The benefits of being part of a homeowner association can be numerous. Access to pools, tennis courts, golf courses and enforcement of maintenance standards among them.
But officials with the Columbia Association say the state’s regulation of homeowner associations can also create onerous requirements. That’s why the nonprofit corporation is considering a change in its legal status from an HOA to a “community benefit association.”
The change in classification would come by way of legislation in Annapolis that would establish the community benefit association in state code. Sheri Fanaroff, attorney for the Columbia Association, said and the nonprofit would be the first in Maryland to be considered a CBA.
The association will host an informational session about the proposed change at 7 p.m. March 5 at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Road. Association members can also attend the next Board of Directors meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the association headquarters, 6310 Hillside Court, Columbia, and a board work session on March 14. For details go to columbiaassociation.org.
“I believe there will be benefits that will accrued uniquely to the Columbia Association if this bill is passed,” said Milton Matthews, association president.
Officials say a key factor in the desire to switch designation is that Maryland often sees passage of laws pertaining to smaller homeowner associations — and they ultimately impact Columbia Association as well, often at great expense.
When the state Homeowners Association Act passed in 1984, The Columbia Association was classified as a homeowners association. But officials say the Columbia organization is different than most homeowners associations in its membership — including homeowners, renters and businesses — and its scope of services. Considering the association like other homeowner associations isn’t feasible, Matthews said.
Last year, 16 bills amending or creating new requirements for HOAs statewide were proposed. The Columbia Association lobbied for exemptions or amendments to 11 of them because of their potential impact.
Officials noted how HOA changes can impact the Columbia Association. In 2015, for example, a state bill proposed requiring homeowner associations to mail copies of their annual budgets to all members. The task would have been manageable for an association of 100 or so homes, but officials said for the Columbia Association, whose membership includes 33,000 homes and commercial properties, the impact can be costly.
An amendment ultimately thwarted that requirement, but Fanaroff estimated that such a regulation would have resulted in using seven million sheets of paper — a waste, she said, because the nonprofit already posts its annual budgets online.
The Columbia Association was formed in 1966 as the Columbia Park and Recreation Association Inc. Today it maintains a horse center, 23 outdoor pools, a skate park, 95 miles of pathways, three lakes and nearly 3,600 acres of open space. It also operates facilities such as the Columbia Archives, the Columbia Art Center and the Youth and Teen Center at The Barn.