Page 18 - New Jersey Cooperator February 2019

18 THE NEW JERSEY COOPERATOR —FEBRUARY 2019 NJCOOPERATOR.COM T he ‘big city’ is known for its break- neck pace, as life whirls around the unprepared out-of-towner in an overwhelming swirl. Suburbia, on the other hand, is supposed to be a respite from that intense metropolitan grind – a place to pa- tiently teach the kids how to play tee-ball out in the yard until it’s time for dinner. Of course, the accuracy of these gener- alizations varies from person to person and family to family. But distinctions do exist between urban and rural communities, and those diff erences impact how those com- munities are managed and run. Commu- nity associations in more densely-packed locales have diff erent concerns and priori- ties than those in sprawling townships. Th e New Jersey Cooperator spoke with some professionals who have worked with both to delve into the similarities and diff er- ences. Population Density Space tends to be at a premium in the city, while an association in the suburbs generally occupies more square footage – or more acreage, to put it more accurately. Th e vertical-versus-sprawl contrast is the biggest variable when it comes to managing communities in those respective settings. “From a management perspective, an ur- ban high-rise can be easier to handle than a garden-type apartment community further out from the city,” says John Wolf, CEO of management fi rm Alexander Wolf & Com- pany in Plainview, New York, “because with the latter, you have to consider landscaping, snow removal, and things of that nature. If you’re looking at a high-rise, much of what is vital is contained within the building: you have your boiler, the roof, elevators, heating systems and mechanics, which are more or less standard and need to be in compliance with local laws. But outside of the city, you have many of those same issues, in addi- tion to sewage treatment, pools, siding, etc. A community with more acres means that you’re going to have to keep track of more vendors and contractors.” Th e day-to-day complaints one hears in the city also diff er signifi cantly from what you might hear in the suburbs. “With city condos, I get a lot of noise disturbances, especially given how there are more brown- stones and smaller associations,” says Jenni- fer L. Barnett, a partner at the litigation de- partment of Marcus Errico Emmer Brooks in Braintree, Massachusetts. “More oft en than not, code violations happen more oft en in large municipalities than they do inside of the city, whether those are related to mice infestations or any other sort of pest issue, balconies, and retaining walls, etc. Th e Boston Fire Department makes it a point to periodically inspect buildings throughout the city. And if you don’t take care of a violation right away, they take the next step and pursue a criminal complaint with the housing courts. TRENDS City Versus Suburbs Management Approaches Change Based on Geography BY MIKE ODENTHAL EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ I MARTINSVILLE, NJ I NEW YORK, NY 732.846.3000 wgcpas.com For over 30 years, we’ve helped over 1,000 community associations navigate complex accounting issues with personalized service and industry knowledge. Your job is to continually our job is to continually our job is to continually improve your communities, ours is to make it all possible! Contact Mohammed Salyani, CPA, FCCA (UK) msalyani@wgcpas.com Y Y improve your communities, ours is to make it all possible! They trust you to govern the association, you can trust us to help manage the finances. ISTOCKPHOTO.COM