A Proposal to Amend Covenant E-1

The Columbine Knolls HOA has significantly altered the original protective covenants established in 1964. These changes fail to reflect the original intent, and now serve the sole purpose of restricting how you use and enjoy your property. With regulation changes on the horizon, the HOA runs the risk of infringing on homeowners rights rather than helping protect the rights of the homeowners. We need your help to stop this from happening.

The shift from protecting to penalizing homeowners began in 2014 with worrying results. Changes to Section C-6 and D-1 of the covenants have turned the HOA from a voluntary civic association into an enforcement entity. The new rules lead to the HOA taking a number of your neighbors to court forcing them into compliance. Additionally, several homeowners have reported an overstepping of boundaries as reports of HOA enforcers trespassing on property and peeking over fences have become frequent. Various neighbors’ personal projects such as backyard garages and workshops have been deemed suable offenses by the HOA despite the fact that these projects were county-approved and did nothing to affect property resale.

However, the changes from 2014 are carrying over to the present day. The HOA proposes new changes that will increase the percentage of owners necessary to make a covenant change from the current 50% to 67%. This restrictive change will result in further mandates on how you can use your property and is the precursor to the Columbine Knolls Homeowners Association becoming mandatory with required fees and lien authority.

Our attempts to rectify the issues with board members have been unsuccessful. The system in place gifts advantage to board members, and the concerns from non-HOA members largely go unheard due to an imbalance in voting. Current conditions leave non-HOA members without a vote meaning that 70% of our community is at the mercy of a 30% minority. If new changes are accepted, you may find yourself receiving a knock on your door as the HOA demands compliance over new 'personality and private behavior' controls. Is that the kind of neighborhood you want to live in?

The original intent of the HOA no longer remains, and they have become unnecessary. They have no common areas in our community for which they are responsible (the pool and both parks are controlled by the Recreation District and funded by our property taxes). Furthermore, their blatant overreach in authority is a step too far. Take action to protect your interests and your community’s well-being: Sign this petition to restructure, and if need be eliminate, the current HOA.

With sincerest urgency,
A concerned neighbor