Patton Ridge Report

News about the revised parking policy and assessment increases

by the Patton Ridge Board of Directors

Revised Parking Policy

The Patton Ridge Homes Corporation (PRHC) Board of Directors (BOD) is responsible for developing and enforcing policies for the good of the overall community. As the implementation of the new parking policy begins, the BOD would like to revisit the development and rationale for the policy.

Over the last several years, parking has been one of the most pressing issues that residents have brought to the attention of the BOD. Residents expressed concerns and frustrations about vehicles from outside the community or homes with a high number of vehicles using a disproportionate number of parking spaces. They noted interest in parking non-commercial trucks in the community. Finally, residents questioned why there is not additional parking available close to their homes.

It is important to remember that when the neighborhoods of Patton Ridge were built Montgomery County zoning and parking requirements were different. At that time, households typically only had one or two vehicles yet the number of vehicles per household has increased over time. The BOD cannot add more parking spaces or use green space to create more parking without major infrastructure projects that would drastically increase assessment costs to homeowners.

In response to residents’ concerns, the BOD undertook multiple actions over several years to address the issue of parking. The BOD’s held a community-wide vote on whether to allow non-commercial trucks to park in the community. This revised policy did not receive approval by 60% of homeowners, the threshold needed to change the policy. The BOD also submitted a proposal to the Montgomery Village Foundation Board of Directors to use North Creek Community Center’s parking lot for overnight parking;  completed a parking study which resulted in the identification of a small number of additional parking spaces; and supported a cross-HOA parking committee that shared strategies across HOAs in Montgomery Village, collected data from community members about the issue, and proposed the recent pilot program to use the lot at Apple Ridge Recreation Area for overnight parking.

In addition, the BOD began to review policy options to address parking within the scope of Patton Ridge’s Covenants and Bylaws. The BOD arrived at a draft policy which was shared with the community in early 2023 along with a comment period of several weeks. The BOD revised the policy over the course of several months in response to the comments received and voted to approve the policy in April 2023 and associated resident materials in September 2023.

The policy must be equitable in its application in both townhome and single-family home neighborhoods and ensures that all residents have two spaces allocated for each home. In townhome neighborhoods without garages, this takes the form of two parking passes per household that give access to two assigned surface lot spaces. In townhome neighborhoods with a one car garage, this takes the form of one homeowner parking pass that is used for a surface lot space with the home’s garage serving as the second spot. For our only single-family home neighborhood, Fairidge, each home’s garage and driveway serve as a parking area and, therefore, homeowners receive no resident parking passes. Each household in Patton Ridge also receives a single visitor parking pass. Both resident and visitor parking passes are color coded by neighborhood to ensure vehicles are parked in the correct area. Homeowners must be current with their HOA fees to receive their permits and have no open covenant violations.

Between the hours of 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. any vehicle that is parked in a surface lot or residential street that is owned and maintained by PRHC that is not displaying the correct parking pass may be towed. This policy will help to manage the volume of parking in Patton Ridge, provide equitable access to parking across homes, and, especially in the case of residential streets, provide adequate room for emergency vehicles to move through the community and access key infrastructure, such as fire hydrants.

Residents should understand that residential streets maintained by PRHC are not designed for overnight or long-term parking. The streets allow room for two vehicles to pass in either direction with no additional space for parking on either side of the street. Likewise, surface lots in townhome communities provide enough room for vehicles to move through the neighborhoods using the available lanes but these lanes do not have space for additional parking.

Residents in need of additional parking during the hours of 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. may benefit from checking with their neighbors to borrow unused parking passes or request the use of open parking spaces or driveway space. They might also consider other options for guests such as carpooling. In special circumstances or emergency situations, residents may contact community management.

The parking policy continues existing restrictions on the types of vehicles homeowners can park inside the community. Specifically, it prohibits certain types of trucks and commercial vehicles. Please review the policy for details.

Living in an HOA community such as PRHC means that each of us as homeowners have to abide by rules and fulfill responsibilities that exist to help maintain a healthy and dynamic community. The BOD would like to thank residents for their feedback, patience, and cooperation with the new parking policy. We encourage community members to continue to engage in a constructive dialogue to address the issues facing the community, with the BOD and each other.

Assessment Increases Driven by Trash Dumping

Throughout the year, some residents have dumped trash in common areas causing a huge increase in bulk trash pickup costs. These residents are costing their neighbors and the entire community money. The BOD anticipates a 4.5% increase in assessment rates with this issue being the main driver of increased costs. To avoid future increases in bulk trash pickup expenses, please contact our trash removal company to schedule a bulk pick up rather than dumping trash in the community. Each home receives an unlimited number of trash pickups, they just need to be scheduled by calling 1-800-465-2350.

Patton Ridge Report: for residents of Arrowhead, Fairway Islands, Fairidge, Greentee I & II, Highfield and Partridge Place I & II.