General Manager’s Update

Dear Residents, At the beginning of July, property owners will receive the latest Landings Association Community Survey. You will receive an email with the survey link from the EMG Group, which the Association has engaged to conduct this independent research. EMG Group has created a survey instrument using questions from previous TLA surveys, as well as new questions from topics that arose during recent focus group sessions, as previously reported. The survey itself takes about 15 minutes to complete. I know that’s longer than most people are used to, but we really need your input and guidance on the present and future of The Landings Association. Please take the time to contribute to our community through your participation. We continue to remain extremely concerned with golf cart safety and, likewise, are seeing an increase in the number of complaints from residents.  Our Security Committee has been tasked with gathering facts to develop plans to address these serious concerns.  Residents are invited and strongly encouraged to assist this work by dropping by our Community Path Safety Forum on July 2 anytime between 4 and 6pm in the Association Conference Room at 600 Landings Way South. The Landings Association hosted our annual Hurricane Town Hall Meeting on June 12. Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) did an excellent job informing our residents about updates to evacuation and reentry plans, what you need to take if an evacuation is ordered, and why you should leave. You can read a complete report starting on page 22. Please make sure to become informed now, so you’re not left scrambling when a storm approaches. For our newer residents, we’ve had two evacuations in the past three years, so this is not just a planning exercise. We are in the final stages of completing a reorganization of The Association’s Community Development Department.  This operation is responsible for two primary functions directly related to preserving and enhancing property values in the community. One function is staff review and processing of all permit applications for submission to the Architectural Review Committee (ARC), including exterior alterations, additions and new construction. The second function is compliance inspections for The Association’s Private Property Maintenance Standards (PPMS), established following the overwhelming approval of the 2015 Covenants Modernization Vote.  Our community is divided into 12 inspection zones and one zone per week is inspected, in addition to complaints received from residents.  The department staffing levels will remain at four full-time employees, including the Manager, an Administrative Assistant and two Inspectors. The reorganization was prompted following several employee departures from our team. We entered a six month consulting agreement in March with Linda Ramsay, a Professional Architect, to review the plans for compliance with the ARC Guidelines prior to ARC review.  Sabrina McDowell, a 22 year employee was transferred from our Customer Service staff to fill the vacant role of Administrative Assistant. And on June 3, we welcomed Erin Schumacher to our team, filling the vacant Manager position. Erin is a preservationist, planner, and urbanist.  Previously, she worked as a Principal Planner for the Town of Bluffton, providing architectural review for projects located in the historic district/highway corridors and spearheaded several public projects located in the Old Town.  Prior to that, she worked throughout the Midwest and the Northeast for private architecture and engineering firms on projects ranging from custom homes to the U.S. Capitol Grounds. Erin is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and graduated with honors with a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation from SCAD. Erin has hit the ground running and is busy improving internal operations and working with applicants on plan submissions. Please mark July 4^th on your calendar for the annual Independence Day Celebration at the Deer Creek Driving Range. This event is open to all residents, and not just Landings Club members, as the Association pays for half of the cost of the fireworks. The event begins at 6 p.m. Since we went to press with our 2019 Residential Directory, we’ve had almost 350 new listings or changes to current listings. We’ve included those updates in this Journal on pages 16-18. As a reminder, you can add or modify your primary Directory listing by logging in to the Association’s website (www.landings.org). Once logged in, click My Account in the upper, right-hand portion of the screen > Edit Contact Info > then click on the orange GateAccess link. There, you will be able to make the update. In addition, if you want to search for your neighbors’ most current contact information, once logged in to our website, just click on Resources > Neighbor Search. As we welcome many new residents to the community, we are eager to help create a smooth transition to your new home and community All property owners automatically become members of The Landings Association upon purchase of their property. During the closing process for your property, you should have received a set of Covenants that constitute a deed restriction on all lots in The Landings. The Association also provides this important document in a Welcome Packet during the brief orientation provided when new owners arrive to register for gate access.  It is also available on our website (www.landings.org > resources> governing documents > Covenants) and in the Residential Directory. The Covenants, also called the governing documents, describe in great detail your rights and responsibilities (assessments, voting, etc.), as well as The Association’s rights and obligations. Many people buy into a deed-restricted community such as The Landings to receive the benefit of the protections provided by Covenants and the associated Rules & Regulations. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with these documents on a day when it’s too hot to be outside! And please call if we can help answer any questions!