Textile Center Building

Don Garza reports a Globe St.com article about our building. I didn’t realize that the Textile Building was the first in the area to use the Mills Act.

Hi All,

I know that Boards position is to speak with one voice and that’s sound thinking but have you guys come to an agreement on the issue of the Gates?

We are all still very concerned about our Mills Act Status and would like an update to settle our frayed nerves.

Has the City made their inspection?

Have they contacted Isaac and MJW to remedy the situation?

Has the City and the Historical Society sent notices to Isaac and were you copied on this information so that we may all learn what is going on?

FYI Not only has Isaac installed these security gates but in doing so he may have removed the row of tiles to install the housing.

There is also a hole in the east side of the building on the lower wall beneath the glass close to 8th Street?

I am concerned about the timeline for the City to put pressure on Isaac while MJW is still involved. Once MJW closes escrow on the last unit the Historical Society will have only us to turn to and we will end up in a battle over fines and the cost to repair the facade.

So please, if you “guys” have decided on your position please send a quick note out to let us know.

Again, we have not received the minutes from either meeting nor have we received the memo regarding the date in March that the “official” home owners meeting will take place.

I know this is not what is going on but it feels like the Boards silence is equivalent to all of the stalling tactics that MJW has used on us for the last 6 months.

The condition of the building is bordering on deplorable… what is going on?

Cidney, 706

The retail space owner (Issaic Lambert) installed roll down security gates without consulting the Board of Directors or homeowners. In addition to making our building look bad and depreciating our property values, this violates the CC&R’s

8.2.15 Exterior Uses (page 32)
No Owner shall use any area outside or upon the exterior faces
of the Project Building including areas outside of Unit windows
or any fire escape or other exterior fixture for any purpose
whatsoever ….

8.3.4 Windows Coverings (page 34)
No window in any Unit shall be covered in whole or in part,
inside or outside, with aluminum foil, newspaper, paint, tint,
or any other material reasonably deemed inappropriate for such
use by the Architectural Control Committee ….

I can also see this making it more difficult to sell the remainder of the units, as they would detract potiential buyers.

Update: Cidney provides us the latest status.

The issue regarding Isaac and his gates are between Isaac and MJW and
no one else.
This is a problem for us that both parties created.

That said…
Renea, the President of our HOA has contacted the Historical Society
and if you read her email you will see that someone is coming out to
take pictures. If they agree that the fa?ade of the building has been
damaged due to adding these gates then they will contact Isaac.

Renea will be copied on all correspondence between the Historic
Preservation Society, the City and everyone else directly involved.

Our only involvement is that it is our property and the gates, and the
gates were installed without the Board of Directors permission. And
the gates may put our property tax at risk as well as shelling out a
hefty fine.

That said…
We have to wait until the City and the HPS decide the fate of the
gates and our Mills Act Status.
Until then patience is the order of the day.

And please no one contact Isaac directly. His problem is with MJW.

I hope this clears up the issue as of now.

On Jan 19, Jill Young request for clarification on windows coverings.

Trampas writes:

this is the deal as far as i know (others may know more and i hope
they chime in): at this moment the window coverings are what are HOA
approved. when we convene as a group, this is an issue we can
address and maybe open up more options. a uniform look for the
building does us all good as far as value and appearance, but when
someone – i think cidney(?) – spoke to the representative from the
historical society at the mills act meeting, he said that our
particular treatments were an MJW/HOA decision and not a historical
society directive. i’m sure MJW was following some sort of advise
from the historical society, but i don’t know the details. perhaps
some of the other homeowners would know. because it’s where the HOA
stands on the issue we may be stuck for now, but as far as i know
it’s something that we can change in the future if we all agree. i’d
be for finding cheaper options with a similar look. also, i believe
that hanging a blackout curtain, or drapes of some kind inside of the
blinds (as represented in the model) is appropriate……

Cidney adds:

The window coverings are not dictated by the Historical Society.

However, within the confines of the CC&R window coverings are dictated as to the color and material the shade is made out of. The Historical Society dictates the window treatment in rental lofts and only in rental property.

As with all rules in the CC&R, if the majority of homeowners wish to vote down that rule then you will have more options to use as window coverings.

Having said all that I think that as long as your shades or drapes are within the tonal range of the existing shades or drapes then there should be no problem. As Trampas stated, a uniform look to the building exterior will only increase the market value of the individually owned units.

I hope this helps. Ultimately the final answer will come when we do have an HOA meeting.