Reminder!!!  The SCA Annual Meeting is tomorrow, Thursday January 23, at 7:00PM in the Ackerley Conference Room at Forest Ridge School.  The meeting is open to all dues paying SCA Members, please refer to the following documents to prepare:

• 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes
• 2025 Annual Meeting Agenda
• Current SCA Bylaws (updated August 30, 2017)
  
  

Voting at the meeting can either be done in person, or through a proxy.  We will be using a ballot at this meeting for the planned floor votes, including approval of the 2025 Budget, Ratification of the 2025 CRC Members, and Election for the 5 Board Director positions.  Approval of the 2024 Minutes will be voted on by a show of hands.  

Members are welcome to nominate themselves or other members for the 5 Director positions, each member can vote for five (5) candidates.

Covenant Review Committee (CRC) members are appointed by the board, and ratified by the Membership, so CRC members cannot be nominated from the floor.  

We will have a sign-in sheet at the door, where we will distribute ballots for the meeting.  All ballots will be validated before counting. Please respond to let us know if you'd like to volunteer to count ballots at the meeting.

Remember, only one (1) vote per property, and all proxies need to be received by EOD today (1/22) to ensure they can be validated/recorded. Submit your proxy online (link below) or email it to [email protected].

IMPORTANT: A Special Meeting RE View Protections and the Third Amendment is being scheduled for February, to discuss topics we won't have time to cover in this meeting, as we are obliged to complete our annual SCA business, as dictated by our Bylaws. Please refer to this link to see Special Meeting Details: Special SCA Meeting RE View Protections and the "Third Amendment".

Finally, our Somerset Signs were vandalized again today, with spray paint directly applied to them. If you know something or have seen something, please let us know. We strongly object to anyone trying to discourage attendance at the meeting tomorrow.

Thanks for Supporting Our Community!!!

The SCA Board invites you to a Special Meeting to discuss View Protections and the changes introduced by the Third Amendment. The Board understands that there is a lot of confusion regarding these topics, so let’s get together to share and discuss the following topics:
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• View Protection
• The View Guidelines
• Amending Covenants
• Cross Division Implications
• And more

Please note: The upcoming Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 23, is not the venue for this discussion, as time during the Annual Meeting is limited and must focus on deliverables outlined in our SCA Bylaws.

Please read the updated Fiction vs Facts document before the meeting to get a better understanding of:

1. “View Lines” and the Evolution of the View Guidelines: The "View Line" concept in early versions of the View Guidelines did NOT protect everything above the View Line. The View Line concept was causing confusion and tension among Somerset residents and was therefore removed from the 2023 version of the View Guidelines.
2. Maximum Building Height: The original covenants did not set maximum building heights, except for 11 properties in the Somerset Crest Division.
3. Clarifying Myths about Second Story Additions in 2022 and 2023: Neither proposal violated the View Guidelines.
4. Warning about Diverging Covenants: If your division’s covenants are not nearly identical to other Somerset Division’s covenants, your view will not be protected from trees and houses in other Somerset divisions. Currently, most divisions’ covenants are almost identical, with only minor differences. Opening the door to replacement of the current unified covenant system with a patchwork that varies from division to division eliminates the legal basis for what courts call “cross-enforceability.”
5. Third Amendment pitfalls: Property rights issues, negative impacts to property values, more on the 300-foot neighbor veto provision, etc.
   
   

Given the importance and broad interest in this topic, it deserves a dedicated forum for discussion and debate. We are targeting Thursday, February 13, 6:30–8:30 PM, for this Special Meeting.

While we are still finalizing a venue, we hope to confirm and announce the location during the Annual Meeting on Thursday.

We look forward to your participation!

Dear Somerset Residents,

As we approach our upcoming SCA Annual Meeting on Thursday, Jan 23rd at 7PM, we want to encourage every member to attend and actively participate in the decision-making process that will shape the future of our community.
At this meeting, we will be electing five new members to the Board. This past year, we’ve been inspired by the incredible response from our community, with so many members stepping forward to volunteer their time and serve on the SCA Board of Directors.

We are thrilled to recommend five exceptional nominees for election to fill five spots on the Board. These individuals represent a highly qualified and committed group of Somerset neighbors, and we couldn’t be more excited about their potential contribution. The nominees bring a wealth of experience from diverse industries, including technology, banking, law enforcement, and medicine. Each of them has raised children in our local schools and, with an average of living 14 years each in Somerset, they deeply understand the importance of maintaining our neighborhood as a beautiful, welcoming, safe, and vibrant place to live.

Meet the Recommended Nominees for the 2025 SCA Board of Directors

• Lawrence Chiu has lived in Somerset with his family for 22 years, with a family history in the neighborhood spanning 40 years. Having witnessed Somerset’s growth and evolution, Lawrence is eager to contribute to its continued success and vitality.
• Nikhil Gore grew up in India and now works in the tech industry. A proud Somerset resident, Nikhil has young twins attending Somerset Elementary and is passionate about ensuring the neighborhood remains a wonderful place to raise families.
• Jiawei Gu, originally from China, works in the banking industry and has been a Somerset resident since September 2020. Jiawei is an active PTSA member with a daughter attending Newport High School and is dedicated to building strong community connections.
• Fred Huang is a physician and practice administrator who has called Somerset home for 18 years. He and his wife raised their three children here. Appointed to the SCA Board in the Fall, Fred has been instrumental in shaping the community’s plans for 2025.
• Lisa Young has lived in Somerset for 17 years and raised her son in the neighborhood. A retired law enforcement officer, Lisa now runs her own security consulting firm. Since joining the Board in the Fall, she has been actively developing a Neighborhood Safety Initiatives Roadmap for Somerset.

In addition to the Board member election, we will be addressing important issues, including:

Community Security: We will discuss a proposal for installing cameras to enhance the safety of our neighborhood.
Community Safety Preparedness: Hear about vital projects aimed at improving our preparedness for any future emergencies.
Covenant Review Committee: We will ratify the appointed 2025 CRC members, per the bylaws.
2025 Budget Presentation: Our Treasurer will walk through the 2024 expenses, and the 2025 budget, which we will vote on.

Please submit a proxy vote to the SCA or vote in-person, to ensure your vote is counted. Your voice matters, especially in electing the right leadership and contributing to discussions on key projects that impact us all.  Only members can vote, so if you haven’t already, please send or submit your dues payment and proxy vote online (somerset98006.org), only proxies received by January 22 will be included in the vote count.