Dear Neighbors,
Old Braeswood Property Owners Association, Inc. (the “Association”) will hold a a special meeting of the Executive Committee 7 pm, Monday, November 13, 2023, at 2337 Gramercy Blvd. Members are welcome to observe the meeting. The agenda for the special meeting will include:
- Ratification of renewal of the Association’s D& O insurance policy
- Approval of retention of outside Counsel, Mitchell Katine
- Revised ARC Guidelines adoption by the Executive Committee
- Hearing before the Executive Committee to discuss, verify facts, and resolve a partial denial/conditional approval of an ARC application for a circular drive at 2401 Gramercy
The primary purpose of this meeting is #3, to consider the adoption of revised ARC Guidelines.
For the past two years, the Executive Committee has been working to improve the architectural review process in our neighborhood. This process started in 2021 with the appointment of the Ad Hoc Committee to Improve ARC which interviewed neighbors who had participated in the architectural review process under the 2019 ARC Guidelines. The committee was tasked to evaluate the guidelines and the efficiency of the ARC approval process. This research resulted in six recommendations to improve the architectural review process. In the fall of 2022, a second ARC Ad Hoc Committee was appointed to work on Recommendation 2 which was “to review the guidelines periodically for compatibility with new construction methods and technology, city ordinances and state laws.” Recommendations from the second committee were considered by the Executive Committee for new architectural guidelines for the neighborhood. In 2023, the Executive Committee continued its evaluation, concentrating on Recommendation 4:
Recommendation 4: Observe the big picture.
- Guidelines and ARC decisions should focus on clarifying deed restrictions and providing guidance on frequently encountered issues of major significance to the neighborhood.
- Guidelines and ARC decisions should avoid over-regulation of small-scale issues, aim to give deference to owners’ preferences on style, and be mindful of the neighborhood’s architectural diversity.
The Executive Committee interviewed and sought input from several individuals and architectural sources, including interviews with Russell Worley, the neighborhood’s outside architect who has plan review experience working with other neighborhoods, and members of the OBPOA ARC committee. Executive Committee members spent many man hours on this process and drafted a revised set of Architectural Review Guidelines which include comments and changes from interviews and architectural research, including review of architectural guidelines from other similar neighborhoods.
We are happy to advise you that the new revised set of ARC Guidelines has been completed. Attached for your review and comment are the following:
- A clean draft of the proposed revised ARC Guidelines
- A red-line comparison between the current ARC Guidelines and the proposed revised ARC Guidelines
- The existing ARC Guidelines that are currently in effect.
Please take time to review the proposed revised ARC Guidelines and send your comments to us before Sunday, November 12th to either info@OldBraeswood.com or president@OldBraeswood.com. All neighborhood comments will be forwarded to the members of the Executive Committee. In the alternative, please contact any of the members of the Executive Committee to discuss your comments.
At the meeting on November 13, we will set aside a time period during the meeting to entertain comments. The Executive Committee will then vote on the revised ARC Guidelines at the meeting. If members of the Executive Committee do not approve the revised ARC Guidelines, at the meeting on November 13, work on the revised ARC Guidelines will continue.
Best regards,
Ann Garnett,
President of the Old Braeswood POA
Robert E. Jackson,
Vice President of the Old Braeswood POA & Liaison to the ARC
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