Plum Canyon Neighbors

New Trash Pickup Company Wins Contract For Plum Canyon

You may have noticed the trucks coming to pick up our trash, yard clippings, and recycling containers during this past week. This is because we will no longer be serviced by Waste Management for this service here in Plum Canyon. The new company will take over immediately, so there will be no interruption in service.

You will now receive a closing bill from the previous company and an opening statement from the new one. We are not a part of the City of Santa Clarita, so this decision was made by the County of Los Angeles on our behalf. I do not anticipate any problems with this.

Plum Canyon Development Postponed

As you know, we will have 650 new homes included in our HOA as soon as they are built. The four builders of these new homes have requested an extension of six more months before beginning construction. This should have a positive effect on our neighborhood, as we are still dealing with foreclosures and REO properties.

It is my belief that once we can find buyers for the homes that are currently available, we will not suffer much more of a loss in property values here in Plum Canyon. There will also be a small recreational area and a new elementary school when this development is finally completed over the next few years. A commercial area is slated for the property along Plum Canyon, between Mariel Way and Heller Circle.

Warning: Property Tax Reduction Letters

Once again, private companies are sending letters to the homeowners regarding property tax reductions. The latest one arrived last week, requesting a check for $95. This company is called the Homeowner's Property Tax Review Board, and it is not associated with the Los Angeles County Tax Assessor, or any other authorized agency.

If you want to reduce your property taxes more than they have already been reduced by the County Assessor, simply contact a Realtor in our local area and ask them to give you information about recently closed sales here in our neighborhood. You can then submit this information to the County Tax Assessor and they will review it.

There is no fee for this service.

Summer Concerts in the Santa Clarita Central Park

It's summer again and time for the weekly concerts in the park over at Central Park. You can visit the site by clicking here and find out who will be playing on which date. The concerts are held every Saturday night, so bring your lawn chairs or a blanket and be ready for an evening of music and friendship.

Postal Service Makes Request To Plum Canyon Residents

The local post office has requested that we do not park in front of the mailboxes on our streets here in Plum Canyon. For now, they are just placing warning notes on cars that block access to the mailboxes, but if this continues they will want to change our community over to group boxes located at several locations thoughout Plum Canyon.

We would all probably agree it is more convenient to receive our mail in an individual box in front of our home, so let's all cooperate and park  about 6 feet behind or in front of them so that the postal employees can have easy access to deliver our mail.

Plum Canyon HOA Meeting Location Changed

Our next HOA meeting will be on Tuesday, May 6, at 5 pm. Join us if you are able to. If you have a hearing that day, you will be asked to come at 4:00. The meeting location has ben moved to the Plum Canyon Elementary School, just a few blocks from our homes. Contact me if you have any questions.

Do you want to reduce your property taxes?

Our neighbor, Bob Haws, is the guest blogger this week. If you have a topic that would be of interest to us here in Plum Canyon, contact me to discuss it. Thank you, Bob, for sharing this information that is of importance to us all.

As you may already know, the real estate market has recently changed directions. This is partly caused by the increase in the number of homes available for sale, the number of foreclosures and defaulted loans and newer more stringent lending guidelines. Because of this we are seeing prices declining. If you purchased your home between 2006 and 2007, there is a good chance that your homes current value may have declined below your purchase price.

When you purchased your home the Los Angeles County Assessor based your homes taxable value based on your purchase price. With today’s declining values you could be paying too much in property taxes. In 1978,

California

voters passed Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that allows a temporary reduction in assessed value when a property suffers a “decline-in-value.” A decline-in-value occurs when the current market value of your property is less than the current assessed value as of January 1^st  of that tax year.

To reduce the assessed value of your home you must demonstrate that on January 1, the market value of your property was less than its current assessed value and complete a simple one page form with comparable sales and return it to the assessor’s office. We would be happy to assist you by supplying you with the necessary forms and comparable sales information needed to complete the process.

We are Stacey and Bob Haws, Realtors® specializing in residential sales in Santa Clarita. If we may be of service in this matter, it would be our pleasure to do so. You may contact us directly at 661-297-3725 for a discreet consultation or by email at StaceyandBob@sbcglobal.net

Plum Canyon HOA walks through neighborhood

This afternoon I met with the other members of our homeowner's association to do a walk-through of our community. The purpose of this meeting was to assess the need to replace various plants and trees that have either died or were removed at the request of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Due to our recnt fires they have become even more strict about what we can plant in our area and how large the plants and trees can be.

We have decided to plant some red apple plants as well as some other, more drought resistant florabunda. The goal is to improve the appearance of the slopes without compromising the watering system.

One last thing - if you still have your holiday lights up on your house you will need to take them down. It is against our rules to leave them up, even if you never turn them on. Please feel free to comment if you have any concerns about these issues. No anonymous comments will be published.

HOA Meeting coming up next week

Our next HOA meeting for the Plum Canyon Association will be at 5:00 on Thursday, February 7. This time the meeting will be held at the Elk's Lodge on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country. Contact me if you need directions or have anything you would like to have discussed at the meeting.

2008 In Plum Canyon

New-year.in

Happy New Year from your HOA president, Connie Ragen Green.

Central Park in Saugus Opens Off-Leash Dog Park

Our own Central Park, located just inside the city limits of Santa Clarita, will have a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 22 to celebrate the opening of the new off-leash dog park. The park will be open from dawn to dusk and has a separate area for small dogs and large dogs. The residents of the City of Santa Clarita have wanted this park for some time. If we are annexed by the City, we will also have a say in what happens with our parks, including the 15 acre David March park, located just north of Plum Canyon. Read more about the dog park here.

Plum Canyon To Begin Process of Annexation

As you probably know, we are not within the city limits of Santa Clarita. This means that our tax dollars go to the County of Los Angeles and we are not able to vote in Santa Clarita city elections. We also have slightly less police coverage during peak hours.

After the first of the year I will be going door to door with information about being annexed by the City of Santa Clarita. I have spoken to Mayor Marsha McLean and Councilman Bob Kellar about this and they will help us with the process in any way they can. Please leave a comment here or contact me if you have any questions about this. I believe this is in the best interest of all the residents here in Plum Canyon.

Plum Canyon HOA Fees to Increase in January

Our monthly HOA fees will be increasing on January 1st. There are additional expenses that must be covered and the increase was approved by the executive committee at the November 28th HOA meeting. Watch for a letter from Accell Property Management in the next few days explaining this increase.

Plum Canyon Residents Elected to HOA

The votes have been counted and there are now two Plum Canyon residents on our Homeowner's Association Board. Connie Ragen Green has been elected as the President and Danita Espiritu is the Treasurer/Secretary. Connie has experience as a real estate broker and appraiser, and is currently on the Board of the Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers here in Santa Clarita. She is also the Marketing and Publicity Chairperson of the Santa Clarita Rotary Club. She has served on several committees for the Southland Association of Realtors in the San Fernando Valley, but will now focus her time exclusively in Santa Clarita

Danita is a CPA and partner with a firm in Encino, so her new role as Treasurer is appropriate. She decided to run for a seat on the HOA board because of her interest in serving our local community. Connie and Danita will work together to serve the residents of Plum Canyon.

HOA Meeting Wednesday

Our annual meeting will be on Wednesday at 5 pm. It will be held at the Joann Darcy Library on Soledad Canyon. We will be voting on the new members for the Homeowner's Association, so if you have not voted please come on by and do so.

After the first of the year I will contact all of you regarding being annexed into the City of Santa Clarita. We will have people discussing both sides of this issue to see what is in the best interest of all of us. I will keep you informed about this matter.

HOA Meeting Rescheduled

I spoke to Monica, our representative from Accell Property, this morning about the cancelled meeting last week on October 22. We had all been evacuated and it was not possible to have any type of meeting.

The meeting has been rescheduled tentatively for Wednesday, November 28. Monica just has to make sure that the room at the Joanne Darcy Library will be available for us on that date. Click on    the picture for a closer view of the library's location.

We still need more votes for our HOA election. If you have not voted yet, please do so today.

Dog Park May Open in Central Park

Tuesday night the City Council will meet to vote on an off-leash dog park in one section of Central Park. Central Park is located about two miles from us here in Plum Canyon, at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road. Residents of Santa Clarita have been requesting a dog park for the past five years.

The propsed dog park would be roughly 1 acre in size. If the City Council approves it Tuesday evening at City Hall, it would open to the public at the end of November. Other off-leash parks in Santa Clarita are also expected to be opened during the next two years.

HOA Annual Election in Progress Now ~ Please Vote

This month the homeowner's of Plum Canyon will finally have a chance to elect two members to our Board of Directors. I am hoping that you will vote for me, but whomever you chosse to represent you will mean that we will have homeowners helping to make our decisions.

The most important things is that you vote. You should have received a ballot by now containing a yellow and green envelope, as well as a ballot. You may vote for two different people or give one vote each to two different people. I promise, if I am elected, to represent the homeowners of Plum Canyon to the best of my ability.

There are also spots available for those wishing to serve on a committee. These committees include the Social, Newsletter, Architectural, Landscape, and Rules and Regulations committees.

Dog Parks in Santa Clarita

Where are all the dog parks in Santa Clarita? Resident Jeff Wilson has an online petition that you can sign digitally to help get some parks for our four-legged friends here in Santa Clarita. Just go to dog park petition to add your name.

You may be glad to know that the Residence Inn by Marriott on The Old Road accepts dogs of all sizes to stay at the hotel. There is a $75 deposit and $10 nightly charge for each dog that checks in.

Life continues to be good here in Plum Canyon. Several homes have been leased and only five homes out of 77 are currently listed for sale. Let's all work together to make this a neighborhood we can all be proud to call our home.

Wayne Newton will be appearing at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center on September 15.

Plum Canyon Board of Directors Nominations Due

The nominations for the Plum Canyon Homeowner's Association Board of Directors are due by August 20. You should have received a nomination form in your August billing statement. The elections will be held in October.

This is an opportunity to serve on the Board and be part of your community. The purpose of this association is the management, administration, maintenance, preservation and architectural control of the homes within Plum Canyon. You would also have the duty of promoting the health, safety and welfare of our residents.

Many of us have felt that we are not adequately represented because there are currently no residents on the Board of Directors. This is the chance to get involved on a more personal level.

Our Plum Canyon community