Sheds must be constructed of wood or masonry materials. Metal or plastic sheds are prohibited. The shed's roof materials must match those used on the home. The shed's color must match the color used on the back of the home. Shed dimensions shall not exceed 8' X 10'. Shed height shall not exceed 8.5'. This does not included the height of the foundation. The foundation may only be so tall as to ensure levelness. At least one corner of the foundation must be at ground level if the ground is sloping.

The Architectural Review Committee reserves the right to grant variances to these restrictions so long as aesthetic and structural standards are met.

Please be aware that you must obtain a permit and the approval of the Architectural Review Committee PRIOR to building any patio or deck.

All wood decks are required to be permitted. Concrete patios that are under 24" do not require permits. However, you still need to consider if the size exceeds the impervious cover allowances, encroaches on any easements, and that it meets all zoning regulations.

The City of Austin Permit Office is located at 505 Barton Springs Rd., 2nd floor. Walk in customers are taken 8am-11am, Monday through Friday. A copy of the plot plans or survey to scale must be submitted at the time of review.

We are happy to see that some of our neighbors are able to go green and install solar panels. This is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. All plans must be preapproved by the Architectural Review Committee PRIOR to installation. The board has approved the following guidelines to help homeowners that may wish to install solar panels:

1. Raised or tilted solar panels will only be installed on the rear roof or in a configuration that will function as a porch cover or on top of a pergola (see http://www.premierpower.com/solar_energy_residential/solar_paneLpatio_cover.php).
2. Front roof solar panels will only be flush mounted. This also applies to side roofs that face a street.
3. The color of the panels and trim of the support structure will be limited to black, brown, gray or non-reflective metallic as provided by the manufacturer.
4. The highest point of a solar panel will be lower than the ridge of the roof where it is attached.
5. Piping and electrical connections will be located directly under and/or within the perimeter of the panel and invisible from all street angles.
6. All painted surfaces will be kept in good repair.

The bottom line is that we want to encourage solar panels and energy conservation, but in a minimally obtrusive way.

Pioneer Crossing West Homeowners Association
Policy Memorandum
LANDSCAPING GUIDELINES
Adopted by the Board 1/12/2009

The purpose of this memorandum is to establish certain maintenance and landscaping requirements for the Lots in accordance with Article III, Section 3.27 of the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions.  All homeowners are responsible for reading and understanding the Covenants and Rules and Regulations.  The Board of Directors serves to protect and enhance the value of the community by preserving and enforcing the Covenants.  For the protection of all homeowners and maintain property values, all homes and Lots must be maintained in a manner that is consistent with these guidelines.  These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive or exclusive.  Owners should use the following guidelines for maintaining and landscaping their property and Lots:

The following is a partial list of the requirements for yard care.  It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible conditions, which could apply to proper yard care.  Those will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.  Lawn maintenance is a year-round requirement with some seasons requiring more attention than others do.  Regardless of the season, a neat appearance must be maintained.  Each and every Owner shall keep and maintain in an attractive, HEALTHY, LIVE and GROWING condition, any and all grass, shrubs, bushes, trees and other decorative landscaping which may be planted or growing upon said Lots.
 

• Dead/Diseased:  All dead or diseased lawn areas, shrubs, bushes, trees, and flowering plants shall be promptly removed. Dead patches need to be corrected within a reasonable timeframe. Leaves shall be removed during and following the fall season
• Mowed: All turf areas on a Lot must be kept neatly trimmed and mowed.  The Board will generally consider neatly mowed as turf under the height of one and a half (1 ½) to six (6) inches dependent upon species.
• Weeded and Fertilized: Weeds sprouting up in a lawn or, weeds that are allowed to dominate the make-up of the “lawn” must be eliminated by hand or by chemical means.  The Board encourages the use of chemical free products to protect our waterways. If garden beds or planting areas are developed in a yard, they must be kept weeded and/or mulched to present a neat appearance from the street and neighbors' views.  A regular maintenance plan with fertilizer, weed and pest control should be used.
• Pruned and Trimmed: Each Owner shall trim all grass, shrubs, bushes, trees, and flowering plants as often as reasonably necessary to maintain a neat and well-maintained appearance.
• Grass Runners and Clippings: All grass runners grass clippings and all other debris must be trimmed and kept swept off all concrete areas, including sidewalks and driveways, as well as streets.
• No Artificial Vegetation: No artificial vegetation or grass shall be permitted on the exterior of any property, except for: (1) that being used as a front door decoration, whether covered by a roof or not, (2) holiday decorations, and (3) that being used within an area covered by a roof, e.g., porch.  No artificial vegetation or flowers may be placed in any yard area at any time.

The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) has established approved guidelines for the staining of fences in the Pioneer Crossing West neighborhood.

1. The product used must be a stain or tinted wood sealant.
2. Stains can be transparent, semi-transparent or opaque.
3. Homeowners may stain their fences with non-tinted clear stain or sealer without ARC approval.
4. If a tinted stain or sealer is used, homeowner must supply the ARC with the following information:
   
   • manufacturer
   • color
   • type (i.e., transparent, semi-transparent or opaque)
   • and if possible, a sample.
5. Painting of fences (as opposed to staining) is PROHIBITED. If a homeowner paints their fence, the paint will need to be removed.

All fences that are stained or sealed MUST BE maintained or be subject to notice or fine by the Homeowners Association.

On our Documents page, the Austin Police Department has supplied us with a Police Resource Manual that contains lots of useful information. The information covers areas such as city services, public crime information, and contact phone numbers.

According to Section 3.12 (iii) of the Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions document:

"Political signs may be erected upon a Lot by the Owner of such Lot advocating the election of one or more political candidates or the sponsorship of a political party, issue or proposal provided that such signs shall not be erected more than ninety (90) days in advance of the election to which they pertain and are removed within fifteen (15) days after the election."

Currently, the Homeowners Association dues are $72.60 per quarter. Beginning in January 2009, the dues will increase 9.5% to $79.50 per quarter.

On our Documents page, you will find several documents with information on the rules and regulations of the Pioneer Crossing West HOA. In particular, you will find the Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions to be especially helpful. The Bylaws of Pioneer Crossing West Homeowner's Association and the Pool Rules documents offer additional information.

Please see our recycling announcement.

Thank you for your interest in advertising with us. The cost for an advertisement is $25. We will display your ad in the next issue of our quarterly newsletter, The Pioneer Crossing Gazette, as well as here on the website for three months. The newsletter is published in January, April, July and October of each year. Your advertisement in the newsletter may consist of a business card or just text. Please note that the newsletter can only display in black and white. On the website, your ad may consist of a graphic image (business card or digital image file) or text on either a colored background or an image background. The website can accept a maximum size of 180 pixels wide and about 500 pixels high.

On the website the ads are displayed in a dedicated block on the right-hand side of the site. This block shows up on all pages of the website except for those that require extra room for displaying their contents, such as the forums and calendar pages. This block will always display on the front page. When we have multiple ads running at the same time, every time a page is viewed it will randomly select one of the current advertisements to display. The placement of advertisements in the newsletter is somewhat random, as it depends on the articles for that issue and the final layout.

If you would like to order an advertisement, please send an email (with any image files) to advertisementspioneercrossingwest [dot] org. Checks (made payable to: Pioneer Crossing West HOA) and business cards should be mailed to the following address:

PCW HOA Advertisements
1504 Braxton Valley Cove
Austin, TX 78754

Once payment is received, we will display your advertisement on the website within a few days, and in the next quarterly newsletter when it is published. The three month website time frame will start from the first day that your ad is displayed on the website. If you would like to view your ad prior to it being displayed on the website, please let us know.

Please see our Compose tips.