Colonial Village III

Welcome Brochure

 

Home
Useful Resident Information
Welcome Brochure
Newsletter
Community Bulletin Board
Calendar of Events
Board Meeting Minutes
Archives

 

 

 

Welcome to Colonial Village III,

a Condominium

 

Established in 1988, Colonial Village III is considered to be one of the best-managed condominiums in Virginia. According to a brief history written by Jeanne M. Fogle, Colonial Village was originally built as rental housing in the mid-1930s. Its developer, Gustave Ring, is quoted as saying: “People thought I was crazy to build over there…(it was) too far out in the country.” His idea was to build quality housing at moderate prices… a low-rise development in a park-like setting with adequate light, air, lawn and landscaping. In the spring of 1935 construction was begun on Arlington’s first apartments- and the first large-scale rental housing project to be financed by a mortgage issue by the Federal Housing Administration.

 

So popular was the concept that 15,000 applications were received for the first 276 units. “Young brides in Washington set their marriage dates by (when) their applications for an apartment in the village (were accepted),” stated one long-time resident. Between 1935 and 1940, 1056 apartments were built on a 56-acre site that was once a nine-hole golf course. Twelve acres were set aside for parks. Walled courtyards, playgrounds, benches, arched entryways and two footbridges over streams were included. The gardens were illuminated at night, and a community house with a social hall was built for the residents. In the 1930s Colonial Village had several softball teams, a resident doctor and dentist, and a hobby shop staffed by an instructor who taught residents to make and repair their own furniture. Colonial Village is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is included in Best Addresses: A Century of Washington’s Distinguished Apartment Houses, by James M. Goode, (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988). It received the 1988 Finest for Family Living Award in the Historic Preservation Category. Its exterior appearance and its grounds fall under the purview of Arlington County’s Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board.

 

Mobil Land Development Corporation bought Colonial Village in 1977 and began converting portions into condominiums in 1980.  Today there are three separate condominium associations, a co-op, and two rental communities. Colonial Village III was established in 1988. Faithful and hardworking boards of directors have guided CVIII since its inception. The board meets monthly and donates its time performing additional assignments to meet community needs.

 

Please call the management office at (703) 525-5557 for information or to make requests or reports. Office hours are from 8:00 a.m.  to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Voice mail is 24 hours a day. Please leave a message, and your call will be returned. After office hours, the emergency phone number is (703) 525-5557.         

 

للل

 

Living in a Condominium

 

Condominium living is different. If this is the first time you have lived in a condominium, either as the owner of a unit or the tenant of a unit owner, you need to be aware and accept that you are a member of a community where the decisions governing the use of common elements of the community, such as hallways, laundry, trash, and storage rooms, lawns and parking lots, are made and enforced by the elected representatives of your neighbors. Since you are part of the CVIII community, you need to respect other members’ privacy and rights. Here are some suggestions that will help you enjoy living in Colonial Village III.

 

Respect the commons. You and your fellow residents share the common elements, such as the lawns, building hallways, laundry and storage rooms. If you trash them up or conduct yourself in a loud or vulgar manner, you show your lack of respect for your neighbors and CVIII as a community.

 

Get involved! Join a committee and attend board meetings. If you think something needs doing, tell someone, preferably in writing to association management, the appropriate committee chairperson, or a member of the board. The board is there to conduct business for the Owners Association. It cannot respond if it is unaware of your concerns.

 

Regularly check the bulletin board in your building. This will help you be aware of meetings, maintenance activities that might affect your daily routine, for example, water being shut off to repair a leaking pipe, and changes in rules and regulations.

 

A condominium must be managed  like a business.   Pay your condominium fees   on time. They are due on   the first of every   month, and   are   considered late at the close of business on the fifteenth.  If you don’t feel that you can trust the post office, your monthly assessment can be hand delivered to the management office at 1903 Key Blvd. You can also have them direct debited from your bank account.

 

Think safety. Report hallway or outdoor lights that are out to the management office at (703) 525-5557. Do the same if you a hand railing that is loose, or any other broken or damaged common element of CVIII that might injure someone. Whenever you look out of your windows and see a loiterer or someone acting suspiciously, call the management office or the non-emergency police number, (703) 558-2222. Someone will be sent to see if they can be of assistance.

 

Be conscious of utility costs. Promptly  report  leaking faucets and pipes  and running  toilets  to conserve water.   You don’t see the bill,  but water  costs are  included in your condominium fees.  If you  are going to be away from  home for   any length of time,  cut off  the water  in  your  unit. There are valves under the kitchen and bathroom sinks and adjacent to the toilet.

 

Know the rules and regulations. Please abide by them. These regulations were designed to make CVIII the best possible condominium community. Be prepared to accept the consequences for breaking the rules--- fines, liens, and loss of privileges, which are meant to encourage community members to do their part to keep CVIII running smoothly and a pleasant place to live. If you are a unit owner, new or old, familiarize yourself with CVIII’s Declaration and by laws. The most important of these are listed below.

 

للل

 

Useful Information on Rules and Regulations

 

Noise: Loud noise is not permitted at any time. If you can hear what is going on inside your unit from the common hallway of your building, then your neighbors can hear the same thing from inside their units, and that is too loud. Please be considerate of your neighbors.

 

No Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in indoor common areas.

 

Moving: There is a $150 “move-in” fee. No common elements, such as light fixtures or doors, are to be detached or removed without the written permission of association management. Residents moving in or out are responsible for any damage they or those assisting them do to common areas.  Tractor-trailers are not allowed in CVIII’s parking lot. If your furniture is being transported on this type of truck, it will have to be loaded or unloaded on the street.

 

Doors: Doors for common areas such as the basements containing trash, laundry and storage rooms, and the laundry and storage rooms themselves are to be kept closed and locked at all times. This is a safety issue. Please be a good citizen here. Failing to keep doors closed and locked could result in someone being hurt or personal belongings being stolen.

 

Laundry Rooms: Be considerate. Leave the facilities as you would like to find them. Please clean lint traps. Not doing so creates a fire hazard. Remove your laundry from machines promptly. If it is there fifteen minutes after the machine you are using stops, and one of your neighbors need to use a machine you are tying up, they will feel free to remove it for you. Laundry forgotten or abandoned in a laundry room for more than a day will be bagged and stored in there for a week and then removed and stored elsewhere for the balance of thirty-one days. After thirty-one days, such items will be donated to charity.

 

Regular Household Trash:

The trash rooms are designed for use by residents to deposit regular household trash.  The trash rooms are not designed or intended for disposal of large items, including furniture, used tires, etc.

CVIII's trash service will not accept paint, antifreeze, household chemicals, etc. Click here for a link to Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services for information on where you can dispose of paint, antifreeze, household chemicals, etc. Note: Cans of paint, industrial cleaners or solvents may be thrown in the regular trash as long as they are completely empty

Bulk Trash:

The following and similar items are considered to be bulk trash: Christmas trees, mattresses, tables, TV’s, computers, sofas, desks, dressers and other furniture.

 

Bulk Trash will be removed from the property on the 1st day of the month, unless the first falls on a Sunday, then it will be the 2nd day of the month (Monday). Items may be placed by the curb near any fire hydrants the day before. Residents who place items out at other times will be subject to fines.  Do not block fire hydrants, streets or sidewalks. 

 

Do not throw out hazardous or construction waste such as refrigerators, bathtubs, AC units, drywall, flooring, metal, wood, sinks, batteries, cans with paint, industrial cleaners or solvents in them.

 

 

Storage Rooms: Each unit is assigned one storage cage. It is a violation of the Arlington County Fire Code to store items  on top of storage cages or in the aisles of  storage rooms. Items stored on top of storage cages or in the aisles of storage rooms will removed and disposed of without warning.

 

Bicycles: The Arlington County Fire Code forbids the storage of bicycles, or any other item for that matter, in common hallways or storage room aisles for even the shortest period of time. A room in the basement of 1821 N. Rhodes St has been set aside as a storage area for bicycles. Association management will supply you with a key if you need one. Bicycles obstructing common hallways or chained to trees or posts will be removed and disposed of without warning.

 

Pets: No more than one small pet is allowed in a unit, work dogs excepted. Pets are permitted on common areas only when accompanied by an adult or responsible person and must be leashed or carried at all times. Pet owners are responsible for cleaning up their animal’s waste. Pet waste must be double bagged if deposited in CVIII’s trash rooms.

 

Common Areas: Nothing can be built or erected on any part of CVIII’s common areas without the written permission of CVIII’s board or association management. No changes can be made in the external appearance or structure of CVIII without the written permission of CVIII’s board or association management and Arlington County’s Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board.

 

Condominium Grounds: A good portion of your condo fees goes to maintaining CVIII’s lawns, shrubs and trees. Please do not use the lawn as a shortcut. Please use the sidewalks, and help keep CVIII looking nice. We maintain our grounds as lawns. They are not meant to serve as athletic fields. Arlington County has numerous athletic facilities. Please make use of them and help keep CVIII’s outdoor common areas attractive.

 

Barbecue Grills: Fire regulations require that grills be at least twenty feet from buildings. There is a $250 fine by the Fire Marshal if this law is violated.

 

Parking Lot: Do not park in fire lanes. Park only within the lines marking the boundaries of individual spaces.  Except for the metered space, all cars and motorcycles parked in CVIII parking lot must have a current CVIII sticker, current state tags and an Arlington County decal. No vehicle maintenance is permitted in the parking lot except for changing flat tires or getting a jumpstart. Motorcycles can only to be parked on the lot directly adjacent to the south wall of 1801 N. Rhodes St. Vehicles violating these requirements will be towed at their owners’ expense.

 

In-Unit Service Program: CVIII’s maintenance engineer is available to unit owners for minor repairs. Unit owners are liable for the costs of materials and labor for such assistance. Call the association management office at (703) 525-5557 for further information and an appointment. Someone must be present when the engineer visits your unit. Please note that repairs to common elements always take precedence over repairs to individual elements.

 

Notices from Residents: Notices from residents dealing with matters items of interest to the community, units for rent or sale, personal property for sale, and the like can be posted only on laundry room bulletin boards. The area above hallway mailboxes is reserved for official notices from CVIII’s board and association management.

 

Parcel Retrieval at Management Office: If you are not at home to sign for UPS deliveries, their drivers will leave your packages at the management office at 1903 Key Blvd. They can be picked up during regular business hours from 8:30 a.m.  to 5:00 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, the office  is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  It’s your responsibility to locate your package among those of other residents. You must sign for your package before you leave with it. Be prepared to show identification.

 

 للل

 

Operator’s Permits and State Licenses and County Decals for Motor Vehicles

 

If you are a new resident of Virginia or Arlington County, you have 30 days to get a Virginia operator’s permit, your motor vehicle tagged and titled in Virginia, and an Arlington County decal. There are exemptions for members of the military, students, and some types of temporary employment situations. The nearest Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Office is located at 4150 S. Four Mile Run Dr., Arlington, Va. Its toll-free telephone number is (866) 368-5463. You can obtain an Arlington County decal from the Commissioner of Revenue’s office on the second floor of the Arlington County Government office building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.  The phone number is (703) 228-3155. Arlington County issues neighborhood parking zone decals. CVIII is in Zone Four. You need to have a Zone Four decal on your vehicle during certain hours of the day when parking on streets bordering CVIII, or your vehicle will be ticketed. You can obtain this parking decal from the Arlington County Treasurer at room #213 in the Arlington County Government office building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

 

State and Local Taxes

 

Residents of Virginia are liable for a state income tax and sales tax. For more information you can call (703) 228-4017. Arlington County has a real estate tax. For additional information you can call (703) 228-4000. Arlington County also has a personal property tax on motor vehicles until at least 2010. For further information you can call (703) 228-3135.

 

للل

 

 

Please attend the next CVIII board meeting or email colonialvillageIII@hotmail.com
to give us your suggestions on improving the website.