Direct all questions and submissions to Covenants chairperson (found on Contacts page) with a cc to the property owner (before beginning the project).

Phone requests are not acceptable.

All applications to include the following:
1. Customer name, residential address, email and contact phone number.
2. Description of proposed work on residence.
3. Recent survey of the property diagram showing where the proposed work is performed.
4. List of major brand products installed on subject property.
5. Visual rendition of what the completed project should look as observed from the street.

For contractors only:
1. Copy of valid city of San Antonio and/or State of Texas contractor's license.
2. List (addresses only) of completed work performed in the last few months.
3. Name of liability insurance provider.

Once the application is received and acknowledged (return email) the process will take up to two weeks for those applications received before the first of the months and three business weeks for applications received after the second Tuesday of any month. Any attempt to contact the committee during the review process will cause the file to be pulled from the queue for a response and should the committee need to contact the contractor in order to comply with the required documentation above the request will be pulled from the queue until all documents are received.

Finally decision of the Architectural Review Committee on the application will only be given to the property owner. NO PHONE confirmations will be made. All contact will be by email only! All approved projects are contingent upon the contractor securing all permits (building, electrical, etc.) and inspections as required by the city of San Antonio Planning & Development Services Department. During the work being performed all permits and a copy of the Architectural Review Committee approval will will be displayed prominently in the front Window of subject property.

Please, to avoid being misfiled, please direct all contact to the covenants representative found on the Contacts page.

Sincerely,
Roger F Martinez Northern Hills Homeowners Association

We are starting a new year, and we have survived! Property values are up. From what I am seeing from the sales figures, those who are maintaining their residences are reaping the rewards of their efforts. Recently, many homes have sold within Northern Hills to new residents who have come here to escape the traffic and congestion of living along 281 and 1604. To many new residents, well established, safe neighborhoods are a real asset. All purchasers should have received at closing a copy of their respective covenants within Northern Hills Neighborhood. Please read or review your covenants carefully! Take good care of your property and pets and you will find living here very enjoyable. Remember you share this neighborhood! It is widely believed that Northern Hills HOA is purely voluntary, but complying with the covenants on your properties are not voluntary. The developers who designed and originally built Northern Hills Neighborhood recorded and filed deed restrictions on every residence with Bexar County Records. Failure to comply with these covenants will affect the comfort, safety and value of adjacent residences and may create a liability for those who challenge the covenants. Your NHHA provides much information to help you maintain comfortable residential conditions. The City of San Antonio also has a Unified Development Code (UDC), which they will enforce. Find additional details within the Northern Hills Neighborhood Association's newsletters and the neighborhood website: www.mynhha.org.

Fellow NHHA Members & Residents,

The San Antonio Office of Code Enforcement will from time to time be doing an area wide sweep of our neighborhood to issue citations to those in violation of SAN City Codes for property maintenance and condition to include vehicles on properties and other debris.

This is a warning! Advise those around you about:
1. Blocked sidewalks and driveways.
2. Tree branches need to be at least 15 feet above sidewalks and the street.
3. Corners need to be clear of traffic obstructions.
4. Lawns must not have weeds or grasses more than one foot in height.
5. Storage in the front yard (or visible from the street) of anything other than vehicles is prohibited and vehicles must be on approved surfaces: concrete, asphalt or gravel which is edged by concrete or steel. Front Lawn parking is illegal (even if only one wheel is on the lawn).
6. Structures which are in disrepair may also receive a citations.

Some violators will need to appear at Municipal courts.

Please be friendly and warn those who are amiable to advise.

Thank you,
Roger F. Martinez

Northern Hills Covenants were originally created by the developers to ensure that each lot purchaser would have a consistent environment to safely raise families and be assured that the values of their investment would not be effected by ill advised alterations of properties within the neighborhood. The covenants were extended by vote and are still enforceable though legal recourse.

It is the responsibility of each property owner within Northern Hills to secure copies of the Covenants for their lot at time of conveyance of the properties as well as compliance of restrictions by any tenant, resident or other occupant of such property.

The following restriction are common to all Northern Hills properties:

• Water Crafts, campers, and or trailers are not allowed to be parked or stored on front or, side driveways within the Northern Hills Neighborhood unless parked to the rear and enclosed by a screen and fence.
• No building shall be erected, placed, or altered on any lot until the construction plans and a plot plan showing the location of the structures have been approved by the Architectural Control committee as general compatibility of external design with existing structures, and as to location with respect to topography and finish grade elevation. This includes temporary structures or building constructed off site.
• Each dwelling shall have a garage suitable for parking a minimum of two (2) standard-sized automobiles. Carports are only allowed in designated areas or with the written approval of the Architectural Control Committee, and the decision of the Architectural Control Committee is final.
• No animals, livestock, or poultry of any kind shall be raised, bred, or kept on any lot except that dogs, cats, or other house-hold pets may be kept provided that they not kept, bred, or maintained for any commercial purpose
• No lot shall be used as a dumping ground for rubbish, trash, garbage, or other waste
• Fences on lots backing up to the Golf Course, no rear perimeter fence shall be constructed unless pre-approved, in writing, by the Architectural Control Committee. No fence shall exceed six (6) feet in height (4 feet in some areas). No fence shall be built forward of the front wall line of any home regardless of the type of material.
• The owners or occupants of all lots shall at all times keep weeds and grass thereon cut in a sanitary, healthful, and attractive manner.

You may contact the Architectural Control Committee on line through our neighborhood web-site www.mynhha.org. Copies of our covenants are available at Northern Hills Neighborhood web-site. Be sure to select the appropriate covenants for your property.

As neighbors, we share a common bond to this unique neighborhood in the northeast area of San Antonio called Northern Hills. Now, I have only lived here for almost 20 years and I know no other neighborhood with residents who share in the desire to maintain the best community spirit and enrichment as those who give of their own time to ensure that Northern Hills continues to be a great place to live.

With every call I get from residents of Northern Hills I get the impression that they want this community to be the ideal. The primary reason for any resident to enjoy living here is the spirit of cooperation between neighbors.

A major problem facing almost every resident of San Antonio is parking. In Northern Hills as in many neighborhoods in San Antonio, most of the homes only have two car garages and driveways which only hold a few vehicles. Unfortunately, some residents leave their cars and trucks on the curb next to their homes. This is not a good idea. It attracts vandalism and can cause a traffic hazard. San Antonio has enforceable ordinances which prohibit improper use of public parking on the city streets. These ordinances include:

• Parking vehicles on the side of the street with the vehicles facing the direction of the traffic for that side of the street. (Vehicles should not face oncoming traffic.)
• No Vehicle is allowed to be parked or stored on the street for longer than 24 hours.
• Only parallel parking is allowed on city streets unless the city places markings for diagonal or straight in parking. (Only parallel parking is allowed in Northern Hills)
• No vehicle is allowed to block: Fire hydrants (within 15 feet), intersections, Federal designated mail pickup boxes, driveway approaches (the part of any driveway which extends to the city streets), sidewalk access including crosswalks or the impeding of traffic on city streets.
Failure to comply can result in ticketing, towing and impounding of any vehicle found in violation.
• Cul-de-Sac parking can get you a ticket if your vehicle blocks the ability of emergency vehicles to turn around when responding to an emergency. If you see vehicles parking illegally in area cul-de-sacs or for more information phone 311.

You are responsible for maintaining the area BEHIND your fence that backs up to the street/alley. Those living in an alley way are responsible to the middle of the alley. Low hanging limbs blocking sidewalks are also a violation. Make sure if your house backs up to Uhr or Higgins, that even though you may not have to look at the weeds etc., you are the one who will get the ticket from code compliance! So mow OUTSIDE your fence too!

Residents are not allowed to park their vehicles on the front or side lawns of their home unless there is a permanent surface of concrete, brick, asphalt or gravel with defined borders for parking.

Only place brush at the curb (not in alleys) during an official city brush pickup period.

For more information, or to report violations go to www.sanantonio.gov or you may call 311.

I have only been the Northern Hills Covenants board member for a few months and in my last article I mentioned where residents can review the appropriate covenants for their area or residence. Since I have been in this position most of the questions being asked are more in regards to city codes. The City of San Antonio is in the process of updating the San Antonio City Codes to bring them in line with the national standards. Many of the existing codes will not change so we will address these in this article.

Under San Antonio City Codes the “use of the streets are a privilege (Sec. 29-1).” It is “unlawful for any person to throw, dump, deposit, or place any litter, trash or waste material of any kind in or on public plaza, square, park, street, parkway or sidewalk”. This means you should be advised that when your landscaper cuts your grass and blows the clippings out into the street they may be subjecting you to the liability of violating the City Codes.

It is also your responsibility (as resident) to keep “…sidewalks, parkways, curb and driveway abutting said property in a good and safe conditions and free from any defects and hazards… any violation of this section or provision hereof shall be deemed a misdemeanor …” What this means to us is that we are responsible for keeping our sidewalks and driveway approaches free from hazards and obstructions such as bushes, branches, vehicles or anything blocking access to the sidewalks.

Vehicle parking: “It shall be unlawful for any person …. (vehicle) to be parked at an time in the side yard setback or front yard…. (unless parked) on permanently maintained parking areas: (such as gravel with barriers or permanent curbing to define the driveway; Concrete, brick or asphalt.) It is illegal to park a commercial vehicle in residential areas unless it is for the purpose of “….loading or unloading passengers, freight or merchandise …. Vehicles included in this section includes Truck-tractor, Simi trailer, trailer and commercial motor vehicle (however) shall not mean nor include a recreational vehicle.” It is a violation to store vehicles on the streets which includes non-movement of vehicles within a 24 hour period. Vehicles stored on driveways must also be drive-able suggesting that if the car cannot start and be moved on its own power it is in violation of city codes.

I must admit that the San Antonio City codes are lengthy and difficult to interpret. If you would like to review them yourself you may go to www. municode.com/library.dentcondepage.aspx?dientID=11525 and research them yourself.

We know it is hard for may of you who have grown up children who have their own cars there just doesn’t seem to be enough parking spaces in many driveways. Be a good neighbor and ask if you can place one of the extra vehicles in another driveway. We have to share the streets in Northern Hills, so please try to avoid interfering with traffic by parking cars in the street. The very life you save by doing so may be your neighbors child or your own grandchildren!

1. Broken down junked vehicles in yards or public view
2. Front and Side-Yard parking
3. Basketball goals, vehicles or other obstructions on city "rights of way"
4. High weeds and vacant lots (over 12 inches)
5. Alley maintenance (no trash, debris, intruding or overhanging brush, obstructions, weeds over 12 inches.
6. Dangerous structures
7. Unsanitary premisis trash or debris in yard
8. Multiple or excessive garage sales
9. Outside storage of vehicles, tires, building materials, indoor furniture, appliances, boxes or other items
10. Illegal dumping in prohibited areas or to avoid fees
11. Out-of-cycle brush placed at curb