Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, November 16th @ 7:00pm at the Richland Township Police Department.
229 California Road Quakertown, PA 18951
Agenda
Call to Order
Approval of 2022 Meeting Minutes
President report – new business & old business
Treasurer & Committee Reports
Public comments
Elections
Current Board
President: Brian Foster (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) Vice President: Dave Stevens (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) Treasurer: Winnie Cordero (Non-voting, as not a resident) Secretary: OPEN At-Large: 1. Chris Werner (Served two years of his two year term, up for re-election) 2. Trevor Mankus (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) 4. Michael Hartranft (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) 5. Aaron Leatherman (Served two years of his two year term, up for re-election)
Committees
Maintenance: Brian Foster and Dave Stevens
Architectural: Brian Foster, Chris Werner, Michael Hartranft
The Board has noticed an increasingly concerning number of residents who are unaware of our Architectural requirements that are governed by our Association. We get many requests per month, some of which are done properly and others that are not. Oftentimes we hear about projects done in our neighborhood–reported by other neighbors–by residents who did NOT go through the approval process.
This post is intended to answer all questions and centralize the information in one place.
DID YOU KNOW? Our By-Laws and Declarations outline the necessary steps homeowners are responsible for taking prior to any constructions or making any modifications to any dwelling within our community.
Below you will find excerpts from our Declarations which describe, in detail, the restrictions in place as well as the requirements for submitting an architectural modification request for approval.
Submitting a request is not a burdensome process and doing so will protect you from any problems in the future. In previous years, the Board has taken legal action against residents who did modifications to their homes that did not adhere to the Architectural Committee guidelines. Don’t let this happen to you.
Approval Steps
Download the Architectural Review Modification Form. Be sure you submit a separate form for each modification request. For your protection, the Board recommends you inquire with the applicable city, county, and/or any other government agency regarding required permits before starting any work on your property.
Fill out the form as instructed, being sure to provide adequate drawing and details of the material planned to be used. Product brochures are helpful to include in the email if any are available.
For major modifications provide the following additional information:
A site plan, to scale that shows the exact location of modification being requested in relation to the property lines. Site plan should also include any existing fences, decks, walkways, driveways, exterior elevations, floor plan, and detail of materials.
A registered survey plot clearly showing property lines, existing improvements, and proposed modification(s).
Submit the completed form and any additional information via:
Mail to Sweetbriar Homeowners Association, P.O. Box 802 Quakertown, PA 18951
NOTE: We have 7 days from the date of receipt of the modification request and all requested or required information to complete its review. Delays in submitting requested or required information will delay the review process. DO NOT AGREE TO WORK WITH YOUR CONTRACTOR UNTIL APPROVAL HAS BEEN GRANTED. No response does not mean it was approved.
Section 1. Restrictions
(k) No building, dwelling modification, fence, wall, in-ground pool, driveway or other permanent structure shall be constructed, erected or maintained, nor shall any additions to or change to any Lot or dwelling be made, including any changes to exterior color(s), exterior, materials, exterior lighting or grading, nor shall any shrubbery, bushes or trees be planted which would act as a fence of screen until approval has been received in writing from Declarant pursuant to Sections 2 and 3 herein.
Section 2. Review and Approval by Declarant
Any construction, erection or maintenance, or modification to any dwelling on a Lot as delineated in Section (k) herein (“Changes”) may not occur until and unless plans and specifications are approved in writing by the Declarant. Such plans and specifications shall be in duplicate (one copy of which shall be retained by the Declarant) and shall show the nature, shape, height, materials, floor plans, if applicable, exterior color(s), exterior elevations and locations of such Changes as well as a grading and landscaping plan including topography and contours of the ground. After the Declarant has conveyed all Lots owned by it to Owners, the review and approval rights of the Declarant pursuant to this Article VIII shall vest in the Board of Directors of the Sweetbriar Homeowners Association who shall have the right to assign such powers to an Architectural Review Committee pursuant to the Bylaws of the Sweetbriar Homeowners Association of even date herewith.
Section 3. Approval
The Declarant shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to disapprove of any such plans or specifications delivered pursuant to Section 2 above which are not suitable in its opinion, for aesthetic or other reasons; and in passing upon such plans and specifications, it may take into consideration the suitability of the proposed Change, the materials which are to be utilized, the color scheme, the site upon which it is proposed to locate the same, the harmony thereof with the surroundings, and other dwellings and structures located on the Properties, and the effect of such proposal on the outlook from adjacent or neighboring properties. Approval shall be made in one way only: by the signature of the authorized officer or agent of the Declarant, on each sheet of any plans submitted. In the event that the Declarant fails to approve or disapprove such plans and specifications within sixty (60)days of such presentation, the approval of such plans and specifications shall bedeemed denied.
Section 4. Applicability
It is understood that the obligation to submit plans and obtain approval, ·not only from the appropriate Township authorities, but also as set forth hereinabove in this Article, shall apply to all portions of the Lots.
Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 21st @ 7:00pm at the Richland Township Police Department.
229 California Road Quakertown, PA 18951
Agenda
Call to Order
Approval of 2020 Meeting Minutes
President report – new business & old business
Budgeting money for upcoming ideas (Playground, trees, etc)
2022 landscaping and 2021-2022 snow removal contract
Approval to retain Winnie Cordero for 2022 bookkeeping services.
Treasurer & Committee Reports
Public comments
Elections
Current Board
President: Brian Foster (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) Vice President: Dave Stevens (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) Treasurer:OPEN (Vacated on March 20th, 2021) Secretary:OPEN At-Large: 1. OPEN — Chris Werner (Served two years of his two year term) 2. OPEN — Eric Casperson (Served two years of his two year term) 3. Trevor Mankus (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) 4. Michael Hartranft (Served 1 yr, of a two year term) 5. OPEN
Committees
Maintenance: Brian Foster & Dave Stevens
Architectural: Brian Foster, Chris Werner, Michael Hartranft
Our annual yard sale will be held on Saturday, July 13th, 2019 between 8am – 2pm. Thank you to Eric Casperson and Jeremy Ralston for putting together the materials to advertise for it.
Please help spread the word to gain as much interest as we can.
For those who weren’t in attendance, our 2019 annual meeting was held April 11th, 2019. A copy of the meeting notes have been posted on our Meeting Minutes page. In summary:
Elections
Three spots needed to be filled (1 vacant Secretary, 2 at-large terms expiring)
Jessica Mann (1717 Pheasant Ln) was elected to a two year term as Secretary
Chris Werner (1861 Mayflower Dr) was elected to a two year term as an At-Large member
Eric Casperson (1507 Pilgrim Ln) was elected to a two year term as an At-Large member
Thank you to all past board members who are no longer volunteering their time. All of your work is very appreciated. Please be patient as we are in the process of updating our contact information and email addresses for our new board members.
On May 4th, we are holding a community clean-up day for kids. We’ve teamed up with local businesses to secure some cool swag and freebies for any youth who participates.
We will meet at the sign at the top of the development. Participants will be asked to help clean up different areas within our community.
To register your children, please email board@sweetbriarhoa.org and include: – Number of children being registered – Names of children – T-shirt sizes for children
We will be purchasing t-shirts based on registration, so please be sure to let us know if you plan on attending this event.
We’ve received reports of coyote sightings in and around our Sweetbriar community. Please be careful, especially if you are taking your pets out late at night.
At our previous board meeting, we asked for volunteers to form a playground committee that would be tasked with the responsibility of coming up with proposals on the future of our neighborhood tot lot playgrounds. At the time, the board felt that the state of the Phase 1 playground at the entrance of our development was in a deteriorating state and was beginning to be an unsafe place for children.
As a result of the committee’s research, estimates, and proposals, we would like to announce the following plans:
Relocation of climbing equipment from Phase 1 back to Phase 3, including the replacement of any material which is rotted or deteriorating
Removal of all other material in Phase 1 lot, grading of existing dirt, and establishment of grass seed
We feel that this move will result in a safer playground that has less maintenance costs and increased activity due to it’s location.
Over the past few months, we had two separate contractors (including a playground specialist from Country Structures) come out to inspect the equipment; both contractors said the equipment is structurally sound.
