Communities come in all different sizes, and they all have their own needs and their own goals. For this reason, the HOA in one neighborhood may look very different from the HOA in a community across town, or even right across the street. One kind of community that requires a particularly strong HOA presence, however, is the Master Planned Community.
What is a Master Planned Community, though, and how does it differ from other kinds of communities? The key term to focus on is planned. An MPC is designed to provide for all of the various needs of community members—which is why a typical MPC has shopping, libraries, parks, exercise facilities, in some cases even schools, in addition to homes and private residences.
In some cases, Master Planned Communities are designed to meet the needs of specific populations—say, retirees, or “active adults.” More generally speaking, though, MPC’s are great for families and for residents of all kinds.
All of this is to say simply that a Master Planned Community exists on such a scale that government by an HOA is pretty much always necessary—and the HOA board that managed an MPC is typically required to be heavily involved in the day-to-day affairs of the community.
That’s something that gives some people pause about moving into a Master Planned Community. However, the role of the community board, within an MPC, is not to exert some kind of draconian or authoritarian control. The HOA must be more heavily involved simply because there is much maintenance and upkeep to take care of—including the management of facilities like hiking trails, swimming pools, tennis courts, and more.
Sometimes, this maintenance work is done by the HOA board itself; other times, by an outside contractor. In either case, a effective HOA management company is necessary for ensuring that these important upkeep tasks get done, with minimal hassle to residents!
The responsibilities of the HOA don’t end with physical maintenance, of course; ensuring that everyone is paying the required assessments, and following basic policies, is essential in a community of this magnitude. The bottom line is that a Master Planned Community needs a strong management team—a team that doesn’t just want to exert authority, but to truly help residents and enrich their lives!
