Any planner worth his/her weight will appreciate the nuances in transportation modes - is it a streetcar? a trolley? a train? But you don't need to be a planner to appreciate this story out of South Lake Union, WA.

Credit: Andy Rogers/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

I have long been critical of HOAs. If someone owns their property, then they should have their right to do with it as they please (within proper regulation of the local zoning ordinance, of course). I don't really have to worry about HOAs too much, how ever, because I am a renter. Sure, I rent a condo where there is an HOA - and I am very critical of it (no leash law/rule enforcement; poor trash receptacle availability; inequality in enforcement). But, I can't really do much since I am a renter.

I understand the benefits of HOAs - thanks to several years of planning school, I can appreciate that HOAs are good for local governments. HOAs reduce the cost of new development for governments by using dues to pay for road repair and maintenance. They also do a better job of code/ safety enforcement than some other developments. People who live under control of an HOA pay to be a part of this neighborhood - and this fee drives them to care about what happens (in general - I realize that there are those who don't fit this).

HOAs allow people to be non-confrontational. Citizens can complain about neighbors, and let the HOA representatives (or 3rd party) take care of enforcement. This allows neighbors to remain cordial while preventing any real relationships from forming.

That being said, older, established neighborhoods can take care of the same enforcement without dues. People are a part of the neighborhood, and therefore care about it. Established neighborhoods have their own sense of community because people *gasp* interact and talk to each other.

Anyhow, when I see news stories about how much people dislike HOAs, I can't understand it. If you buy a house, you know whether there are HOA controls. Before you sign papers, all of the by-laws are disclosed and you know what you're buying into. Therefore, I have no sympathy when you're complaining that you hate your HOA.

WTOP has a story today about peole who don't like their HOA. The majority of the comments are from people who are unhappy with their HOA. If you're so unhappy, why did you move to that neighborhood? (Don't get me started on the national policy promotion of home-ownership - you don't NEED to own the place that you live...) And why don't you run for a position on the HOA board - they all have them.