Community
associations are regularly featured in the media. Sometimes the news is positive (community-building grants), sometimes the
news is negative (a lawsuit over an amendment’s validity), and sometimes the news is
both positive and negative (debate and conflict over clotheslines).
PNWlocalnews.com
recently included an article about two homeowners associations in Fairwood,
Washington that received grants to support their summer "Concerts in the
Park" series. During 2013, King
County will award $60,000 in grants for community projects in unincorporated
areas. The article about these grants
can be read here.
A Spokane
condominium is currently embroiled in a legal battle over the validity of
changes to its governing documents. Officers of the condominium association modified the agreement in 2008 to
create additional condominium units out of roof space, which shrank the voting
rights of other members and gave away common property without notifying the owners or conducting a vote. A lawsuit has
been filed challenging the validity of this amendment. A Spokesman-Review
article about this lawsuit can be read here.
Some Washington condominium and homeowners associations
prohibit the use of clotheslines, citing safety or aesthetic concerns. However, owners are increasingly advocating
for a right to use clotheslines as an energy and cost-saving alternative to
electric dryers. A recent article in the
Seattle Times about this clothesline
debate can be read here.
