Dear Members of the Briarwood Civic Association,
I write to you on behalf of the committee of residents who have volunteered to present our community with proposed changes to the Covenants, hereby referred to as the Covenant Committee. The Covenants Committee consists of five volunteers from our community: Michael Clarke, Sarah Harrison, Claire Jenkins, Patrick Ma, Mary Ann Sell and me, BCA Secretary, Angela Woodruff. Maryann Weiss previously served on this committee, however due to perceived conflicts of interest as sitting chair of the Beautification Committee, she has graciously elected to step down from service on the Covenants Committee. Walter Desmond has also removed himself for personal reasons.
The Covenants Committee was formed following the BCA meeting in March 2024, and was tasked with proposing changes to the current BCA Covenants. They have worked diligently to draft proposed changes to the covenants that we believed addressed many potential concerns within our community. The initial intent with the proposed changes to the covenants was two-fold-to garner feedback from the Briarwood Community, and to vote on those changes via ballots distributed with the June 2024 newsletter. However, the recent responses indicate that there are still significant issues with wording and questions among our neighbors leading to confusion and frustration.
We want to assure you that our primary goal is to bring a solution to these addressed issues. We are committed to listening, working together, and maintaining transparency to develop the best possible updates to our neighborhood covenants before any further voting.
To move forward and get this right, we propose the following steps:
Comment Period: The subcommittee will halt any further voting activity for the next 60 days. As a community, we need to take time to review the proposed changes to the covenants thoroughly. The comment period is your opportunity to be involved in the planning process, to offer thoughts on alternative ways for the BCA to accomplish what is proposed, to comment on the proposed covenant changes, and work with the BCA to do what is right for Briarwood.
BCA residents are invited to submit comments on the proposed changes: You may return your written concerns for the committee with your ballot to the BCA Secretary at 105 Anstead Dr. or email bcaboardsec.2024@gmail.com. Please note that these ballots are not votes, they are serving as another means to collect feedback.
Comment Submission: Between June 6, 2024, and August 6, 2024, please submit your comments indicating your support or opposition to each specific proposed subject (Swimming pools, Backyard Chickens, Personal Work Vehicles, Sign Boards). Your input is critical in determining whether there is enough support to refine the wording and details of the proposed changes.
Revisioning Period: After the 60-day commenting period, the subcommittee will take the following 30 days (by September 5, 2024) to process all responses, identify commonalities, and incorporate them into the proposed changes to the covenants.
Town Hall: Once the subcommittee has finished the revisioning period, the subcommittee will host a BCA Town Hall at the Summerville Church of Christ no later than 30 days (by October 5, 2024). The objective of the town hall will be to present the revised proposal changes and provide clarity on intent behind the amendments to the proposed changes to the covenants.
Final ballot administration and voting: Following the Town Hall, the subcommittee will distribute the amended proposed changes to the covenants on the ballot along with the BCA newsletter. BCA members will have until the end of the month to cast their vote for each proposed change to the covenant. To guarantee votes are cast on the revised proposed changes to the amendments, all ballots collected in June will be nullified and new ballots will be distributed with the November newsletter.
We look forward to working collaboratively to create an updated set of covenants that best suit us all. Thank you for your participation and commitment to improving our neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Angela Woodruff,
Briarwood Civic Association, Secretary
On behalf of the Covenants Committee