Canterbury Homeowners Association

Canterbury Homeowners Association

Please see "About Our Association" page

Please see the "About Our Association" page for information on the Canterbury Homeowner's Association

About our association

Canterbury Homeowner's Association

Canterbury has a formal neighborhood association governed by by-laws and covenents. The covenents for Canterbury are fairly standard for new home developments in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

If you are looking to buy a home in the Canterbury neighborhood, please contact your realtor to view the covenents that govern this neighborhood.

The Canterbury Homeowner's Association is governed by a Board of Directors, made up of five homeowners elected to serve two year terms on the Board. The annual HOA meeting is normally held in January at the South County Regional Library on Rea Road.

Neighbors are encouraged to participate in the HOA by volunteering on the Architectural Control Committee, the Social Committee, Neighborhood Beautification or by assisting with the neighborhood newsletter or web site.

Canterbury HOA Annual Meeting Minutes

Canterbury Annual Homeowners Association Meeting
January 07, 2002

1. Call to Order, Welcome and Introductions:
a. Cindy Stringham-Smith, President of the Canterbury HOA, called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm.
b. Cindy welcomed the homeowners and introduced the other members of the Board of Directors – Debbie Kemmy, Vice Chair; Carol Kimball, Secretary; Blake Houchin, Treasurer; and Tommy Williams, Architectural Control.

2. Verification of Quorum: Victoria Burnette of Association Management verified that a quorum of homeowners was present and business could be conducted on behalf of the entire Association.

3. Approval of Minutes from 2001 Annual Meeting: All members present were given a copy of the meeting minutes from the February 19, 2001 homeowners meeting. Homeowners were given a few minutes to review these minutes. Cindy Stringham-Smith asked if there were any questions. There were none. George Middleton made a motion to approve the minutes. Cheri Holbrook seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved.

4. Election of Directors: At the February 19, 2001 meeting the homeowners elected five members to the Board of Directors. Three of those terms were for 2-years and two were for 1-year. All subsequent terms will be for 2 years. Blake Houchin and Debbie Kemmy accepted the 1-year terms at a follow-up meeting of the Board of Directors. Blake Houchin indicated that he would be willing to serve an additional term on the board. Debbie Kemmy also indicated that she would be willing, but encouraged other homeowners to seek the position.
a. Cindy Stringham-Smith asked the homeowners for volunteers to serve on the Board and then opened the floor to nominations:
i. Susan Sandler nominated Blake Houchin
ii. Michael Kemmy nominated George Middleton
iii. Evie Schoeller nominated Anna Gilliam
b. Nominations were closed. Nominated members were given the opportunity to speak and homeowners were given ballots to complete. Cindy reminded homeowners that only one ballot could be cast per household.

5. Treasurer’s Report /Presentation of Budget 2002:
a. Blake Houchin, Treasurer, presented the Board’s budget for the Canterbury HOA for the 2002 fiscal year. (See attached copy to these minutes)
b. The budget includes $16,120.00 in expenses, which is based upon the total amount expected from homeowner dues and developer contributions.
c. The Board changed landscaping companies, which will save money and provide more services under the monthly fee.
d. The Board approved a $1,540 capital improvement expense to put more irrigation along the berm near the Canterbury entrance to maintain the landscaping that was installed by MI Homes.
e. Blake informed the homeowners that the Board has established a reserve account to use as a “cushion” for any unexpected expenses the HOA might encounter outside of our normal budgeted expenses. The money leftover from the FY 2001 budget will be placed into this reserve account, which will then be put into CDs or a money market account. The Board will determine by next year’s budget what the cap should be on this reserve account. The cap will most likely be $5,000 or ½ of the annual operating budget (approx. $8,000).
f. Cindy Stringham-Smith asked for comments from the homeowners on the budget. One issue that came up was the Kwanzan cherry trees that MI Homes planted along the streets in Canterbury. The Board told the homeowners that they were responsible for watering and spraying the trees on their property. The HOA would be responsible for any pruning that needed to be done to keep the trees safe and uniform in appearance. Homeowners requested that the next Canterbury newsletter contain tips on how to care for these trees.
g. George Middleton made a motion from the floor to approve, Eric LoSalle seconded the motion and the homeowners approved the budget unanimously.

6. Chairman’s Report: The Canterbury Board has been working diligently all year to address several issues with MI Homes that affect the development of our neighborhood. On October 22, the Board held a special meeting to apprise homeowners of these issues and to request their support in dealing with MI. Cindy Stringham-Smith reported that as of this annual meeting, several of those issues have now been resolved or are in the process of being resolved:
a. Streetlights: MI Homes has agreed to pay for the streetlights in Canterbury. Debbie Kemmy reported that Duke Power billed MI at the end of December. MI has 30 days to pay the bill. The Board will continue to monitor this situation to ensure that MI completes payment. Once this occurs, Canterbury will be put on the list for streetlight installation. This may take another 3-4 months. Homeowners that have the wiring for a streetlight on their property will be notified before installation so that they can mark any irrigation or dog fencing before Duke Power installs the light.
b. Berm/Common Areas: The berm area that faces Rea Road and the Canterbury entrance areas are all on individual homeowners’ property instead of having been given over as common area to the HOA for maintenance. In order to maintain the integrity of the entrance area, and a uniformity of appearance and landscaping of the berm area facing Rea Road, the HOA has asked the affected homeowners to sign maintenance easements for the property in question.
c. Storm Water Swale: The storm water swale that runs between the homes that back up to each other on Huntscroft Drive and Rea Croft Drive was incorrectly placed at the top portion near Rea Road. As a result, the current placement has severely limited MI’s ability to place a home from the current models in our neighborhood onto lot 36. MI has stated that they will re-record the easement for the swale rather than relocate it. MI is currently reviewing what model homes they can place on this lot using the current mix. MI has told the Board that they will talk to the Board before considering a home model outside of the current mix, or before selling the lot to another homebuilder. The Board will continue to follow up on this issue.
d. Canterbury legal documents: Jim Feldman, Regional VP for MI Homes told the Board that he would personally ensure that MI changed Canterbury’s legal documents to remove the statement that we are located in “Mallard Creek Township”.
e. Stop sign at Huntscroft: After the Board met with MI in November, a stop sign was placed at the intersection of Huntscroft and Rea Croft.
f. Landscaping at entrance: MI has replaced the landscaping at the Canterbury entrance that died.

7. Old Business:
a. Pets: The Board continues to receive complaints about homeowners that are not picking up after their pets. Cindy reminded the homeowners that there is NO place in the neighborhood, other than a homeowner’s private yard, where their pet can defecate without the homeowner cleaning up the mess. THIS INCLUDES THE CANTERBURY ENTRANCE AREA AND THE BERM AREA! Homeowners that do not clean up after their pets will be sent a warning notice that could lead to a fine. (Please note the attached City ordinance on this issue). Cindy also reminded homeowners that this policy applies to cats as well as dogs. Several homeowners have complained about cat waste in their flowerbeds.
b. Barking Dogs: Several homeowners have complained about dogs barking constantly. This is a nuisance to your neighbors. Please monitor your dog’s behavior. If they are barking excessively, you will be sent a letter asking you to control the situation. If you do not control your dogs, they can be deemed a nuisance under the City’s ordinance and removed from the neighborhood. We are a neighborhood of dog lovers, as evidenced by the number of dogs living here. However, we must practice responsible pet ownership so that our pets do not negatively impact the quality of life of our neighbors.
c. Lawn maintenance: Spring is coming and the grass will begin to grow again. The Board reminded the homeowners that the Covenants clearly state that homeowners are responsible for keeping their yards neat, weed-free and attractive in appearance.
d. New Homeowners/Renters: New homeowners and renters must notify the HOA when they move into the neighborhood in order for the HOA to keep its ownership records current. If owners rent their home, they must supply the HOA with a copy of the lease agreement and a letter certifying that they have made the Canterbury covenants available to the renters.
e. Fencing: The Board reminded the homeowners that any fences, outbuildings, awnings, trampolines, etc. MUST be approved by the Architectural Control Committee before installation. MI does not have architectural control any longer. Any homeowners that made a request for architectural approval to MI must re-submit that request to the HOA Architectural Control Committee before installation. Any homeowner that violates this policy may be asked to remove their unacceptable fence/outbuilding etc. at their expense. Some homeowners have raised concerns about the type of fencing that has been allowed. In response, the Architectural Control Committee will meet and develop more thorough guidelines for fences.

8. New Business:
a. Greenway: One of the subjects that the Board has been discussing with MI Homes is the development of a greenway that MI originally promoted in their sales literature early in the development of the community. The one piece of true “common area” that the neighborhood owns sits behind some of the houses on Springside Lane and Rea Croft Drive. The plan originally was to put in a “walking path” in this area. The entrance to this walking path would be placed on a sewage easement that runs between lots 56 and 57 on Springside. The owners of these two lots, the Smiths and the Nafatyuks, were given the opportunity to voice their opinion on the development of this greenway, as it impacts their homes the most directly.
i. Howard Smith stated that the way his house sat on his lot, the path would run almost directly under his living room window. He also stated that the “common area” was in a flood plain and was nothing more than a marshy area that probably contained snakes and other pests.
ii. Homeowner discussion centered on whether MI would put enough money into properly developing this greenway, which the HOA would then have to maintain, and whether it was worth it to inconvenience the affected homeowners.
iii. A motion was made to not pursue development of the greenway. The motion was amended to include that the Board should pursue the money that MI would have spent on the greenway (approx. $1500) and apply it to the legal services the HOA will incur to have the maintenance easements drawn up for the berm/entrance areas. The amended motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
b. Aston Properties Development: The Board informed the homeowners that Aston Properties is planning to build a small, upscale retail center on the current site of the Rea farmhouse, which sits directly across Rea Road from Canterbury. The Board has met with Aston Properties several times and is confident that the development is being planned in such a way as to be pedestrian friendly, architecturally in keeping with the surrounding neighborhoods and sensitive to neighborhood concerns about hours of operation, traffic flow etc.
i. The Board also has been working with Aston Properties to have Aston erect (at their expense) a fence and landscaping on the Canterbury berm area that will minimize the visual and sound impact of the development on Canterbury homeowners. The Board has asked Aston to put these improvements in place before they begin construction of the development.
ii. This development will have a Harris Teeter, a CVS pharmacy, a coffee shop and dry cleaners and some other small retail. The Canterbury HOA Board is supporting this development, as are the HOAs in Chadwyck and StoneCroft.
iii. Aston Properties will deed to the Canterbury HOA the triangle of land on the berm area that technically still belongs to the Rea family, but which the HOA has been maintaining.
iv. The Board also will monitor the possible relocation of the Rea farmhouse to make sure that it will not be place across the street directly next to the Canterbury neighborhood and onto part of the land currently used by Southern Styles Nursery.

9. Results of Election: Association Management counted the ballots. Cindy Stringham-Smith read the results and announced that Blake Houchin and George Middleton were elected to serve on the Canterbury HOA Board. Cindy asked the homeowners to recognize outgoing Board member Debbie Kemmy, who has been a tireless advocate on behalf of all Canterbury homeowners to make Canterbury the kind of premier neighborhood it was promised to be by MI Homes.

10. Adjournment: Cindy declared the Canterbury annual homeowners meeting adjourned at 8:35 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Cynthia Stringham-Smith
President