Read the Policy

The Board of Directors approved the Parking Policy (below) at the January meeting.  We would like to thank those community members who provided us with their comments regarding the draft policy.
 
Our goal was to keep the Parking Policy simple, with minimal restrictions, while supporting the policy documented in our by-laws and providing mechanisms for enforcement.
 
As you will see in the Parking Policy, we have included a provision for towing (see Section V).  We are in the process of contracting with a towing agency, and you will soon see towing signage posted.  We have asked our management company representative (George Ellis) to place notices on cars that are parked in common areas and are in violation of our parking policy.  These notices will warn the owner that the car may be towed if not in compliance within 3 business days.  Our intent is to use towing after a notice is provided; however, this may not always be possible.
 
In addition, we have given permission to the police to periodically patrol our property.  The police will ticket cars that do not meet county and state ordinances (e.g., current inspection stickers).  A police presence on our property should also help increase the safety of our community.
 
As many of you are aware, we continue to have a problem with cars that are not parking parallel to the curb in areas so designated.  This is of particular concern at the corner of Crescent Park Drive and Logan Manor Drive because of potential safety issues.  We have received numerous complaints about this problem from residents.  Our parking policy explicitly covers this issue in Sections I. A., B., and C.  Now that we have a parking policy and enforcement mechanisms in place, it is our hope that we will be able to correct this problem quickly.
 
If you have any questions regarding this parking policy, please contact George Ellis @ (703) 392-6006 or you can send an e-mail to the Board of Directors.  Furthermore, if you see any parking violations, please call George Ellis at the number referenced above.
 
Thank you for your support in helping to keep this a safe and attractive community.

WEST MARKET COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC.
POLICY RESOLUTION NO. 6: VEHICLE POLICIES
Adopted January 8, 2001
 
Relating to the parking and use of vehicles upon the property.
 
GIVEN THAT Article VII Section 7.1(d) of the Bylaws states that the Board of Directors shall have power to "exercise for the Association all powers, duties and authority vested in or delegated to this Association and not reserved to the Membership by other provisions of these Bylaws, the Articles of Incorporation, or the Declaration"; and
 
GIVEN THAT Article VIII, Section 8.7 of the Declaration states, "No boat, trailer, bus, camper, motor home, recreational vehicle, utility trailer, commercial vehicle (other than automobiles, light weight vans and pickup trucks, and similar vehicles used for personal as well as commercial purposes) or oversized vehicle shall be parked or maintained on any street or Common Area or on any Lot except as otherwise may be expressly permitted by the Association. If the Association permits any such vehicle on a Member Lot, it shall be kept within a garage or an enclosed or screened area such that the vehicle may not be visible from the street or other Member Lots."; and
 
GIVEN THAT in order to assure equitable parking arrangements as well as safe and attractive parking areas, the Board deems it necessary and desirable to establish policy regulating the parking and use of vehicles upon the Property;
 
NOW THEREFORE, the Board resolves that the following policies and procedures regarding parking and use of vehicles upon the Property be, and hereby are, adopted:
 
 
I. Parking Rights

A. No parking shall be permitted along the private streets within the Common Areas, except for those spaces specifically designated for parking
 
B. Vehicles shall be parked entirely within the lines indicated.
 
C. Vehicles shall not be parked in fire lanes or other areas where parking is restricted. Vehicles shall not obstruct sidewalks, driveways or roadways. All Unit Owners and guests shall observe and abide by any parking and traffic regulations posted by the Association or by local authorities.
 
D. The Board of Directors may from time to time designate certain spaces for handicapped parking to comply with federal, state or local laws and/or ordinances or to make reasonable accommodations for members who require handicapped parking. Only vehicles displaying current handicap tags or stickers maybe parked in spaces reserved for handicapped parking.

 II. Vehicle Requirements

All motor vehicles shall display current licenses and other required permits or decals and shall be maintained in proper operating condition so as not to be a hazard or nuisance due to noise, exhaust emissions or appearance.

III. Restrictions

A. The following vehicles may not be parked on any Common Areas, parking lots or roadways overnight:

1. A junk or derelict vehicle, which is defined as one that is missing any necessary parts such as, but not limited to, tires, wheels, engine, etc., that are necessary for operation of the vehicle on public streets.
 
2. Any trailer (including house, boat or otherwise trailers).
 
3. Any motor home, self-contained camper, camp truck, or camper slip-on where the back of the camper is higher than the roof line of the cab of the truck.
 
4. Any mobile home or fifth-wheel vehicle.
 
5. Any pop-up camp/tent trailer or similar recreation-oriented portable vehicle or transportable facility or conveyance.
 
6. Any other vehicle not defined above that is not normally or regularly used for routine transportation, including dune buggies, non-operational automobile collections or other automotive equipment not licensed for use on the highways of Virginia.
 
7. Any vehicle defined as a commercial vehicle by the code of Virginia.
 
8. Any vehicle with commercial lettering, advertising or visible commercial equipment whether or not defined as a commercial vehicle by Virginia law and regardless of whether or not operated for commercial use. (The Association Board and the Board of the West Market Community Association, Inc. may, on a case-by-case basis, permit the parking in open view of vehicles with commercial lettering that otherwise conforms to this resolution upon written application by an Owner or an Owner's tenant.)
 
9. Private or public school or church buses.B. Vehicle repairs, other than emergency maintenance and light normal cleaning, are not permitted on the Common Areas.

IV. Liability

A. Nothing in this resolution shall be construed to hold the Association or the Board of Directors responsible for damage to vehicles or the loss of property from vehicles parked on the Common Areas.

B. Should an employee of the Association at the request of a Unit Owner move, park or drive any automobile placed in the parking areas, then, and in every such case, such employee shall be deemed the agent of the Unit Owner. The Association shall not be liable for any loss, damage or expense that may be suffered or sustained in connection therewith.

V. Enforcement

A. Vehicles parked in violation of this policy may be towed without prior notice at the expense and risk of the vehicle Owner.
 
B. The Association shall be held harmless by such Unit Owner for any and all damages or losses that may ensure, and any and all rights in connection therewith that the Owner or driver may have under the provisions of state or local laws and ordinances are hereby expressly waived. The Unit Owner shall indemnify the Association against any liability that may be imposed on the Association as a result of such illegal parking or abandonment and any consequences thereof.