FAQs

Ventana Canyon Community Association
Board of Directors
Frequently Asked Questions

Association Organization

1. What areas make up Ventana Canyon?

Ventana Canyon is a development of 1,040 acres of residential, office, commercial, hotel, golf course, tennis club, and other real property in Pima County, Arizona. There are 584 homes inside the main gate and 104 outside the gate. There are ten commercial members including the golf and tennis club inside the gate and an assisted living facility outside, condominiums, Arena offices, CVS Drug, and Tequila Properties (a technology firm) outside the gate.

2. What is the purpose of the Ventana Canyon Community Association (VCCA)?

The Association is a not for profit corporation formed for the “maintenance, social, security, aesthetic and recreational purposes of benefiting Ventana Canyon, the Owners, the Lessees and the Residents” (terms defined in the CC&Rs). The Board of Directors interprets this purpose to include promotion of standards of behavior, appearance of properties, and civic pride that contribute to our reputation as a premier residential community.

3. Who are the members of the Association?

Owners of lots and parcels subject to assessments are Members of the Association.

4. How is the Association governed?

The affairs of the Association are managed by its Board, consisting of nine directors elected by the Members.

5. What is the Association’s relationship to ancillary associations?

There are a number of ancillary associations established by developers of parcels or subdivisions within Ventana Canyon, including the Golf Villas, Lake Estates, Deer Run, Ventana Serena, the Greens, Veranda at Ventana, and Canyon View Condominiums, among others. The governing documents of these associations must be consistent with the governing documents of the VCCA and approved by the VCCA Board. The Owners of homes in these ancillary associations are Members of VCCA, pay appropriate assessments, and receive the same services from the VCCA as other Members.

6. What is the Association’s relationship to the Alliance and the Club’s Board of Governors?

The Alliance owns and is responsible for the operations of the golf and tennis club. The club’s Board of Governors serves as a channel of communications between the Alliance and the members of the club. The VCCA and these two bodies are completely independent. Members of the Association who wish to use the facilities of the club must obtain a club membership but are not obligated to do so.

Board Structure

1. How many board members are there?

Nine at present.

2. Must board members be residents of the Ventana Canyon Community?

It is not a requirement under the CC&Rs, but that is the preference of the current Board.

3. How long are the terms of the board members?

Overlapping three year terms.

4. Is there a limit on the number of terms a board member may serve?

No, but there is regular turnover.

5. How are board members selected?

A nominating committee is formed every year to recruit and interview qualified, civic-minded* candidates to stand for election for open Board positions. Ballots are distributed in advance of the annual meeting and votes may be cast at the annual meeting which occurs in February. Candidate bios are distributed with ballots about a month before the annual meeting.

*The Board defines civic-minded as concerned with the well-being of the community as a whole; consensus-builder; works well with others

6. How is the board organized and when does it meet?

The Board elects a President, Vice President, Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Board meets the third Tuesday of the month September through May except in December. Minutes of each meeting are published on the website http://ventanacanyoncommunity.com/.

7. What is the relationship of the board to the Architectural Review Committee (ARC)?

The Board of Directors appoints Members of the Association to the Architectural Review Committee. The ARC is charged with interpreting and enforcing the VCCA Design Guidelines. Decisions of the ARC are made by a majority vote of the regular members of the committee. All ARC decisions are final and may not be appealed to the Board. An Owner may appeal any committee decision but in order to do so must present new information or modify the denied request.

Assessments

1. How are assessments due to the VCCA established?

The initial assessments were established at the time of the formation of the VCCA and have been increased occasionally in order to meet the financial obligations of the Association. Assessments are uniform for all Owners with the exception of an additional amount for those lots located within the main gate to cover the added cost of that level of security.

2. What are the current assessments inside the gate?

$525 per quarter for an improved lot, $132 per quarter for an unimproved lot as of 2024.

3. What are the current assessments outside the gate?

$400 per quarter for an improved lot, $100 per quarter for an unimproved lot as of 2024.

4. What are the assessments for the commercial properties in the Association?

Property	Amount	Frequency
Commercial Assessments: Arena Offices	342.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Canyon View	9,775.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Freedom Inn	1,364.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: MEF Company – Parcel A/B (Ventana Tires)	342.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Sunrise West Coast, LLC – (CVS)	342.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Tequila Properties – Encantada	937.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: The Lodge	5,175.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Ventana – The Greens	11,533.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Veranda at Ventana Condo Assoc,	19,714.00	Quarterly
Commercial Assessments: Western Refining S/W, Inc.	342.00	Quarterly

 

5. How does the board deal with members delinquent in payment of assessments?

We monitor delinquent owners, request prompt payment of overdue amounts, and pursue appropriate collections actions when significant amounts remain unpaid. The Board is authorized in the CC&Rs to suspend membership privileges of the Owners of a lot in arrears.

Management

1. Where is the office of the Association?

The VCCA office is located at 6600 Hole in the Wall Way and is staffed by HBS Management Solutions.

2. What services does the Association provide to its members?

The Association provides the services necessary to preserve the attractiveness and security of the community, ensure the proper working condition of our infrastructure, including roads, water, sewer system, and trash pickup, and oversees the prudent use of the funds necessary to do so.

3. How are these services provided?

The Board has engaged the services of HBS Management to assist it in providing these services. Among other services, HBS staffs and operates the main gate, patrols the areas inside and outside the gate 24/7, bills for and collects assessments from Members, works with the Treasurer to prepare a budget for approval by the Board in the Fall of each year, pays bills as defined in the annual budget, reports on the actual expenditures of the Association vs the budget to the Board, and provides staff support to the Board and the ARC such as preparing agendas for meetings, keeping minutes, and administering the election process and other annual meeting duties. HBS participates in long term infrastructure planning with the Board and supervises the work of vendors selected to carry out those plans, such as road repair. HBS also responds regularly to Owner requests for information or action by the Association and arranges from time to time for special events like holiday rides as authorized by the Board,

4. How is the management company chosen, compensated, and evaluated?

HBS Management Solutions, Inc. was hired in May 2008, succeeding Platinum Management as our property management company. The contract with HBS and the performance of the management company is evaluated for renewal every year prior to the annual meeting. HBS and has received an outstanding rating each year of our relationship.

Financial Controls

1. Does the board prepare and approve an annual budget?

Yes. Our property management company prepares the initial budget for review with the Treasurer and the resulting budget is reviewed and approved by the entire Board. Revenues from all sources in Fiscal Year 2017 were $1,298,531. As planned, we experienced a surplus over expenses that is designated as a reserve for anticipated infrastructure projects.

2. Are actual vs planned expenditures reviewed regularly by the Board?

Yes, at every monthly Board meeting. In addition, planned vs actual expenditures and our current balance sheet are posted on our website http://ventanacanyoncommunity.com/.

3. Does the Association have an independent accountant perform an audit or review of its finances?

Yes. David Iaconis of the firm Beach Fleischman PC reviews our financial status each year. He also assists in long term financial planning and provides guidance regarding our financial practices.

Insurance

1. What insurance does the Association carry?

The Associations has a general liability policy in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and a cumulative limit of $2,000,000. It also carries and Umbrella policy in the amount of $5,000,000.

2. Are board members covered by a D&O policy?

Board members are covered by a Directors and Officers policy in the amount of $1,000,000.

Legal Matters

1. Does the board have regular access to legal counsel?

Legal advice is provided by David McEvoy, an attorney in the Tucson law firm McEvoy, Daniels & Dancy.

2. What state statutes are particularly applicable to the Association and its board?

The Association must comply with applicable laws and regulations of the State of Arizona. One example is a prohibition against accepting nominations for Board positions from the floor at the Annual Meeting. The reason for this is that last minute nominations do not allow members who do not attend the annual meeting a chance to vote for the candidates nominated from the floor.

Resources/attachments

1. http://ventanacanyoncommunity.com/
2. CCRs on website
3. Bylaws on website
4. Rules on website
5. History of VCCA and the area (follows below)

Brief History of Ventana Canyon

Prepared March 2015

Background

The Hohokum were the first settlers in the Tucson basin, circa 300 A.D. to 1450 A.D.  They were followed by The Papago (now Tohono O’odham), Apaches and Spaniards.  Ventana Canyon received its name from the Spaniards – “Canon de la Ventana,” or Canyon of the Window.  (The “Hole in the Wall Way” name is derived from this phrase).

The federal government set aside the Santa Catalina Mountains as forest preserve in 1902.

The Flying V Ranch was homesteaded in 1903.  During this period, there were thousands of head of beef and dairy cattle in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.  In the late 1940’s, cattle ranching was discontinued.

The Flying V became a guest ranch in 1926.  The Gillham family bought the ranch in 1930 and operated it as a complete dude ranch for the next 20 years.  They sold to John Shields of Wisconsin in 1947, who sold the bulk of the ranch to the Estes Company in 1979.  (The preceding material is attributable to SWC Environmental Consultants – 1983).

Ventana Canyon Community

In June, 1984, The Estes Company filed CCRs for 1040 acres in Ventana Canyon, “to develop, in stages. . . planned residential, office, commercial, hotel, golf course, tennis club and other communities.” (CC&R document).  The document also indicated the intent to form a non-profit association to manage the physical infrastructure, enforce the covenants, and maintain architectural control.  The association was to be named Ventana Canyon Community Association (VCCA).

Several builders were involved in developing the various residential neighborhoods.  Sub-associations were formed for the Golf Villas, Ventana Serena, Lake Estates and Deer Run neighborhoods, and access was granted to the Esperero Canyon, end of Stone Canyon, end of Hole in the Wall Way and Hototo Place neighborhoods, although they are not members of the VCCA.

The Estes Company managed the VCCA for 10 years, conducting weekly meetings for all the development project associations they controlled.  In December 1995, the “Transition Committee” was formed, to manage the transition of Estes’ management of the VCCA to self-management of the VCCA.

October 28, 1996 was the first Board meeting of the newly-elected Board of Directors.

From October 1996, management of the association changed hands several times, from use of management companies under contract, to employment of managers, and back again to management companies.  In December 2002 Lewis Management Company hired John Logan as manager.  The Board then negotiated with John Logan, hiring him as an employee of the VCCA and terminating Lewis Management.  That arrangement existed for several years, when the Board determined it wished to return to management by a property management company.  Platinum Management was hired, and subsequently, in May 2008, HBS Management Solutions, Inc was hired and remains in place today.

As management of the VCCA changed hands several times from 1996 to 2008, so did ownership of the Lodge/Country Club/Golf Course.  Its most recent previous owner was Wyndham, which sold to the Alliance LLC, a consortium of members, in December,2004.

Ventana Canyon Community Association (VCCA)

Members include:

• 582 homes/properties inside the main gate, including the Golf Villas, Deer Run, Mountain Estates, Country Club Estates, Desert Moon Estates, Ventana Serena, Whaleback Ridge (does not include Esperero Canyon).\
• 104 homes/properties outside the main gate, including the Ridge, Ventana Entrada, Ventana del Oeste and Westgate.
• 10 commercial members, including Freedom Inn at Ventana Assisted Living, The Greens East and West apartments, Veranda at Ventana apartments, Canyon View Apartments (Greens, Veranda and Canyon View apartments were all subsequently converted to condos, with significant involvement of the VCCA Board to ensure the resulting assessments and votes accurately reflected the plat designation in the CCRs), The Ventana Golf and Tennis Club and the Lodge, Tequila Properties, Arena Offices and CVS Drug.

The VCCA office is located at 6600 Hole in the Wall Way and is staffed by HBS Management Solutions.

The Association is responsible for security at the main, manned gate, and maintenance of unmanned security at the other member neighborhoods.  Maintenance of the physical plant includes 14 miles of roads inside the main gate (except for Clubhouse Lane, which is the responsibility of the Alliance/Club), sewer, contracts for trash pickup, landscaping in the common areas, covenant compliance and architectural compliance.

The VCCA is an entirely separate entity from the Alliance/Ventana Golf and Racquet Club (except that the Alliance/Club is one of the commercial members of the VCCA), and has no jurisdiction over the golf courses and paths, the Club swimming pool, the tennis courts, Clubhouse Lane, the driving range nor landscaping at the main Lodge or the driving range.

The Lodge at Ventana Canyon/Ventana Golf and Racquet Club

The Alliance LLC owns and operates the Lodge at Ventana Canyon (Ventana Golf and Racquet Club).  The Club, therefore, owns and manages the hotel, tennis courts swimming pool, landscaping at the main lodge and driving range, and the private street, Clubhouse Lane.  The Club manages and operates two golf courses, the Canyon course and the Mountain course, and their respective cart paths.

Many, but not all, Alliance members are also homeowners in Ventana Canyon are therefore VCCA members.  Many, but not all, VCCA members are also members of the Alliance, or may be members of the Club (which is a private club), but not Alliance members.  Matters relating to the homeowners are property referred to the VCCA management; matters relating to the Alliance or Club are properly referred to the Club management.