Even when lower-income households are lucky enough to find an affordable home to purchase, high association fees can put a damper on their initial good fortune.
"When Barbara Hernandez hit the jackpot three years ago and won a coveted "below market rate" studio apartment in the Landmark, a renovated historic building in downtown San Francisco, she never thought her sweet home would unleash a bitter struggle that would wind its way to the floor of the state Legislature."
"A lifelong renter, she applied for a unit in [a housing lottery] because she knew it was her only avenue for homeownership in San Francisco. But the studio apartment she "won" - $233,000 for 450 square feet - happened to be in a remodeled building with hidden construction problems and an upscale population that was interested in amenities like 24-hour doormen.
"Hernandez...represents a potentially scary future for many condominium owners in California. Not only as an official "below market rate" owner, but as a first-time home buyer with modest means, Hernandez embodies the bleeding edge of a precarious new population of homeowners.
"I hear from them all the time," says Marjorie Murray, vice president of California Alliance for Retired Americans. "These are people on fixed incomes - they can't afford these special assessments. You throw a subprime loan into the mix and they go into foreclosure. They have no choice but to go bankrupt and start over."
Murray said one recent call was from a San Francisco couple whose special assessments during the past three years have exceeded $100,000. Another came from a woman in Pasadena whose voluntary homeowners association had suddenly been declared mandatory and the monthly dues raised from $50 a month to $350. This, says Murray, is a surprisingly common phenomenon as a few homeowners attempt to resuscitate a dormant association or make membership mandatory so they can get the group to pay for work affecting their own property."
FULL STORY: Owners' dues keep going up

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Test News Post 1
This is a summary

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service