Contributed by Robert Moss
When my wife and I moved into The Pierce condominium in late 2022, I was simply excited to be part of a new building in a neighborhood I loved. As I got to know my neighbors, attended board meetings, and saw how deeply people cared about shaping the Pierce’s future, I realized how important strong resident leadership is and how meaningful it would be for me to help guide our community transition from developer control to homeowner-led governance. This process has profoundly shaped our governance, operations, and overall resident experience.
Serving as board president during a community transition has been one of the most challenging, stimulating, and rewarding experiences I’ve had as a homeowner and board member.
The Pierce, part of a full city block in Arlington, Va., outside of Washington, D.C., comprises 104 residential units alongside two large apartment buildings to form a vibrant, mixed-use community. When we moved to The Pierce, all board seats were held by developer representatives. Resident leadership began in March 2023. By June 2024, full homeowner control was achieved.
The shift to a resident-led board brought immediate benefits: Decisions aligned with resident priorities; financial oversight became forward-looking; and policies reflected daily life. Informal input from neighbors fostered trust and transparency, and a strong partnership with our general manager guided the board through complex issues.
“As a general manager who has overseen several new community transitions, what stood out to me throughout the Pierce transition was the board’s commitment to transparency, its willingness to engage deeply with both financial and operational matters, and its responsiveness to resident concerns,” says Pierce General Manager Kasanda Serck, CMCA, AMS, PCAM. “Their collaborative approach established a governance model rooted in trust. When management and the board operate with a high level of diligence, clarity, and communication, it strengthens the community’s long-term planning and ensures residents feel heard, supported, and confident in the stewardship of the place they call home.”
Transitioning from developer to owner control is rarely, if ever, seamless. As president, I quickly realized along with my fellow board members that we inherited several significant challenges requiring careful attention and thoughtful action.
- Financial oversight. While operating funds were sufficient, we saw that optimizing cash management could strengthen financial stability. Working with a financial services firm, our treasurer reallocated funds into safe, higher-yield instruments, preserving liquidity, boosting returns, and mitigating inflation.
- Shared costs. Amenities like the pool, garage, and landscaped areas are shared with the adjacent apartment complex. The original cost allocation didn’t reflect actual usage, so the board led an audit and negotiated with apartment management to set a fair monthly payment.
- Reserve study. The board hired a qualified engineering firm to assess all capital components, estimate their lifespan, and project replacement costs. We recalibrated annual reserve contributions to ensure long-term financial stability and peace of mind for homeowners.
- Community transition warranty. The board formed a transition warranty committee and worked with legal counsel to oversee the process. Negotiations on the transition warranty are ongoing.
- Rules and operations. The board updated community rules to reflect residents’ evolving needs covering the fitness center, electric vehicle charging, common areas, rentals, and pool operations. These changes were made within existing bylaws, demonstrating we can improve policies without legal amendments.
Proactive communication has been a cornerstone of our board’s approach. From the start, we’ve aimed to build trust, explain the reasoning behind policies, seek resident input, and use multiple channels to ensure clarity to reduce misunderstandings, keep residents engaged, and support smoother, more effective governance while protecting property values.
Residents stay connected through weekly newsletters, monthly meetings, and informal conversations. These ongoing discussions between the board and the community help us make better-informed decisions and keep our work grounded in residents’ real needs.
“The transition has been smooth primarily because of the talents and dedicated efforts of our board members,” says resident John Pearson. “We are fortunate to have board members with a variety of skills and experience needed to deal with the many issues that have confronted us during the transition.”
Robert Moss is president of The Pierce Condominium Unit Owners Association in Arlington, Va.
>>Read more about community transitions in Common Ground March/April 2026.
