Meadow View Residents Aren't The Problem
Aug 13, 2024 01:30PM ● By Lauren Pope
During the 2020 lockdown, residents of Meadow View eagerly watched the construction of the pool at the front of the neighborhood. Everyone was stuck inside, but the promise of summer days full of splashing and sunbathing offered hope in a dark time.
Even then, though, there were concerns. Would a pool so close to the main road draw in people from outside the neighborhood? The builder, DR Horton, assured the community that they would do everything possible to secure the area. The pool opened and, for about a week, things were good.
Then, the first round of outsiders appeared. The landscaping was trampled. Trash was left everywhere, including the pool itself, and cushions were left floating on the surface. There was so much trash in the water that the filter was broken. For months, the pool was an unusable swamp.
When it was finally fixed, the trespassers immediately returned.
"It's super disheartening that we pay a now increased HOA of $525 for our HOA to not do anything about the increase in people utilizing our pool," says one resident. It's been said again and again. Although it's called an HOA, the residents of Meadow View do not have any control of the association. It is fully controlled by a "Board of Directors" from Virtuous Management Group, headquartered in Florida. The homeowners can not take control of their association until the adjacent land is developed, a project that is on hold indefinitely.
The HOA is unresponsive in the best of times, but unacceptably glacial in times of emergency. The pool area sat untouched over the weekend, with blood seeping into the concrete (not pictured) and half-empty bottles of alcohol scattered across the lawn chairs.
When the HOA finally responded, it was with a curt message announcing the closure of the pool for the remainder of the season. No further explanation was given. A chain and padlock appeared around the gate. This is a particularly useless measure given the fact that the trespassers can easily jump the fence.
Meadow View Homeowners Association Members,
Due to the incident that occurred over the weekend, the pool & amenity center will be closed for the remainder of the season. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Sheriff's Department immediately.
Sincerely,
Meadow View Homeowners Association
Board of Directors
"It's always outsiders!"
"We are good people here!" says Nancy Carey, who has lived in Meadow View since 2019. "Neighbors look out for one another. We have dads out standing by the bus stop every morning with their kids. We have a great Halloween night every year with families out having fun."
"It’s so sad, we can’t enjoy our pool and things in the neighborhood because it’s ALWAYS STRANGERS coming in here causing trouble... it’s never people who live here.. NO crime committed in the neighborhood was by someone who lived in here!!!" commented Meadow View resident Reshada Little.
And yet, crime keeps coming again and again to their doorsteps. It is partly a problem of geography. The orientation of the neighborhood allows people to cut through from Old Scenic onto Flanacher with a series of twists and turns to evade law enforcement. One such chase ended with a car crashing into an unsuspecting family's living room.
It's not just criminals speeding through the neighborhood. There's a general issue with speeding that the HOA refuses to address. "When it comes to my particular street, it’s aggravating because my kids can’t even play out front of the amount of people that fly up and down the road and people don’t do anything about it," explains another resident.
The city doesn't control the speed limits in HOA neighborhoods. The only recourse homeowners have is to contact the HOA and request a change. The homeowners tried and were turned down. Instead, a few temporary "drive slowly" signs were put out, which did nothing to deter the speeders.
Children playing in a yard near a Meadow View intersection before the second phase of construction began. Photo provided by resident.
All of this has resulted in a situation where neighborhood children no longer feel safe playing outside in the neighborhood. Speeding cars keep them from playing in their front yards and outsider violence keeps them from enjoying the pool or playground. Tragically, some children have even witnessed the violence from their bedroom windows.
The amenities center is almost perfectly designed to draw in people from outside the neighborhood. They drive in from as far away as Mississippi (yes, really!) and park in the lot adjacent to the pool. Frustratingly, it also allows for easy getaway when police are called to the scene.
And, on that note, because the pool is owned by the HOA and not the residents, the police can't toss out trespassers unless that HOA says they're trespassing.
The residents of Meadow View are desperate for answers. Although the HOA regulations make things more challenging, they're hopeful that the city can step in to assist. District 1 Councilwoman Brandy Westmoreland confirms what residents suspected: it looks like no one involved in the shooting was a Zachary resident.
"The unfortunate situation that happened Saturday night has stunned the community once again. It is my understanding that thus far none of the parties involved are Zachary citizens. I plan to contact the homeowner's association and encourage them to tighten security and review how they monitor their common areas," Westmoreland said.
The issue of trespassing into HOA neighborhoods has become an urgent priority for the both the city council and Zachary Police Department. Meadow View has the misfortune of being the neighborhood most visible to these outside groups, but it is far from alone in dealing with them. They are committed to working to make sure that residents, and only residents, can enjoy the amenities that they pay for.
Click here to submit a request to Virtuous Management Group to add more security around the pool, and here to submit that same complaint to DR Horton. And if you have any information regarding the shooting on Saturday night, please notify the Zachary Police Department at 654-9393.