Ideas discussed on homeowners association reform

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Oct. 6, 2000 | 10:54 a.m.

Today homeowners associations in America are regarded with the same love and affection afforded to the Internal Revenue Service, Brent Herrington, a noted master-planner and property manager, said.

His statement broke the ice during a speech Thursday on how to reinvent the modern homeowners association, causing several audience members to nod in approval, speaking quietly of their own horrors with out-of-control associations.

Herrington said there are nationwide problems with homeowners associations, but noted that several communities around the U.S. are finding ways to make them less like institutions and more like neighborhoods.

Throughout his speech, attended by members of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and state Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, Herrington gave tips on how Las Vegas can learn from other cities and shift gears to make associations more user-friendly.

"The simple reality is that there is an opportunity for change," Herrington said. "Before there were CC&Rs and proxies, there were neighbors. There were people who had come together, and somehow I fear that has gotten lost."

His knowledge on associations comes from his role as town manager for Celebration, a 4,900-acre planned community currently under development in central Florida by the Walt Disney Co. Considered one of the county's most innovative new communities, Celebration is based on a sense of community and rejection of the typical American suburb.

Herrington is also a property manager in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he is leading the development of a 2 million-square-foot urban center.

Homeowners associations need to be revamped to get back to the concept of a community, he said.

Associations were developed to bring people together, but over the years they have done more to drive people apart, he said. The associations have become more like housekeeping organizations, dealing with maintenance, enforcement and collection of funds.

The associations, he said, are plagued by poor leadership, little sense of direction and board members who are serving for the wrong reasons. The power tends to lie with board members who do not always represent a sample of the community.

Managers and management companies are often told not to speak to homeowners and to resolve situations through the legal process instead of informal discussion.

"Associations have to change," said Herrington, who is a national trustee for the Community Associations Institute. "Their quest should be to create the best possible community."

Managers should be responsible for making the neighborhood more welcoming, forming collaborative relationships with residents and outside businesses, he said. They should maintain ongoing dialogue and set goals for the associations that cater to residents' needs.

When residents are given a chance to participate in their community and provide input on the codes that govern their neighborhood, they are more likely to follow the regulations, he said.

Herrington said the community association institute is creating a survey that can be used by homeowners associations to chart their progress and problems on a nationwide scale.

Schneider agreed that change must start at the management level and said he will be pushing for stricter requirements for managers in the next legislative session.

"We've lost our sense of community," Schneider said. "It has to be a kinder, gentler association. It's a shame to have to put it into law, but there has to be a way to enforce it."