New Guidelines Document Outlines ARC Process

By Jill Pafford, HOA Board ARC Liaison

July was a relatively quiet month for Architectural Review Committee members. The committee received only two ARC applications last month, but three applications were processed and subsequently approved by the HOA board.  

By now, all homeowners should have received an email from the board that includes the newly approved Community Policies and Guidelines. That document can be found by clicking here:  Community Policies and Guidelines. Both ARC and the board worked hard to explain and outline the scenarios for which an ARC application is required. We strongly encourage you to read Sections 3 and 4. Those sections explain the ARC process and the information required for an application submission.  

As mentioned in the distribution email, the effective date of the new Community Policies and Guidelines is Oct. 1. To reduce the chance of receiving a violation letter based on these new guidelines and policies, some implementation rules have been established:

1.  If you have modified your property or installed anything that is in direct conflict with the new guidelines, please make every effort to come into compliance with the new guidelines and policies by Oct. 1.  
 
2.  All previously approved ARC applications will be honored, even if the approval is in conflict with the new guidelines. Please be prepared to provide the approved ARC documentation in those cases. The current property management company may or may not have records of approved ARC applications issued by previous management companies, so the HOA board or management company may need to rely on homeowner copies of approved ARC applications.  

3.  If you previously installed anything without submitting an ARC application for which an ARC application is required under the new guidelines, you may submit an amnesty ARC application to the HOA board that details the property changes — landscaping, hardscaping, exterior modifications, etc. These amnesty ARC applications should be sent to the hoa.cyasp+guidelines@gmail.com email address between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1. The amnesty ARC applications will not be sent to or filed with the management company, since they are records of previous modifications. However, you should provide an ARC application form and your plot plan showing the modifications, as well as all applicable descriptions and pictures of the installation with your amnesty application. You do not need to get the adjacent neighbor signatures on the amnesty ARC application.

4.  Any modifications made to a property after Oct. 1 must follow the new prescribed guidelines for ARC application approval prior to the installation of property modifications.  

Since each situation is likely to be unique, if you have any questions about your situation, please email the HOA board directly at hoa.cyasp+guidelines@gmail.com.  

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