Understanding the “tough” topics

by Doniele Ayres, MVF President

When I decided to run for the South Village Board of Directors, I had a conversation with my supervisor about it. The first thing he said to me was, “People only complain about trash and parking.” I was so confused. Why would that be the only thing people complain about when the issues are so easy to mitigate? As it turns out, he was right.

As the President of the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors I often talk to residents about trash and parking, and which parts are governed by the homeowner associations (HOA), condo associations (COA) or MVF. Responsibilities for each organization are listed on www.montgomeryvillage.com and always include a point of contact, often the community manager.

The Kettler Brothers envisioned a family-oriented community placing major emphasis on recreation and open space. As we approach our 60^th Anniversary next year, this is a great time to reflect on the Village and the Kettler Brothers’ motto, “Don’t simply build on the land, improve upon it.”

Improving the land is the responsibility of all residents. Yes, the Village has seen quite a bit of growth in homes and recreational space and activities. Our trash situation has slightly improved, but we need residents to be mindful of how and when to dispose of trash. Parking is one of the biggest challenges across the Village – and the county. I often read comments on social media about how the HOAs in Montgomery Village have outdated parking guidelines and rules that reflect a time in our community that no longer exists. I would agree that most households have at least two cars, and the more homes we have, the more cars on our roads and the more parking spaces that are needed.

What I think is missing, however, is  consensus on what a  reasonable number of parking spaces per home in our community is. Most households need more vehicles than the generally allotted two parking spaces. There are homes where garages are used for everything but vehicles, which creates an additional need for vehicle space. What is the solution?

Build more parking spaces. Simple in theory, difficult and costly to execute. Your local association likely owns the land (private streets, parking lots or limited greenspace) where additional parking could possibly be added. But it is not as simple as just paving a median; there are county processes, permitting and site plan updates that would need to be followed. Not to mention adding impervious surface would likely increase the Water Quality Protection Charge the HOA pays and could trigger additional stormwater management. All these things cost large amounts of money that would be borne by residents in any particular community, either by a significant assessment increase or a special assessment. And none of that should even be considered without community input and potentially a vote of 60% of homeowners – a process that some homes corporations have attempted in order to pass bylaw or covenant changes but have remained unsuccessful in securing the required number of responses.

Allow parking at MVF facilities. In response to residents’ requests, the MVF Board authorized a pilot parking program in an MVF parking lot that could accommodate overnight parking, with the potential to expand to other lots pending success of the pilot. To facilitate administration of the program, it carried a nominal fee of approximately $3/day; residents did not want to pay an additional fee, and an incredibly low number expressed interest. Without a large enough interest, the pilot was canceled.

So again, what is the solution? Perhaps the answer is in understanding that these seemingly simple issues are complex. And while it may seem like there is no action, often the path to action has many obstacles that take time to overcome.

It takes a Village to do great things. Thank you for being a part of Montgomery Village.