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By Glenn Stroup, Former Trustee

Franklin Farm was established as a planned community. In zoning terms it is classified as PDH-2, which means that the homes average two to the acre, with substantial open space. The governing documents of the Foundation remain in effect regardless of change of ownership and are stated in the covenants that you each received when you settled on your house. There are also individual covenants that pertain to each of the Foundation’s twenty-seven neighborhoods.

The affairs of the community are governed by a Board of Trustees, consisting of up to nine residents. Each Trustee serves a term of two years and is elected "at large" by the total community, with each household receiving two votes. The Trustees are volunteers, but still incur all the fiduciary and legal responsibilities incumbent on any such office. In brief, the Trustees are to maintain the financial soundness of the Foundation and promote the general welfare of all residents, balancing individual homeowners rights against those of the community as a whole. The Board elects a President, Vice President and Secretary from among its members and appoints a Treasurer, who need not be a Trustee. Normally, the Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month and meetings are open to all residents.

Another organizational element that is required by state law for a planned development community is an Architectural Review Board. The ARB, which is composed of residents appointed by the Board of Trustees, is an independent element that acts upon applications from individual homeowners for external modifications to their property. The ARB determines whether or not individual applications are in accord with the Foundation and individual Neighborhood covenants and the Architectural Standards and Guidelines, which are updated periodically, after community review and comment on recommendations for changes. Every exterior modification to a home must have ARB approval. If a resident disagrees with the ruling of the ARB, he may appeal the decision to a second group appointed by the Board of Trustees – the Architectural Appeals Board. The AAB decision may also be appealed to the Trustees.

The Foundation covenants also provide for twenty-seven Neighborhoods, each of which has its own unique covenants. Each neighborhood has a Neighborhood Board, composed of at least three but not more than seven residents of the Neighborhood. The covenants require that at least 25% of the eligible voters vote in the annual election, in order for a Neighborhood Board to be automatically certified. The Trustees may appoint Neighborhood Boards for neighborhoods that did not meet the requirement of 25% voting, as long as there are at least three members. The Neighborhood Board members have similar authorities and responsibilities for their neighborhoods as the Trustees for all of Franklin Farm. Each neighborhood board meeting is open to all residents of that neighborhood and neighborhood board meetings should be advertised in advance, through The Almanac or by other means.

The covenants do not call for any specific organizations other than the Board of Trustees, the ARB, and the twenty-seven neighborhood boards. However, the Board of Trustees has created another body – the Council of Neighborhoods. Every Neighborhood Chairperson is automatically a member of the Council and is expected to attend its meetings, although an alternate may be appointed from the neighborhood board if the chairperson is unable to attend a specific meeting. The purpose of the Council is to allow open discussion between neighborhoods, of common interests and problems, and provide advice to the Board of Trustees on important matters. A Trustee attends each meeting of the Council.

The remaining organizations are the standing committees. The Trustees establish committees as needed to address specific issues. Each neighborhood is encouraged to appoint a representative to each committee. The Committees deal with specialized concerns, although there is frequent interchange of ideas and communication between them. Generally, the Trustees will refer any matter needing detailed investigation to one of the committees, asking for a recommendation, before taking final action. The Committees likewise may make recommendations to the Board, as they believe necessary. An equally important responsibility of each member of the committees is to bring forward issues from their respective neighborhood boards and report back to the boards on the activities of the committees. Please see pages 14-15 for descriptions of current committees. The Board of Trustees may establish other committees as a need arises and welcomes suggestions from any resident.

In summary, the important fact is that the Foundation is essentially a volunteer organization that depends on the efforts of each resident. Individual residents should both become involved in these organizations and use them to highlight and resolve specific problems. Through collective and cooperative action, there are few things that Franklin Farm cannot do. If you do not know whom to contact in your neighborhood or one of the committees, please call the Foundation office for the name of the right individual.

The Franklin Farm Foundation - 12700 Franklin Farm Rd - Oak Hill, VA  20171
Phone:  703-620-6230     Fax:  703-620-9021     E-Mail:  foundation@franklinfarm.org
Map of Franklin Farm      Map of the foundation office at the above address

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