Partnerships formed to help meet residential needs

Primary responsibilities of homeowners associations typically involve the maintenance of common areas, the enforcement of deed and architectural restrictions and the collection of fees, but in unincorporated areas they serve a greater purpose: to add an element of structure and governance to individual subdivisions.

HOAs often partner with entities such as municipal utility districts, to improve common areas or public projects or increase the effectiveness of an area's infrastructure.

"You will find all HOAs and their MUDs work very closely together solving the problems of the community," said Jim Pulliam, district 3 director of the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, which has seen numerous partnerships formed to solve water shortages and increase water efficiency. "Each is a separate government entity that is controlled by Texas laws. You will not see a comingling of revenue, but you will see cooperation on projects."

Projects and partnerships

The HOAs serving the Bridgeland master-planned community have partnered with area MUDs to handle irrigation efforts among other shared projects, said Peter Houghton, vice president of Bridgeland.

"We have an existing agreement between the MUDs, the drainage district and the HOA to irrigate and maintain common areas," he said. "Our drainage district owns the irrigation system that pulls water from our lakes, so there is an agreement on how that is handled. There has to be cooperation between these entities for the benefit of the homeowners."

To provide residents and commercial businesses with adequate services, community associations have oftentimes formed partnerships with local utility districts to help pay for additional deputy patrols or improve a neighborhood's common areas.

Located off Grant Road near Hwy. 249, Mandolin Gardens Park was established in the heart of Mandolin Village as an 11-acre area with water features and about two miles of trails. The HOA gave land permission to MUD 230 to establish a detention basin which was later transformed into Mandolin Gardens. The park has become a focal point for the area and has increased the attractiveness of the community.

"Most [beautification projects] pay for themselves over a short period of time because you improve the property value of the neighborhood," said Jack Cagle, Precinct 4 commissioner. "The value of the homes around [Mandolin Gardens] went up exponentially."

Structure of an HOA

Community, civic and homeowners associations are set up by the developer of the respective community according to who the association will serve, such as single- or multifamily residences.

"The legal difference in a community organization description is whether or not they are a property owners association or a condominium association based on the type of construction," said Sherri Carey, president of High Sierra Management—a company that manages several communities in Northwest Houston, including Aberdeen Trails and Prestonwood Forest.

"Without governing rules and required dues, there is no guarantee that your investment will remain stable or increase, [or] that the quality of your neighborhood as a whole will be maintained."

Although Cy–Fair has several new residential developments in the works, a majority of the community associations throughout the area are no longer developer-controlled. Once a development reaches a certain point toward its build-out, the developer hands the association over to a board of elected volunteers from the community.

Residents of Wheatstone Village in the Copperfield area off Hwy. 6 gained control of their HOA several years ago and have since implemented several programs to help make its four subdivisions attractive to existing and potential residents. These types of beautification programs hold residents to a certain standard and an established crime watch can help deter potential criminal activity. Certain subdivisions have multiple HOAs to maintain larger areas. Bridgeland has several governing entities transitioning to residential control as the build-out continues.

"[Bridgeland] is a bit of a hybrid in that regard," Houghton said. "We have a master association and we have four sub-associations, which transition to residential control over time. We took the approach that the residents should have more immediate control over their area."

The community is on a 30, 60, 90 scale, Houghton said, meaning that when an area in Bridgeland reaches 30 percent build-out, one board member is elected to the respective HOA. A second board member is elected when the area reaches 60 percent, and residents gain complete control over the HOA when it reaches 90 percent.

Each of Bridgeland's four villages has an average of 5,000 homes planned for build-out. Lakeland Village recently reached its 60 percent mark, and a second HOA board member was elected in late March. The village is expected to reach 90 percent capacity in the next 18 months.