Board Buzz

 

 

Over the past several months, the NTRA Board of Directors has been evaluating the long-term operational needs of our community and whether our current management structure is best aligned with the size, complexity, and expectations of the New Town Residential Association.

 

New Town has evolved into a large and operationally complex association consisting of multiple neighborhoods, diverse housing types, extensive landscaping operations, shared amenities, architectural oversight, vendor coordination, financial administration, covenant enforcement, and long-term capital and maintenance responsibilities. As the community has grown, so have the demands placed on both management and volunteer Board members.

 

During our evaluation process, the Board determined that the community would benefit from a management company with greater operational depth, expanded financial and administrative support systems, and the additional resources needed to better serve the long-term needs of the NTRA.

 

After extensive review and discussion, the Board selected Associa Community Group to become the new NTRA management company. Associa has a long-standing reputation managing large-scale and operationally complex communities and offers the operational scale and support structure needed to serve a community such as NTRA. In addition, Associa maintains a local office within New Town on Discovery Park Boulevard, where our community association manager and administrative support staff will be based, providing a stronger on-site presence and accessibility for residents and the Board. The transition process is expected to last 90+ days, beginning in late July and continuing through November 1, 2026.

 

The Board also wishes to sincerely thank Jim McAvoy and Dee Canady from Chesapeake Bay Management for their dedication, responsiveness, and service to the New Town community. They have devoted significant time and effort to supporting NTRA and will continue to play an important role during the transition process to help ensure continuity and a smooth transfer of community management responsibilities.

 

The Board recognizes that transitions of this nature require adjustment and patience. Our goal is to create a stronger and more sustainable management structure that improves operational consistency, enhances support for residents and volunteers, and better positions the community for the future.

 

This change is also intended to reduce the growing reliance on volunteer Board members for day-to-day operational oversight and allow the Board to remain focused on governance, strategic planning, financial stewardship, and protecting property values across the community.

 

At this point, we estimate the financial impact associated with the management company transition to be approximately $140 annually per home, or about $12 per month, beginning in 2027. (Note that Chesapeake Bay Management had already told the Board it would need 3 staff to properly run NTRA, so management fees would have increased even if we stayed with our current manager.) Importantly, other factors will influence our 2027 assessments:

The Board views the cost increase not simply as an increase in management cost, but as a strategic investment in the long-term operational health, professionalism, stability, and property value preservation of our community. All the Board members want to reduce the Board’s role to oversight and policy direction, with greatly reduced time commitments.

 

Additional transition information and updates will be provided to Members as the process moves forward.