When I first moved to Hillcrest, I noticed there was a us vs. them attitude between the high rises and the low/mid rises. I guess it is human nature to want to “feel special” but unfortunately, some people’s idea of “feeling special” is to look down on others. And that is what is happening between the Hillcrest/Parkview HOA the Hillcrest Condo Community. So, let’s address the elephant in the room, the current us vs. them mood between the condo owners and the Parkview HOA.

MANY Hillcresters did NOT want to sign over the golf courses to developers for a measly $3,000,000 which was split between 2,355 units. There was a lot of strong-arming going on with claims that the golf courses and Country Club were unsuccessful and not profitable. When the Executive Golf course (behind Hillcrest 26 and 26, was closed, it became an eyesore and the then owners threatened to do the same with the big golf course. Another tactic was to say that the Hillcrest Country Club would be torn down and a 13-story building would take its place. Anyway, fast forward, we did vote to lift the covenant and the developers did listen and modify the plan to make the areas surrounding our buildings beautiful, which they did. They listened and made a lot of concessions because our leaders were very engaged and fought for their residents.

The homeowners didn’t have that luxury. They bought their properties not knowing that part of the deal was that the condo owners would never pay for the repair or upkeep of the amenities but would be permitted to use them. Many don’t understand why condo owners can walk the trails and use the amenities (except for the large Clubhouse) at no cost, or now, at a nominal cost for the tennis and pickleball courts. And yes, the original agreement does contain a clause that condo owners can be charged a court fee once the development was complete and turned over to the HOA.

However, before that happened there was a huge problem with many outsiders using the courts and even tennis instructors were using the Parkview court address when advertising their services!  Some residents were giving out the gate codes or fobs to friends and family that do not live here. If you are one of them, shame on you! 

While some homeowners think it is unfair to have to share the amenities they pay for, there are also some condo owners who think that the small Clubhouse is for condo owners only, not the homeowners. This is not true. It is a shared amenity. The fee for reserving the small Clubhouse is the same for everyone who lives in Hillcrest and Parkview.

One problem I found out about was that apparently, we have some condo owners who step off the walking trails and roam through the neighborhoods. This is TRESPASSING, folks! In a gated community, the streets are owned and maintained by the HOA members who pay maintenance fees. Condo owners have no right to walk through their streets. I happened to hear about this from a homeowner but not a word from the HOA to our leaders. One would think that a respectful discussion among the members of the Shared Amenities Committee would be in order. The presidents of the buildings are more than willing to have a talk with any of their residents who are doing the wrong thing. It is always better to talk TO people than ABOUT them.

When I forwarded the new rules and fees for the tennis and pickleball courts, I received several emails which I forwarded to Jessie Ortega, the Parkview at Hillcrest newest property manager. She is very capable, courteous, and responsive. In her answer to the complaints about the time limit rules, she pointed out, “Having a system in place will simply allow all residents to play.” In general, the homeowners are young families who work during the week, so they mostly use the courts in the evenings and on weekends, while most condo owners play during the week.

Jessie pointed out that if anyone reserves the court for one hour and no one shows up for the next hour’s reservation, there is no problem if the players continue to play. Of course, they must leave when someone shows up with a reservation. This is the reason they put up a TV inside the tennis center displaying daily reservations. And registered players are allowed 3 guests per household. NOTE TO SNOWBIRDS: Either bring your tax record, electric bill or some proof that you live here in order to get your fob.

Somewhere along the line, there has been a big disconnect and a war is brewing between the Parkview HOA. The agreement called for a “Amenities Committee” consisting of the five HOA board members and two representatives from Hillcrest, Steve Hurtig, Hillcrest 25 and Laura Gomez, VP of Hillcrest 18. It got off to a rocky start, with zero communication from the HOA to an exchange of hostile emails and finally culminated in ONE Shared Amenities committee meeting via Zoom where the minority representatives were TOLD how things were going to go instead of being asked for any input. 

I would assume that this committee was mandated so that the five HOA board members and our two representatives could work in harmony to discuss any issues regarding the shared amenities and to come up with solutions. In the past, back when Millie and Amarilis were the property managers for Parkview, the Hillcrest buildings helped identify those that abused the privileges and address it with their residents. Someone would take a picture on their cell phone of an errant resident, we would identify him or her, and either get them to behave or disable their fob. 

Bottom line, Hillcrest has long been known as a community of respectful people who believe that rules need to be honored and we have no problem holding our residents accountable. For example, when Jessie told us that some of our residents damaged the gates, Robert Ducker, President of Hillcrest 5 and the Low/Mid Rise Presidents Council offered to fix them, and did.

Open conversation is the key, not simmering animosity.