Columbus Square Community Association Association

It would seem that the HOA and security here have now formed a plan with a local towing company to make money off of guests of residents. My car was towed due to being parked «in a fire lane» when there was no marked fire lane, and the person parked in front of me didn’t get towed, I was also never notified about the towing, so if I hadn’t noticed the same day, I would have racked up a lot of storage fees. The call was apparently made in the evening but they waited until 1 am to actually tow the car, considering no one would be up at that time to see it. The towing bill came to $ 307 and they only had my car for one day. The towing company wouldn’t let me pick up my car until 1:30 the day after we found my car missing and called in, forcing me to pay the storage fee for a full extra day, then they added an after hours gate fee because they towed my car when they knew no one would see it. Now, there was a hydrant near where I had parked, which I thought was a safe distance away, but it is possible it wasn’t, however this should only result in a ticket, especially for a first offense, and there was no sign or warning that I could be towed according to association rules or anything. I called the towing company and patrol masters who both said the report listed a fire lane violation as the reason for towing, however, when the association was called they said they called to have my car towed because of the hydrant. I then called patrol masters, who claimed that when the head of the association, Holly Dawson, called them, she said that there was a fire lane violation, and requested a tow versus just a ticket. This makes it seem like she falsely reported to them so that I would be towed and more money would be made. It has taken 2 days to even get Holly’s office number, and she has been dodging my calls when her secretary has told me she is in. I finally talked to her today, and she is doing everything in her power to not have to pay compensation for the ridiculous towing bill. She also said this type of incident happens about once or twice a month, which she apparently sees no problem with, and that she has no intentions of trying to change the marking or warnings.

This community is really cool, they have a main clubhouse where residents can address all of their concerns and whatnot directly with management instead of calling them. Holly is really great, she enforces all the rules and regulations well, really nice overall! I think there is a fitness room being put together in the club house, you can rent the clubhouse for an event, I saw a wedding, baby showers and birthdays be done here.
The pool & clubhouse are strictly for residents because you need a key fob for basically everything. They have cameras almost everywhere, it’s a great neighborhood. The grass is green, finely cut, they have a few fountains, a small park for kids and events/​concerts they host for the residents. In the summers, they will also have free food for residents to enjoy when they host concerts or barbecues too
Family oriented, clean, typical suburbs.

The good:
1. Well manicured, plenty of grass
2. 3 playgrounds, each catering to a different age group
The bad:
1. No fenced in «dog park» area. The consequences are twofold:
— The whole community becomes a dog park/​urinal, making it unsanitary for children to play on the grass.
— Another consequence for dog owners is that there is no «fenced in» area to allow their dogs to run free without worrying about them overstepping the grass and running into the many bordering side streets. This is also the cause for the rule that dogs must be leashed at all times, although this rule is seldom obeyed. This is a shame since there are plenty of large grass play areas. One of those could have easily been fenced off.
2. Both basketball courts are located in the midst of townhomes, causing the noise to echo and disturb all surrounding residences. The cut off time for the park is 10:00 pm, so if you plan on sleeping early (or if you have kids with an earlier bed time), too bad. The sound proofing on the homes is also terrible, so even with all windows closed, you can clearly hear and feel each «dribble». Despite the already late cut off time, people frequently play long past that deadline and there is zero policy enforcement. There also seems to be a large amount of non-​residents who make use of these courts without any consideration for the residents (despite the unenforced resident-​only policy). If the dribbling noises weren’t enough, they are frequently accompanied by yelling and profanity.
3. Horrible build quality and planning by both Lennar Homes and William Lyon.
— The noise isolation is horrible. You can hear the shuffle of feet as people walk by and even the low voices of a normal-​toned conversation. There is no feel of privacy.
— The homes are overcrowded. It has a new york «projects» feel. There are over 700 homes with the addition of the Senior Living apartment complex who all share one single pool and clubhouse. The shared alleyways make for a maze like feel when trying to get to your driveway. Each street re-​uses the same house numbers, so mail is frequently lost/​delivered to the wrong address.
4. The HOA is extremely high for what you get. I have lived in other communities that have multiple swimming pools and tennis courts and paid significantly less per month.
5. Zero Policy enforcement.
— No car washing — everyone washes their cars in the alleyways
— Garage not for storage — only a handful actually park their cars in their garage. Everyone else occupies the already few guest spots, making it impossible to have people over without asking them to walk a half mile.
— Park curfew — up to residents to enforce at their own risk. The police will not enforce community rules and the community only enforces parking.
6. Clubhouse is a hassle to rent — have to pay $ 300 to rent the clubhouse ($ 100 + $ 200 deposit) as well as present your own insurance policy. You must also hire a security guard from the community association if you wish to serve alcohol or go past 10:00 pm.
7. Extremely high homeowner turnover rate, despite being a relatively new community.

The is a new community in Tustin. It is well-​manicured and very clean. There is a beautiful clubhouse with a water fountain in the front along with a very spacious lawn and benches. This community has a couple parks where children can play and a basketball court. There is a giant swimming pool and 2 hot tubs (all 3 not overly chlorinated). There are «blue bag stands» throughout the community to pick up after your dog. Also the community is very quiet and safe. There are various styles of homes throughout this community. It almost looks like a studio set due to its upkeep. If you park your car out on the street, make sure to have a parking decal (for residents) or «safelist» it by calling Patrol Masters (safelisting online is possible) or else you will get a warning ticket the following morning. Also, there is a 10 day maximum safelist days allotted per month per vehicle. There has been a lot of construction (without much noise or traffic obstruction) undergoing since this is still a developing neighborhood. I can’t wait to see how this area is going to look once complete!

great place with friendly staff. I babysit in this neighborhood and the kids love going in to say hi to their friends (the front desk people) before heading to the pool or parks nearby.

Growing up in the OC, I’ve been to many community association centers in my lifetime, but this is seriously one of the nicest ones I’ve ever been to! :) They have a great building right next to the pool, complete with furniture, clean bathrooms, and an incredibly nice facility that’s perfect for any party! Man, I kinda wish I lived here cuz it’s so nice… and the surrounding houses look really nice, too!!! Definitely a great venue/​event space!