Architectural Control Committee goals

Here is some info:

Architectural Control Committees: Do They Serve A Need? from Reality Times

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE CHARTER from an HOA

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE CHARTER Different HOA, Different Charter

Does a Homeowners Association Need an Architectural Review Committee? 2014 article by a MC

HOA ACC Guidelines and Procedures Read the introduction on page 2. I think this is similar to what you are looking for.

John,

Please share the articles when you have completed them.

The ACC may NOT add restrictions to the Covenants.

They may only define/explain existing Covenant restrictions.

There are NO goals except the administration of any restrictions in the Covenants.

Their sole function is to 'administer' the restrictions contained in the Covenants.

If the Covenants specify or require an ACC then by all means adhere to the Covenants.

Said Covenants will probably also define the ACC's duties and obligations.

If the Covenants are silent, STOP !

Kerry

I think you misread or I failed to explain better in my last few posts as to what I am looking for so allow me to try and explain.

We are in the process of transitioning our 112 standalone homes from the Declarant to we owners on 01/01/2015......yes in three days. Our Declarant was honest, a professional, a gentleman and will be leaving us in good shape (roads, reserves, etc.). The problem is he was to "gentle/polite" when it came to back dues and Covenant violations, etc. He freely admits this.

We had a General Member Meeting (about a 25% turnout) in early December explaining it all. With the exception of about 4-5 known Chief Complaining Officers (CCO's) the meeting went well. The new BOD (I am VP and Treasurer) intends to be a bit "firmer" on a few things (mainly past dues and Covenant violations) but we do not want to come in "cracking a whip".

We intend to enter quietly, involve people, educate people, appeal to their whatevers, etc. We want to create a sense of community. We have decided our first steps will be a few "informational/educational" articles in our newsletter (which reaches 80% of our owners) such as the positive aspects of what an ACC can do for you/us. We are also using the newsletter to ask for owners to volunteer to be on the ACC.

Saying you are going to crack down on late dues payers is a no brainer. 97% of our owners pay on time or close to. 97% want to crack down on those that do not pay. This "cracking the whip" is an easy sell.

Now kick it up a notch about Covenant violations. It could well be that all of us at one time or another violated one. Come on folks be honest. Maybe as simple as the trash barrel being put out a few hours early or taken in a few hours late. We have all committed such an infraction.

To get back on track. My last few posts have been asking for help/assistance in our "soft shoe" approach. I came from a sales/marketing background. I know how to schmooze/sell stuff. The issue is I do not want it all coming from me. I want to be able forward links to fellow BODers to plant the seeds in their minds so they might step forward to write the articles for our newsletter.

I am looking for an easy way out......LOL

I appreciate your clearer explanation, JohnC. Since you do know how to schmooze & sell, perhaps you can start a basic draft and shoot it off to your fellow directors for feedback??

Well, JohnB, JohnC was looking for something friendlier. In CA, a summary of AC policies is required to go to HOA owners with the annual budget letter. Our summary of our 10 CC&R pages and also Change Requests & ACC Guidelines is less than a page. You can make it sas breezy as you like.

1. Refers owners to our own CC&Rs article numbers.

2. Lists work that requires ACC approval. In your detached-home HOA, this might be where you specify colors, exterior materials or palettes.

3. Lists the forms they must complete--available on our website

4. States how H/Os may proceed if turned down by the ACC (req. in CA)..

5. States potential penalties for failure to obtain approval.

We wrote a letter something like this one once.

Dear Members,
The board of directors were discussing rule compliance at our last board meeting. We have been failing in the rule enforcement area. We would like to focus on the rules that degrade curb appeal, market values and livability. In communities like ours failure to maintain certain standards can have a direct impact on our properties. So we would like to make fixing any issues a priority. We have some architectural design issues that need to be addressed within a reasonable amount of time. The rules, regulations and policies are designed to enhance the livability our neighborhood and help sustain all members home values.
We are attaching a copy of our ..........for your review and thank you in advance for any adjustment you may need to make in order to be in compliance.

Hope it helps. This approach worked for some rule breakers (not all) and it did not create a hostile atmosphere.

The words in the example are able to be changed, rule, restrictions etc. Just throwing a different approach out there, it worked for us as a first step to create a sense of community. Might not work for all.

I think Amanda's board wrote a pretty nice letter.

"The board of directors were discussing rule compliance at our last board meeting. We have been failing in the rule enforcement area. We would like to focus on the rules that degrade curb appeal, market values and livability. In communities like ours failure to maintain certain standards can have a direct impact on our properties. So we would like to make fixing any issues a priority. We have some architectural design issues that need to be addressed within a reasonable amount of time. The rules, regulations and policies are designed to enhance the livability our neighborhood and help sustain all members home values.
We are attaching a copy of our ..........for your review and thank you in advance for any adjustment you may need to make in order to be in compliance."

If it were me, though, and given your wish to make it it friendly, JohnC, I'd flip some words so that they become positive vs. scolding:

Your board of directors discussed compliance with our rules and covenants at our last meeting and realized that we need to do a better job of enforcement.

In communities like ours, upholding certain standards has a very positive impact on all of us! So we'd like to focus on the rules that enhance curb appeal, marketability and livability.

We board members are targeting the repair of existing issues our first priority and know we can count on you to address them in a reasonable amount of time. There also are some architectural design matters that need attention.

XXX HOA's rules regulations and policies are crafted to help sustain all members' property values. We've attached a copy of --------- for your review. Thank you in advance for working with us all to make the J&T Baker Estates among the top communities in xxx county!

Now JohnB won't like this rah-rah approach, but I think it can't hurt! Melissa, please don't start with your attractiveness doesn't maintain or improve property values. That is NOT the main point--a newsletter item is.

Like your version, now how to make the job description sound enticing might be the harder task, lol

Ah, I got the HOA name wrong. it should be J&T Bakker Estates ; )

JohnC,

As a leader of tiny ACC, your job is best done when you serve as a referee by comparing a property owner's project request against the covenants with as LITTLE subjective opinion as possible. It's that simple but it's not a job for wobbly-kneed individuals.