Associations Should Take Smart, Proactive Approach for Festive Holiday Season

Many communities with associations are replete with activities, private gatherings and general good cheer during the holiday season. To help make this most special time of the year as joyful and harmonious as possible, associations should make considered and intelligent decisions and preparations.

For large communities, one of the best approaches is to turn to an independent committee of highly involved and dedicated unit owners. This community social/holiday planning committee can focus on planning and organizing all of a community’s special activities, displays and policies during the holidays and also throughout the year so as to ensure compliance with standards and regulations established by the community’s board.

For the holiday season, the committee can consider the possibility of enabling members of their community to volunteer to help and offer suggestions. At such time, the members of the committee can attempt to balance the various needs of the community members so as not to marginalize any of the members as it pertains to planning, décor, activities, etc.
In addition to the planning for the community’s own events and displays, the committee should also focus on parking, staffing and security policies. Many families will be hosting their own private gatherings during this time of year, so they should focus on efforts addressing high traffic, noise levels, and parking areas and violations.

The committee should encourage owners who are hosting a gathering to plan ahead in terms of parking. They should work with the committee to determine where their guests will be allowed to park, and they should be advised to inform their guests of the parking accommodations.

Those in gated communities should also consider and plan efforts to avoid traffic issues. Some communities use parking passes and distribute them to owners for their guests in advance of their parties, and some ask owners to provide them with a guest list for quick identification checks at the security gate. For owners who are hosting large events and ample onsite parking is unavailable, some communities make arrangements for parking at nearby properties so that owners could provide for shuttle buses for their guests.

By taking a proactive approach to all their holiday plans and decisions, community associations and their committees can help to make the season as festive and merry as possible for all their residents and guests.

Our firm’s attorneys write about important matters for associations in this blog, and we encourage directors, members and property managers to subscribe to our newsletter via the link below to receive all of our future articles.