PART FIVE: PROPERTY RIGHTS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
The nature of living in a planned community, with its wide array of properties and development types and its ongoing development activity, requires the creation of special property rights and provisions to address the needs and responsibilities of the Owners, Declarant, the Association, and others within or adjacent to the community.
Article XI EASEMENTS
11.1. Easements in Common Area. Declarant grants to each Owner a nonexclusive right and easement of use, access, and enjoyment in and to the Common Area, subject to:
- The Governing Documents and any other applicable covenants;
- Any restrictions or limitations contained in any deed conveying such property to the Association;
- The Board's right to:
- adopt Rules and Regulations governing the use and enjoyment of the Common Area, including rules limiting the number of guests who may use the Common Area;
- suspend the right of an Owner to use recreational facilities within the Common Area (A) for any period during which any charge against such Owner's Unit remains delinquent, and (B) for a period not to exceed 30 days for a single violation or for a longer period in the case of any continuing violation, of the Governing Documents after notice and a hearing pursuant to the By-Laws;
- dedicate or transfer all or any part of the Common Area, subject to such approval requirements as may be set forth in this Declaration;
- impose membership requirements and charge admission or other use fees for the use of any recreational facility situated upon the Common Area (such membership requirements, admission or use fees may, in the Board's discretion, differentiate between Members of the Association and other persons entitled to use such facilities);
- permit use of any recreational facilities situated on the Common Area by persons other than Owners, their families, lessees, and guests upon payment of use fees established by the Board and designate other areas and facilities within the Areas of Common Responsibility as open for the use and enjoyment of the public;
- mortgage, pledge, or hypothecate any or all of its real or personal property as security for money borrowed or debts incurred subject to the approval requirements contained in this Declaration; and
- The rights of certain Owners to the exclusive use of those portions of the Common Area designated "Exclusive Common Areas," as described in Article XII.
Any Owner may extend his or her right of use and enjoyment to the members of his or her family, lessees, and social invitees, as applicable, subject to reasonable regulation by the Board. An Owner who leases his or her Unit shall be deemed to have assigned all such rights to the lessee of such Unit for the period of the lease.
11.2. Easements of Encroachment. Declarant grants reciprocal appurtenant easements of encroachment, and for maintenance and use of any permitted encroachment, between each Unit and any adjacent Common Area and between adjacent Units due to the unintentional placement or settling or shifting of the improvements constructed, reconstructed, or altered thereon (in accordance with the terms of these restrictions) to a distance of not more than three feet, as measured from any point on the common boundary along a line perpendicular to such boundary. However, in no event shall an easement for encroachment exist if such encroachment occurred due to willful and knowing conduct on the part of, or with the knowledge and consent of, the Person claiming the benefit of such easement.
11.3. Easements for Utilities, Etc.
- Installation and Maintenance. Declarant reserves for Declarant, so long as Declarant owns any property described in Exhibit "A" of this Declaration or additional property subjected to the Declaration, on behalf of Declarant, Declarant's nominees, successors, and assigns, perpetual non-exclusive easements throughout the Properties (but not through a structure) to the extent reasonably necessary for the purpose of:
- installing utilities and infrastructure to serve the Properties, walkways, pathways and trails, drainage systems, street lights and signage on property which Declarant owns or within public rights-of-way or easements reserved for such purpose on Recorded plats;
- inspecting, maintaining, repairing, and replacing the utilities, infrastructure, and other improvements described in Section 11.3(a)(i), and any Street Trees;
- access to read utility meters; and
- access to from the public rights-of-way to any wetland, body of water, or water monitoring site to perform water monitoring and testing.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, this easement shall not entitle the holders to construct or install any of the foregoing systems, facilities, or utilities over, under or through any existing dwelling on a Unit, and any damage to a Unit resulting from the exercise of this easement shall promptly be repaired by, and at the expense of, the Person exercising the easement. Exercise of this easement shall not unreasonably interfere with the use of any Unit and, except in an emergency, entry onto any Unit shall be made only after reasonable notice to the Owner or occupant. No utilities may be installed or relocated on the Properties without approval of the Board or as provided by Declarant.
- Specific Easements. Declarant also reserves the non-exclusive right and power to grant and Record such specific easements as may be necessary, in the sole discretion of Declarant, in connection with the orderly development of any property described in Exhibits "A," or such additional property subjected to the terms of the Declaration The location of the easement shall be subject to the written approval of the Owner of the burdened property, which approval shall not unreasonably be withheld, delayed or conditioned.
11.4. Easements To Serve Additional Property. Declarant hereby reserves for Declarant and Declarant's duly authorized agents, successors, assigns, and mortgagees, an easement over the Common Area for the purposes of enjoyment, use, access, and development of any additional property subjected to the terms of the Declaration, whether or not such property is made subject to this Declaration. This easement includes, but is not limited to, a right of ingress and egress over the Common Area for construction of roads and for connecting and installing utilities on such property. Declarant agrees that Declarant and Declarant's successors or assigns shall be responsible for any damage caused to the Common Area as a result of their actions in connection with development of such property.
Declarant further agrees that if the easement is exercised for permanent access to such property and such property or any portion thereof benefiting from such easement is not made subject to this Declaration, or any other declaration of covenants, conditions, and restrictions under which an owners' association is created or provided for, Declarant or Declarant's successors or assigns shall enter into a reasonable agreement with the Association to share the cost of any maintenance which the Association provides to or along any roadway providing access to such property. The allocation of costs in any such agreement shall be based on the number of residential dwellings or commercial units on the property served by the easement and not subject to this Declaration as a proportion of the total number of residential dwellings within the Properties and on such benefited property.
11.5. Easements for Maintenance, Emergency, and Enforcement. Declarant grants to the Association easements over the Properties as necessary to enable the Association to fulfill its maintenance responsibilities under Section 7.2. The Association shall also have the right, but not the obligation, to enter upon any Unit for emergency, security, and safety reasons, to perform maintenance and to inspect for the purpose of ensuring compliance with and enforce the Governing Documents. Such right may be exercised by any member of the Board and its duly authorized agents and assignees, and all emergency personnel in the performance of their duties. Except in an emergency situation, entry shall only be during reasonable hours and after notice to the Owner.
11.6. Technology Utility Easements. Declarant reserves, so long as Declarant owns any property described on Exhibit "A" of this Declaration, and additional property subjected to this Declaration by Declarant, perpetual, non-exclusive easements adjacent to the public rights-of-way throughout the Properties, on behalf of Declarant, and Declarants nominees, successors and assigns, for the purpose of installing, operating, maintaining, repairing and replacing telephone, cable television, telecommunications, security, and other systems for sending and receiving data and/or other electronic signals ("Technology Utilities"), to serve the Properties and each Unit, such easements shall be exclusive to Declarant until granted or conveyed to a third party, which may be exclusive, perpetual and irrevocable, at which point such easements or interests may be more particularly described in the instrument granting or conveying such easements or interests or on the recorded plats.
Declarant also reserves for Declarant the exclusive right and power to enter into contracts for the construction, installation, and provision of any of the items addressed in this Section and to grant and record in the public records such specific easements as may be necessary, in the sole discretion of Declarant, in connection with the orderly development of any property described on Exhibit "A," and additional property subjected to this Declarant by Declarant. Any such contract, agreement, or easement may, in Declarant's sole discretion, grant the exclusive right to access or use of such system, including the portions of the systems installed on or in the Units, dwellings, and other structures constructed on Units and Common Areas within the Properties.
Any such contract, agreement, or easement entered into by Declarant may require that the Board enter into a bulk rate service agreement for the provision of services offered to all Units within the Properties. In such case, the cost shall be a Common Expense of the Association and shall be assessed as a part of the Base Assessment. If the service provides additional services or benefits to certain Owners or Units at their request, such additional services or benefits shall be paid directly by the Owner to the service provider, or become a Specific Assessment, as appropriate and specified in the agreement between the Association and the service provider.
|