Why is WBPC relinquishing control of the architectural review process?
West Bend Property Company (WBPC), the developer and Declarant of NorthWest Crossing (NWX), has completed all residential and commercial land development within the neighborhood. Construction of most structures is nearly complete. The Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for NorthWest Crossing (CC&Rs) were drafted anticipating the developer’s control of the architectural review process would end, and the logical time is at completion of development.
Will the architectural review process continue after the developer relinquishes control?
Yes. A vote of the owners took place in October 2022 that followed a process outlined by the CC&Rs. The decision to form a non-profit corporation and continue the architectural review process was approved by a majority of the owners.
Now that the vote to continue the architectural review process has passed, what are the next steps?
The immediate next step is to elect a 5-member ARC board. The nominations for owners interested in serving on the board has now closed and the 11 candidates running for the board are included in this Voter’s Pamphlet.
A vote to elect the 5-member ARC board will take place in January 2023 and we anticipate the first board meeting will convene in February 2023. In subsequent months, the developer will be working with the board to establish the organization’s governing documents, finances and training on the architectural review function and processes.
How will the board members be elected?
In accordance with the CC&Rs, an election of the owners will take place. Unlike the vote to continue the ARC, this election does not require a majority of owners to vote. The election is now open and owners can vote online here. Information on each board candidate, as supplied by that candidate, is available in this Voter’s Pamphlet.
The process to vote will be similar to the recent vote on whether to continue the architectural review. Online voting is available through a third-party voting portal and each property owner should have received a unique voting registration code via USPS the first week in January. Owners will use the unique voting registration code and provide an email address in the online voting process and that address will only be used to send the vote confirmation back to the owner. Please be assured, all votes are confidential, despite needing to register with an email address through the third-party voting service.
An Owner Meeting scheduled for 4:00 PM on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at the Brooks Resources office (409 NW Franklin Avenue, Bend, OR 97703) will also allow for any owner who hasn’t already voted online to cast a vote in person. Owners who prefer not to vote online or attend the in-person Meeting to vote can request a proxy ballot via USPS (instructions to request a hard-copy proxy ballot will be provided once the election opens).
The 5 candidates who get the most votes by the close of the election at the January 25th Owner Meeting will be elected to serve on the board.
How many votes do I get to elect board members?
Each property/household gets to cast one vote for a slate of 5 board members. When voting, you can vote for up to 5 candidates.
Do board members have to be owners in NorthWest Crossing?
Yes. Per the CC&Rs, members of the architectural review board must own property in the neighborhood. Nominees for the board will need to provide an address of at least one owned property in NWX on the application, which will be verified by the developer.