Coppersnowboarder

I am a year-round public employee. I own a low-income, restricted-deed condominium in Copper Mountain Ski Resort Village. I purchased a used Chevrolet Volt and, since none came with the vehicle, bought a 110-volt charger cable to use at the standard electrical outlet in the underground parking area beneath my condominium. Now, the Homeowner Association intends to pass a parking policy banning low-income, restricted-deed owners from parking in the underground parking area that provides access to an electric outlet. The parking ban extends from December 1 to April 30 on weekends, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. This effectively denies me access to charge my Volt during half of the days of one-third of the year. I wonder whether any advocacy group exists to support the interests of electric vehicle owners that I can contact, especially within the scope of the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act.

KChevy75

Where would you park during the parking ban days?

Coppersnowboarder

Excellent question! The area is remote to the condominium building in an unheated parking structure, which has given me a dead car starting battery in past winters. No parking space has been identified or designated or signed as an electric vehicle charging station, although any 110-volt outlet in close proximity could provide me with an overnight charge to operate my vehicle.


Colorado Revised Statutes (2013) Section 38-33.3-106.8(1)(c): The primary purpose of this section is to ensure that common interest communities provide their residents with at least a meaningful opportunity to take advantage of the availability of plug-in electric vehicles rather than create artificial restrictions on the adoption of this promising technology.

Coppersnowboarder

I am learning plenty of new concepts in real estate law. My condominium is exempt from the Colorado electric vehicle charging station law. Therefore, I have no right to charge my vehicle at home. Condominiums fall into two categories: limited common property and general common property. I live with a roaming interest in general common property, not an assigned interest. There are much bigger barriers to Chevrolet Volt entry than I conceived when I purchased the vehicle.


Summary from property management:


1. Not sure it makes sense in a 'unit' other than the Commercial units in the garage. I'm OK if Copper chooses to do it for their specific parking spaces, so long as it is on their meter.
2. VS parking is GCE not LCE, so it does not qualify, nor is it reasonable since parking is open and 'as available'. [Except when the HOA closes parking to restricted-deed owners and certain other occupants. I can see the value of my condominium dropping every moment, like the recent collapse of the Chinese stock market.]
3. What is the management’s responsibility towards interpreting law on behalf of its HOA’s (something for me to figure out)

KChevy75

Just like with satellite dishes and HOAs. You'll have to lobby your local government to have a law put in place requiring Condos to provide x number of charging stations per x number of units. I doubt the Federal Government would get involved like the FCC did with satellite dishes.

Coppersnowboarder

The "local government" is Copper Mountain Ski Resort owned by POWDR corporation. This could be difficult to impossible, but an idea that I had not even contemplated. The State of Colorado, having already passed one law about condominium charging stations, may be a possibility. Thank you for your thoughts. I have mentioned the problem to my State Representative and discussed the analogy to the requirement for handicapped parking spaces in certain locations. These are reserved for a specific purpose, but not assigned to any one individual.

tech2

and that's why I would never get involved with a condo.




its a volt so you don't have to plug it in. be happy its not a ev only vehicle.

Coppersnowboarder

If you lived in Summit County, then you would live in a condominium. Land is $250,000 for a vacant city lot. Average homes sell for $500,000 to $1,000,000. Restricted-deed, "affordable" homes start at $250,000 if you reach the top of the waiting list. Studio condominiums sell for $100,000 if they are forty-five years old and at least fifteen miles from the ski resorts and $300,000 if they are located within walking distance of the slopes.


I decided on the Volt due to the greater battery range than the Prius plug-in. I decided against vehicles dependent entirely on charging because I spend my free days in very remote, congressionally-designated wilderness areas.