meeting starts, and then walk straight out when the meeting concludes.

Board President Sean McGaughey came to us about two months before the meeting and laid out his vision for some activities he would like to see.  His vision was to set up tables around the perimeter of the room for each of their 12-15 active committees so volunteers for each group would stand behind each table and meet owners. CMA staff arrived early to ensure proper setup, and also manned a Customer Service table.  

When owners first entered and signed in at the registration table, they were given a card and asked to circulate among the tables, meet the volunteers, and get their card stamped at each table to show they made the rounds.  Once they had visited all the tables and collected all the stamps, they turned their stamped card in for entry into a raffle. At least 80-90% of the owners visited the tables so the goal of creating more interaction was achieved. The owners seemed engaged and the meeting moved forward with good energy.

The CMA team pulled together in an effort to exceed the expectations and requests from the Board.   Contributing CMA’ers from Mid Cities were Lois Bray, Barbara Legan, Kay Martin, Alicia Winters, Christine Wohler, and James Barricklow. CMA Customer Care Supervisor Mary Beth Hays came from Corporate to help owners sign up for a log-in to the website at the CMA Customer Service table. Owners could also sign up online to receive paperless e-statements.

   

Board President Sean McGaughey presided and showed the CMA video, “Because we Care,” which is featured on the compnay's homepage.  Sean believes its captures the spirit of the management company and wanted to share the message about CMA’s teamwork and appreciation of clients with fellow owners. 

Thanks to guest blogger and CMA Association Manager James Barricklow for submitting this article.

Analysts say technology and finance trends will drive residential solar.

 A Goldman Sachs investment report draws from clean energy technology analysts to predict disruptive trends for utilities and energy savings for consumers.

• First, Tesla’s giant manufacturing facility will soon begin pumping out lithium ion batteries to be used in both Tesla vehicles and renewable energy storage units. The cost of said batteries should drop to $125/KWh by 2020, from a current price of more than $200/KWh, and dropping 3% each year thereafter.    This represents a potentially a disruptive technology for utilities.
• The cost of solar panels continues to fall. Goldman says we can expect an average reduction of 3% annually here as well.

Though nothing is imminent, Goldman Sachs analysts lay out three reasons why the utility market is heading in the direction of grid defection (people leaving the grid).

“Ultimately the holy grail of solar is to move to a situation where the customer is no longer tied to the grid at all. This may be far off, aside from entailing a much more expensive solar/battery system, this is also potentially out of people’s comfort zone entailing a 100% reliance on a new system for their electricity needs. That said, decreased reliability from an aging distribution infrastructure, a broadening desire to reduce the carbon footprint, and perhaps most importantly, the reduction of solar panel and battery costs could also work together to make grid independence a reality for many customers one day.”

Read more:   http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-on-solar-and-elon-musk-2014-3   

A Green Tech column in Forbes cites solar leases which make it possible for homeowners to pay little or no money down to have a set of solar panels installed on their roofs. Instead of forking over, say, $20,000 to install and own the equipment, they pay a fee each month for using the electricity produced from the panels. Homeowners typically sign a long-term contract of 15 to 20 years with the companies that pay for solar equipment and labor and make sure the solar panels work properly during the lifetime of the contract.

Read more:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/uciliawang/2013/02/11/solar-leases-will-propel-solar-home-growth-to-5-7b/

IS YOUR HOA PREPARED FOR A TURF WAR?

In 2003, Texas law protected the use of “water conserving turf” but it failed to define what constituted water conserving turf.  Naturally, arguments ensued over the right to install synthetic turf (think of the lush groundcover at AT&T Stadium) versus natural turf (examples include Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Buffalo Grass).  A mere 10 years later, SB 198 or Texas Property Code Section 202.007 clarifies, protects, and gives owners the right to install water conserving or drought-resistant landscaping.  This law received broad support from many advocacy groups as an important way to address the water crisis in our State.

For owners, the days of a property owners association’s (POA) absolute right to deny drought-resistant landscaping are a thing of the past.  Subject to POA approval (see below), owners can install water-efficient landscapes.  This option is very attractive and earth-friendly, not just economical.  A xeriscape is the smart thing to do if you live in where water is scarce or are subject to water restrictions.  Owners are no longer limited to installing the “Arizona look” but rather have many options to achieve a lush and beautiful landscape. 

Not only do xeriscape materials save water, if maintained, they become a self-sustaining, low-maintenance natural landscape for your home.  As part of the architectural application process, owners should be prepared to submit a detailed description or plan for the installation. Owners are encouraged to provide a to-scale drawing of the plan, along with photos and descriptions of the various plant materials, groundcover, etc.

For POAs, Section 202.007 provided needed guidance on what constitutes turf and whether the POA could promulgate guidelines relating to drought resistant landscaping.  As background to the “turf” issue, an owner fought to tweak the bill to protect his expensive synthetic lawn.  Ironically and much to the owner’s dismay, the new law lists "natural" turf, confirming that artificial, synthetic, fake grass doesn't qualify as xeriscaping in the POA context. 

The law also allows POAs to establish drought resistant landscaping guidelines.  The POAs standard of review for the application is to ensure “maximum aesthetic compatibility” with other landscaping in the community and, such determination cannot be “unreasonably withheld”.  POAs are encouraged to work with its management company, landscape vendor, and legal counsel to establish the community’s standards for installation of drought-resistant landscaping to include, among other things, the types of plants, rocks, gravel, border, maintenance requirements, and what percentage of the visible lot must contain sodded grass.

If guidelines are not established, including a requirement to obtain prior approval, then the POA may not be able to restrict xeriscaping.  Once approved, the guidelines must be filed in the county’s real property records.

As my wife frequently reminds me, communication is key.  The POA must effectively communicate its requirements to the owners via established guidelines.  The owners must effectively communicate their drought-resistant landscaping plans via review of the guidelines and presentation of detailed plans.

Best of luck in avoiding a turf war in your POA.  For more on this topic also see this recent blog post.

About our Guest blogger:  Vinay B. Patel is a senior associate attorney at Henry Oddo Austin & Fletcher, P.C.     He has the unique experience of both serving on HOA Boards and representing HOAs as general counsel.  This article is not a substitute for legal advice and should not be construed as a legal opinion. If you have specific inquiries, please contact Vinay @ vpatel@hoaf.com.

What should be in the minutes of board meetings?

The HOA Pulse newsletter recently offered several tips for making board meetings more efficient. Here's one item.

Minutes - Minutes are the official record of actions taken by the board of directors at a meeting. As such, we feel that minutes should only reflect action items and decisions made. Minutes should not be a verbatim transcript of the entire meeting. While a prior article published in HOA Pulse provided a checklist for minutes, that checklist was intended to identify the items that might be documented in the minutes. It did not discuss the overall structure of the minutes.

Minutes should typically include:

• The time the meeting was called to order and the time it was adjourned.
• A listing of board members who were present and those who were absent.
• Approval of the prior meeting minutes.
• All motions made during the meeting, whether or not they were approved.
• The maker of each motion, the second of the motion, and a list of board members who voted for, dissented, or abstained from the motion.
• Approval of any specific financial transactions.
• Acceptance of the treasurer’s report.

ReadMore about making board meetings more efficient.

Funding Condominium Reserves by Percentage of Assessments

If you live in a Condominium community, you may need to find out if your association is setting aside sufficient reserve funds for future replacements and maintenance. In a short case study article, Gary Porter, a CPA and reserve specialist, recounts the experience of a small California condo community and tells why they had to change their method of setting aside reserves and plan for a special assessment.

“The fact is, using a flat percentage of assessments just doesn't work as a reserve funding model. FHA funding requirements notwithstanding, an association must project future expenditures to determine an appropriate funding level. No two associations are the same; therefore, no two funding plans are necessarily the same, and no flat percentage number will work for all associations.”

ReadMore in HOA Pulse newsletter.   

New Law Allows All Homeowners to Install Water Saving Landscapes

Senate Bill 198, passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law in June 2013, prohibits property associations (POAs) from banning water-efficient, drought-resistant landscaping. The law went into effect last September 1.

Under SB198, POAs can still require prior approval before homeowners switch to such landscapes, and POAs can adopt guidelines on what kind of plants and designs are acceptable as long as they do not “unreasonably restrict” water-conserving landscapes. This bill enjoyed a wide range of support from environmental groups like Clean Water Fund to Texas Community Association Advocates and businesses like The Home Depot.

A Texas home shows attractive drought-resistant landscaping.

  

Texans know that water is in short supply in our state for a variety of reasons, such as rising population, drought, and a changing climate. Municipal water demand is rising faster than any other sector and by 2060 is predicted outstrip all other sectors, including agriculture. 

Lawn watering is the major driver of municipal demand, and can account for as much as 60% of a household’s water use. Replacing non-native turf grasses with drought-resistant native plants and ground cover can lower a homeowner’s water bills and save communities money that would otherwise be needed to purchase new sources of water and build expensive new water treatment and distribution infrastructure. It can also leave more water in our aquifers, lakes, and rivers for wildlife and the human recreation and industry these ecosystems support.

Installing a drought-tolerant landscape does not mean limiting yourself to grass and cacti, or creating an 'Arizona look' in your front yard. These landscapes can include a wide variety of colorful plants that provide food and shelter to native wildlife. 

SB 198 allows POAs to maintain aesthetic harmony through a variety of means, by for example, limiting plants to those from a specific list or catalog, requiring a minimal amount of turf grass, directing that all vegetated beds have a border whose color and style is compatible with the home's architecture, and banning or limiting the use of gravel. However, POAs are no longer allowed to ban drought-tolerant landscapes outright. If properly implemented, SB 198 can provide a 'win-win' for proponents of water conservation and POA advocates alike. 

David Foster is State Director for Clean Water Fund, a nonprofit that provides free presentations and workshops on how POAs can implement SB 198. See www.cleanwaterfund.org/xeriscape