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AMENDMENTS TO OUR COVENANTS
We want to amend the Community’s Declarations of Covenants. There are nine (9) separate amendments that will be voted on by homeowners. Below is a brief description of these amendments. The full text of these amendments will be posted on the Strathmeade Square website (www.strathmeade.com) when they are available.
Generally, these amendments do not change current practice, but in some cases provide the Board with more ability to address situations in the future should issues arise.
The last four (4) amendments do not substantively change what is in place in the Declarations currently, rather it simply updates the language to be in conformance with the language of the Virginia Property Owners Association Act (the Act). These amendments would not change current practice.
Amending the Declaration of Covenants is a formal process managed by the Association’s law firm. The law firm will administer the process ensuring that every homeowner is able to vote on these amendments. Each amendment will be voted on independently. For any amendment to take effect 75 percent of the homeowners must vote in favor of that amendment.
The board considers all these amendments to be beneficial to the community and believes that they will help to maintain our standards and the quality of the neighborhood. We hope you will agree and pass these amendments when they are presented to you.
Before we move forward with the formal presentation of these amendments, we want to offer an opportunity for discussion. The board will hold two (2) town hall meetings in late April for this purpose. The dates and times for these town halls are Wednesday, April 27 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, April 30 at 10 am, both meetings will be held via zoom and in-person at the pool house. We encourage you to join either of these meetings via zoom, but if you do not have the ability to participate via zoom you may attend at the pool house. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you.
Enforcement of community standards. This amendment will allow for community engagement and ensure the community is consistently and properly maintained. This amendment will provide the community with the ability to impose a monetary penalty to ensure community standards are maintained. It is expected that this amendment will provide a mechanism to resolve issues.
​Before an owner receives a penalty for a violation, they would receive notice and have an opportunity for a hearing with the Board or other committees as required under Section 55.1-1819 of the Act. The Act currently limits violation charges to $50.00 for a single violation or $10.00 per day for a continuing violation, for a maximum of 90 days. 2.Short-term rentals of space in residences. This amendment would allow the Board the authority to adjust, if needed, Fairfax County requirements regarding short term rentals.
Yard signs. This amendment would allow the community to post yard signs that are consistent with subsequent by-laws.
Suspension of recreation privileges. This amendment clarifies the ability to suspend recreation and permit parking privileges for non-payment of assessments consistent with the Act.
Residential landscaping. This amendment allows the board to provide useful suggestions and guidelines for landscapes in the community in keeping with Local, State and Department of Natural Resources considerations.
Property and home upkeep. This amendment clarifies the Board’s ability to set standards for upkeep consistent with the Act.
Exterior structures. This amendment clarifies the ability of the Board or Architecture Committee to set standards for exterior structural features also consistent with the Act.
Home-based Business. This amendment would bring the Declaration’s current language into conformance with the Act.
Late fees. This amendment would bring the Declaration’s current language into conformance with the Act.
2021 RESERVE STUDY
Every five years, Strathmeade Square Community Association contracts with external experts to perform a Reserve Study. This is a requirement under the Virginia Property Owners Act (the Act) and is intended to provide guidance and spending priorities for capital maintenance and improvements over the next five-year period. The study sets out areas to be addressed, estimates of the costs, and suggested yearly allocations to the community’s Reserve assets to ensure there is sufficient capital to cover the projects outlined in the study as well as for emergencies while growing the Reserve funds for the future.
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Major examples of Reserve expenditures in recent years are the major rehabilitation of the Pool, repaving of the paths on the east side of the community, annual curb and gutter repair, and stormwater management projects behind Breckenridge and Victor. Items such as landscaping, snow removal, trash, etc. are paid for out of general operating funds. Both are funded by the monthly homeowner assessments, as well as any special assessment that might be levied from time to time after approval by homeowners A line item in the Strathmeade annual budget transfers monies to the Reserve funds utilizing the Reserve Study as a baseline for the amount to be allocated.
The last comprehensive Reserve Study was done in October 2021. In addition to the normal items historically looked at every five years, the 2021 study for the first time included stormwater issues that will become ever more prevalent with climate change. The 2021 study is the planning document currently being utilized by the Strathmeade Board of Directors to determine proper Reserve allocations and project execution, as envisioned by the Act.
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View here.
PARKING ENFORCEMENT IS UNDERWAY! HERE IS A QUICK REMINDER OF THE RULES:
Violations Subject to Immediate Towing by Board
Any vehicle:
• parked within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant or in a designated fire lane
• occupying more than one (I) parking space
• perpendicular to the marked parking space or on a grassy area or sidewalk
• impending access to sidewalk ramps or mailboxes
• constituting a safety hazard shall be subject to immediate removal without notification.
Subsequent violations committed within any consecutive twelve-month period shall subject the violating vehicle to immediate towing without notification.
Removal by Residents
Residents may tow only unauthorized vehicles from their reserved space. Residents are not authorized to tow from any other reserved space, permit space, or any other portion of the Common Area. Residents who initiate towing must make all arrangements with the tow company and assume all liability for wrongful towing.
Violations Subject to Vehicle Removal
• Inoperative Vehicles. Any vehicle with a malfunction of an essential part required for the legal operation of the vehicle or which is partially or totally disassembled by the removal of tires, wheels, engine, or other essential parts required for legal operation of the vehicle.
• Unregistered Vehicles. Any vehicle that does not have current license plates and a valid State inspection sticker or a current County sticker is visibly displayed.
• Repairs. Major repairs or maintenance to vehicles, painting of vehicles, or the drainage of automobile fluids is not permitted in Common Areas.
Operator’s Responsibilities
Vehicles shall only be parked in authorized parking spaces on the Common Area parking lots.
• Only one (1) vehicle shall be parked in each space.
• Vehicles shall not be parked in fire lanes, occupy more than one parking space, impede the normal flow of traffic, block any sidewalk, mailbox, or prevent ingress and egress of any other vehicle to adjacent parking spaces or the open roadway.
• Vehicles parked in the parking lot spaces must be positioned parallel to the separator lines so that no portion of the vehicle extends over the lines designating the individual parking space.
• No vehicle shall be parked perpendicular to marked parking spaces.
• Vehicles parked in a permit parking space must display a valid parking permit.
• All owners are responsible to ensure that their family members, employees, visitors, guests, tenants, and agents observe and comply with all rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Board.
Commercial Vehicles
As a reminder, no commercial truck, commercial bus, or other commercial vehicles of any kind may be kept or parked upon any portion of the Common Area. Commercial vehicles of contractors under hire and actually performing work in or at a residence may be temporarily parked in the reserved space of the resident, or in a permit space if a permit is displayed.
• Commercial Vehicle. The Board shall use the following criteria to determine whether a vehicle is for commercial use:
• Any vehicle that is included in the commercial vehicle definition in the Fairfax County Zoning ordinance
• Any vehicle with a gross weight of 7,500 pounds or more, or any vehicle which extends beyond the length of the parking space and/or exceeds 85% of the width of the parking space. The parking space is defined as the area from the curb to the end of the separator lines and between two separator lines measured from the inside of the two lines.
• Any "for hire" vehicle or vehicle that has commercial signs, lettering, advertising and/or commercial equipment visible from or on the exterior. Commercial ladders or interior equipment such as supplies, propane, pesticide, fuel tanks, cabling, unsecured tools or supplies indicative of commercial use or a threat to the Association's aesthetic appearance
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Recreational Vehicles
No recreational vehicles other than automobiles may be kept on or parked upon any portion of the Common Area
Parking Permits
Permits must be displayed by hanging from the rearview mirror, or by taping to the inside, lower left front windshield.
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