Your Home Town Bulletin • January-February 2025

NW Landing office closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day 

The Northwest Landing office will be closed Monday, January 20, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Monday, February 17, for Presidents Day.

 

 

 

 

Thank you to all the homeowners who took part in the Deck the Halls decorating contest in December. Best Display, Best Lights, and People’s Choice home were awarded festive gift baskets. The People’s Choice winner was actually one of five homes that collaborated on an “enchanting walkway” on Fisher Avenue. Homeowner Karen Antonowicz wrote: “We feel honored to be recognized. It has been fun seeing so many people enjoy the enchanting walkway. Hopefully we can continue to expand the joy for years to come.”

 

The homes that participated in the enchanting walkway were 1821, 1823, 1825, 1827, and 1843 Fisher Avenue.

Photos of all contest participants are online here:

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Reminder about holiday lighting

Holiday string lights may be displayed 30 days before and 30 days after traditional holidays. This time limit does not apply to Edison-type string lights in backyards and on the front porch (can be on 24/7). This is not only in consideration of your neighbors but area wildlife. Northwest Landing building guidelines respect “dark sky maintenance.” Light pollution is caused by overly bright lights that shine into the sky, confusing and harming migrating birds and wildlife. The guideline for lights to be turned off by 10 p.m. does not apply to exterior light fixtures installed on the house or garage. This lighting should not shine upward, except for flag lighting. If you are considering installing permanent string lighting that can change colors, you must submit a property improvement request through the ROA office.

 

Be the change you wish to see – run for ROA Board of Directors

Many of us who moved to Northwest Landing have had limited experience with homeowners’ associations. Maybe you’ve lived in a condominium in the past – also a homeowners’ association but with higher costs because of shared rooftops, walls, and outdoor property. Who decided a homeowners’ association was a good idea? Building developers, for sure. When a community is designed with covenants, conditions and restrictions – commonly known as CC&Rs – a homeowners association governed by property owners inherits the developer’s desire to maintain quality of homes and businesses. The developer’s incentive, of course, is to sell homes. The homeowner’s incentive becomes, by default, a way to protect property values. A homeowners’ association does that by holding property owners accountable. Some of us have lived in communities where no one tells your neighbor they can’t park five vehicles on their lawn or take down the holiday lights that don’t work anymore.

Northwest Landing was conceived by Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest private landowners in the U.S. and the world’s top timber company. The company purchased 2,300 acres from the DuPont company in 1976. The DuPont City Council approved plans for developing Northwest Landing in 1989. The first homes were completed in 1994. Most of the city’s population lives in Northwest Landing (about 90 percent). Today, there are 2,819 homes in Northwest Landing. All homeowners are members of the Northwest Landing Residential Owners Association. Commercial landowners are members of the Northwest Landing Commercial Owners Association.

So that’s where you come in. The ROA manages common-ownership property: 152 mini parks or greenspaces, more than 70 miles of alleyways, and one playground – Willson Park. The associations (residential and commercial) contract with Agynbyte LLC, a Bellevue-based company that specializes in community associations. In Northwest Landing, Agynbyte employs four professionals to handle most of Northwest Landing’s responsibilities. A volunteer board of directors meets 8-10 times a year to approve the association’s annual budget and major expenditures. There are five board members. Currently three positions are up for nomination and election this year.

Whether you would like to see changes in the association or would like to protect what you value about our community, we need you to step up! Please watch for email messages and nomination forms in U.S. mail in March. If you’d like to ask one of the current board members for more information before considering nominating yourself or a neighbor, email and a board member will get in contact with you.

 

Avoid fines for late or non-payment of assessments

 

Some homeowners prefer to pay ROA assessments all at one time. But many pay monthly. If you do pay your assessments monthly, consider setting up automatic payments (ACH). You can very easily set up automatic withdrawals from your bank or credit union account. Call 253-964-1289 or email for help setting up automatic payments.

 

Who to call – city or ROA

Whether you are new to Northwest Landing or have lived here for several years, you may not know who to call about something like an abandoned car on the street or a tree that is ready to fall down. If something is on a city street, grass strip between sidewalk and street, park, or trail, the City of DuPont has jurisdiction. That includes lost dogs, dangerous or sick wild animals, graffiti, and fallen trees. Go to Report a Problem on the city’s website.  

If something is in an alleyway or a greenspace/pocket park (most have red benches), Northwest Landing ROA has jurisdiction. Call 253-964-1289 or email . If you receive a violation notice or fine and have questions, call 253-964-1289 or . If you’ve got a complaint about a property in Northwest Landing, you must submit it in writing to .

The Northwest Landing website hosts a Who You Gonna Call webpage which includes common topics our office gets questions about. Governing documents for the association are also available without logging into the members’ portal.

Northwest Landing Events

Register for events here       

 

Annual Daddy Daughter Dance – 6 p.m. • Saturday • February 15, 2025

Join us on the red carpet and dance the night away at our annual Daddy Daughter Dance! Movie-themed tables, raffles, appetizers and desserts. Your ROA has hosted this event for the past 24 years. No dad available? No problem! Bring a grandparent, stepparent, uncle, or friend. Pictured here is DuPont Mayor Ron Frederick with his granddaughter at the 2018 dance. Registration required – sign up on the Events page.  

 Board of Directors – 5:30 p.m. • Wednesday • January 22, 2025 – via Zoom– reservations required by January 15. Call 253-964-1289 to reserve. On Zoom. Your 2024 Board of Directors can be reached at . Please contact staff at  if you have questions or concerns about a violation notice or want to report a problem with a Northwest Landing property.

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Property Improvement Committee – meetings are generally held at 5:30 p.m. – 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Except for underground irrigation systems, this committee must review all exterior modifications, including painting, roofing, adding central air conditioning, heat pump or solar panels, fences, sheds, patios, patio covers, decks, landscape renovations, adding or removing trees. Some projects may also require a city permit. Underground irrigation systems require a city permit. Property Improvement forms can be downloaded from the homeowner’s portal on the website. Go to Member Logins. After you login, click on Documents, then open the folder Property Improvement Committee Forms. Call 253-964-1289 if you need help finding PIC forms.

 

Dear ROA,

I am extremely frustrated with some dog owners. They allow their dogs onto my front yard (sometimes even right up to my porch) and the dog(s) pee/poop near my bushes and flower beds. Owners need to understand that this is trespassing. Just because our yards are not fenced off doesn’t make this type of behavior okay. It has been happening more and more and I find it very disrespectful.

I am in touch with Dupont Police and Pierce County Animal Control, but I was hoping a notice could go out to Northwest Landing homeowners. Thank you,

  • Frustrated in Hoffman Hill Village

Dear Frustrated,

It’s very difficult to police errant dog owners – either by the city or by homeowners. And there are many dog owners who don’t understand that urine can burn lawns. Note to dog owners: Curb your dog, that is, don’t let your dog pee and poop on your neighbor’s property. Pick up your dog’s poop, even if you are on a woodland trail. Besides the fact that leaving it behind is a health and safety hazard, you are also contributing to polluting our surrounding waterways. There’s a reason why storm drains in DuPont have “Only rainwater down the drain” signs. We are directly above the Nisqually River delta and Puget Sound. All of those dog droppings ends up in waterways eventually. While we’re on the topic of dogs, here’s our reminder to license your pets (including cats): DuPont Pet Owners Guide.

 

 

Please don’t rake or blow dead leaves into green spaces!

In early December, staff from Premier Landcare gave Shirley Ely, our ROA director, a list of addresses and pictures they took of areas that look like someone from nearby homes blew or raked all of the leaves from their property onto the ROA’s common area. This was AFTER the crew had already done what they hoped would be the final leaf clean up for the year. So the crew had to bring their big truck back out to the areas where this happened. The crew cleaned up the areas again, and hauled the leaves to the landfill. This is all extra work that the ROA gets billed extra for. Staff contacted nearby homeowners about what happened. Please pick up leaves on your property and dispose of them properly in your yard waste container or take them to the landfill. 

 

Be prepared for snow

We don’t get huge amounts of snow in western Washington but, when we do, it often falls in February. The photo here is from February 2021. In previous years, we’ve received as much as 15 inches of snow. The City of DuPont plows streets and Northwest 

Landing ROA plows alleys. It is every homeowner’s responsibility to keep sidewalks clear. DuPont City Code states that “It shall be the duty of the owner or occupant of abutting property to keep the sidewalk in front of such property free from snow, ice, or obstruction of any kind, either natural or artificial.” Pay attention to when plows are on your street, so your vehicle(s) don’t get blocked-in by a wall of snow.

City of DuPont Events

Tutus and Twirls • Saturday • January 25 • 2-3:30 • DuPont Community Center • 303 Barksdale Avenue • $20 per family • Join us for a whimsical afternoon at Tutus and Twirls, with cupcake decorating, story time, crafts, and twirl time with ballerinas from Valor School of Dance.

Senior Lunch & Movie • Tuesday • February 4 • $10 plus tax • sign up in advance

Savvy Seniors • January-February 2025 • Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 1 p.m. • DuPont Community Center • meet new friends • board & card games • fun projects

DuPont Boxcar Project Celebration • Ribbon-cutting & Reception • Saturday • February 1 • 2 p.m. • DuPont Historical Museum • 207 Barksdale Avenue

Valor Conservatory of Dance • classes held at DuPont Community Center • fees start at $55 a month

Teen Events and Programs  • Dungeons & Dragons • Knitting Club • Teen League

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