As much as things have changed…
Marc D. Brookman, Esq., the chapter’s first president, reflects on CAI Keystone and the industry, 50 years on
I was pleased tod to rece ve eceiive a call call
from CAI Keystone’s Executive Director Tony Campisi, CAE, asking me to reflect on the establishment of what is now known as Keystone Chapter Community Associations Institute. It does not seem possible that 50 years have
transpired from when a group of people involved in the early years of association governance decided that a Mid-Atlantic Chapter of CAI would help in sharing what was then limited knowledge and experience in association management.
Fast forward 50 years from this humble beginning came the realization, after conversations with Tony, that as much as things have changed they remain very similar to 50 years ago.
When our chapter began, association governance was becoming a necessary part of new communities because of reluctance on the part of local government to assume any of the economic burden of new development. The solution decided upon, which is still the norm today, is to make what was historically public improvements private. This decision shifted the economic burden of maintenance and replacement of what traditionally had been the responsibility of government directly to the individuals benefitting from these new improvements.
This change of responsibility required the necessity of a community association to own,
repair, maintain and ultimately replace what heretofore had been the responsibility of local government. This lessened the impact on local government and permitted new developments to occur without adversely impacting existing community residents.
repai
Since many municipalities in which these new communities were established lacked certain public improvements, local government also saw this as an opportunity to create passive and active recreation improvements to benefit the new residents and lessen the impact on exiting municipal improvements.
This decision by local government helped facilitate the approval of new development since the community in place bore no expense for what traditionally had been public improvements. Further, local government would be relieved of the expense for repairing, maintaining and replacing these improvements. This simple governmental decision helped facilitate new development, permitting new homes and retail uses to be combined in many communities without there being any burden on exiting municipal residents.
Fast forward 50 years and not much new has happened other than the breathe and scope of these private improvements. They have often times expanded in size and scope with the newest members of a municipality bearing the expense to own and
maintain what had been historically been municipal improvements. This land use decision by local government has helped facilitate approvals to permit new housing for individuals desiring to leave urban areas for suburban ones.
Although much has changed in the past 50 years, so much has remained the same.
Continued success in the next 50 years.
Regards, Marc
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marc D. Brookman, Esq., Of Counsel—Retired with Duane Morris, LLP, practiced law in the areas of real estate development, acquisition and disposition, zoning and land use, common interest documentation, leasing and senior housing.
Mr. Brookman is an emeritus member of the board of directors of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation and the former chairman of the Philadelphia District Council of the Urban Land Institute.
Mr. Brookman is a founder and former president of the Mid-Atlantic (now Keystone) Chapter of Community Associations Institute. Mr. Brookman has been recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for real estate in the 2010 through 2016 editions. A frequent lecturer on real estate law, he is a graduate of Temple University School of Law and Temple University.
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