Selecting Architectural Committee Members

The Architectural Committee is a very important committee for a homeowners association. Such a committee is usually required by the governing documents. Selecting appropriate members for this committee should be done with care having an understanding these individuals will play a major part in preserving and enhancing community values.

The first requirement in considering committee members is to check the governing documents to confirm the authority and be aware of any requirements imposed. The governing documents may specify the number of members as well as qualifications. If a committee charter is in existence, guidelines therein should be reviewed as well.

When considering members, the candidates need to know of any time requirements for the committee and commit to being available to fulfill the obligations of the committee. Most governing documents have timeline requirements for consideration of architectural variance requests, so committee members need to be available to meet as these requests are submitted.

"Architectural committee members are not expected to be degreed architects or engineers, but rather have an eye for how a change to one home will fit into the look of the neighborhood."

Committee members need to have an eye for the look of the community. Architectural committee members are not expected to be degreed architects or engineers, but rather have an eye for how a change to one home will fit into the look of the neighborhood. Respect for how the community was originally designed to look is an important factor when considering change. People bought into the community in part for its appearance. Committee members need to remember that. At the same time committee members need to have an open mind to change when environmental considerations become important (adding solar, conserving water, Civil Code restrictions, etc).

Confidentiality and privacy issues could be a concern. Committee members will need to be able to commit to maintaining confidentiality when it comes to details of plans that may include security features of a home. Being able to commit to a code of ethics and/or a code of conduct for the committee should be a consideration. Such a code might include language that decisions will be made without prejudice or discrimination based on factors irrelevant to the request.

Finally, committee members should be team players, clear of any conflicts of interest. As an example, a person owning a landscape company, hoping to get business by way of committee membership would not be appropriate. At the same time, owning a landscape company (having landscape expertise) and being able to communicate with the rest of the committee on what works well for the community could be an asset.

As with any committee, guidelines for membership in the committee should be a part of the charter for the committee. Board members selecting committee members should be open to new membership within the guidelines established.

Steven Shuey is the chair of CAI-CV's Education Committee and serves on the board of directors. He is a certified Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM). He serves on the national faculty of CAI and is a past board member of the APCM. He is a community association consultant with Personalized Property Management. Steven may be contacted at IslandMgr@aol.com. You can follow him on Twitter (www.twitter.com/@IslandMgr).