Condo Association Update
Update 3.8.2026 from Julie Staggers, President
Please Note New Mailing Address and Contact Information:
Julie Staggers
101 W Cedarmeade Ave.
Winchester, VA 22601
540-247-6704
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Parking at Opequon Center
There have been several recent parking problems at Opequon Center. There is plenty of parking at Opequon Center, and everyone needs to be considerate in order to prevent parking problems. Please review and follow the parking guidelines.
1. There are NO assigned parking spot for ANY business at Opequon Center. Do not place signs designating business parking as these will be removed.
2. As a courtesy, employees of one business should not park directly in front of other business. Parking immediately adjacent to the building is intended for customers and patients.
3. The loading zone adjacent to building 3038 is NOT a parking spot. This is a loading zone for deliveries to businesses in building 3038, 3042 and 3034. The parking lot is narrow in this area, and delivery trucks need space to park and turn around. Businesses in this area should assure that employees/customers and patients not park in this area. The Condo Association will tow vehicles parked in the loading zone without notice at the owner’s expense.
4. The snow removal company cannot remove snow entirely from the complex as this would require a front loader and a dump truck. Therefore, some parking spaces will be needed for piling snow. The snow can only be plowed so far. It cannot be scooped up and removed. As a result, the narrow parking areas must be the have snow piles since snow cannot be removed entirely. Please do not complain that your favorite parking spot has snow piled on it. Snow thaw and refreezing may result in ice accumulate in some parking spots. It is not possible for our snow removal company to remove ever speck of ice from every parking spot on every single day. Please notify the Condo Association if there is a significant ice problem in the parking lot or on the sidewalks.
5. Owners are responsible for making sure that their renters and employees comply with the parking guidelines.
6. The parking lot is common area that is OWNED by the Condo Association. The Condo Association has the right to control the parking lot. Individual owners and renters are not to entitled do whatever they want in the parking lot since they do not own the parking lot.
7. Owner/renter vehicles or recreational vehicles may not be stored in the parking lot. Unattended/stored vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense.
8. The parking lot is for Opequon Center owners, renters, customers and patients. Parking by the adjacent apartment residents is not permitted. Please report unauthorized vehicles to the Condo Association.
9. DO NOT PARK on the yellow lines anywhere in the complex. Vehicles that park on the yellow lines will be towed without notice.
Collections
The Condo Association has initiated collection procedures for all unpaid 2025and 2026 dues. Leins have been places on the offending units and forclosure procedings have been intiated. Fines, late fees and attorney fees will be passed on to the involved owners. Legal fees and fines can amount to a significant amount of money. If you can not pay all your dues, please contact the Condo Association and arrange a payment plan.
Snow Removal
When snow/ice is predicted or is falling, information regarding snow removal is posted on the snow removal page.
Renters
Renters are not part of the Condo Association. I will address reasonable concerns from reasonable renters. However, I am not the manager of rental units, nor renters. Every renter receives a copy of the Opequon Center regulations when they move in. These regulations clearly address the issue of signage and other regulations that may apply to renters. Renters should be aware of these regulastions BEFORE purchasing signage and before attempting to alter the outside of the buildings and parking lots. Owners are responsible for making sure that their renters are in compliance with the Opequon Center regulations. If there is a renter problem, I will contact the unit owner. It is then the owner's responsibility to take corrective actions. Please do not expect me to deal with unreasonable renters.
Garbage
Republic garbage has instituted a new policy. The garbage trucks have a camera mounted on them that photographs each dumpster each time. If the dumpster lid is not in contact with the top of dumpster, Republic Garbage automatically charges a $117.50 overage fee. The driver does not have anything to do with the charge. The AI software at Republic Garbage reviews the photo, and then charges us automatically. We have been charged the overage fees many times this year. This policy has significantly increase our garbage bill. The size of the northeast dumpster has been increased to accomodate more garbage. Please do not overfill this dumpsters. There are 3 dumpsters on the property. If your favorite dumpster is full, please use another dumpster. I have increased the size of the northeast dumpster so that there is more garbage space and less chance for overage charges. Garbage removal is one of the biggest expense for the Condo Association. Thank you for helping keep our expenses down!
Please do not damage the dumpster doors while trying to get in without the lock combination. The dumpsters are for garbage that is produced in the offices of Opequon Center. Owners, renters and employees are NOT permitted to bring garbage from their homes or anywhere else and dispose of it in the dumpsters owned by Opequon Center. Our security cameras have recorded vehicles bring outside garbage to the complex and dumping it in Opequon Center dumpsters. Owner will be charged for disposal of personal garbage. Locks are frequently destroyed or stolen. Every year, the locks are replaced several times due to damage and /or theft. The locks are expensive. Owner/renters will be finded for not placing garbage in the dumpster. Please do not throw garbage over the door onto the bin because you don't want to open the lock. Please do not pile garbage on top of a full bin. If the bin is full, please take your garbage to another dumpster. The garbage company will NOT pick up garbage outside of the dumpster. The garbage company charges extra if the bin is too full. It is very expensive to hire someone to clean the dumpster areas. Please be aware the dumpsters have designated security cameras that can see in the dark and can identify license plated numbers and individuals. Illegal dumping is a crime. Please help the Condo Association save money and time by properly disposing of your garbage and not damaging the locks.
Water Consumption
Water consumption continues to increase due to most units being occupied. We also have to pay an additonal impervious surface fee that was intiated in 2024 by the City of Winchester. All business and homes in Winchester must pay this fee, and it is based on how many square feet of concrete and asphalt that is present. This fee is $9600.00 per year for our complex.
Condo Insurance
The condo insurance increased to around $30,000 per year due increased costs of building replacement. The Condo Association's insurance policy is for the Condo Association's property, not for owners of units or renters. No owners/banks/morgage companies will be the beneficiary of the Condo Association's Insurance policy. Please do not attempt to have your morgage company added to the Condo Association' s policy since Farmers Insurance has been notified not to allow this. Insurance information has been distributed to all owners and renters at Opequon Center so that confusion as to what is or what is not covered by the Condo Association's policy is clear. Please review the Insurance Page of this web site so that you may be adequately covered. The current policy may be downloaded from the Insurance Page at www.opequoncenter.com.
Fire Alarm:
Maintaining monitored fire alarms is important to the entire complex and is required by the Condo Bylaws. This continues to be a problem. Some owners do not return their fire alarm information on time. Some owners pay for one month of fire alarm monitoring, sign the alarm verification form and then cancel the alarm monitoring for the rest of the year. Previously, one owner NEVER had a fire alarm system, and he lied about it for YEARS. A few owners had burgular alarms, but not fire alarms, and they were not aware that they did not have fire alarm monitoring until I verified their alarm. Because there has been so much deception about fire alarm monitoring, every owner must submit alarm monitoring information EVERY January and July of EVERY year, even if your alarm information is unchanged. The fire alarm information form may be downloaded from www.opequoncenter.com. I will verified the fire alarm monitoring for all owners. If you do not use Anderson Control or BK monitoring, you must provide proof of fire alarm directly from your alarm company. You may have your alarm company mail proof to the Condo Association or you must authorize your alarm company to release the information to the Condo Association over the phone. All owner are responsible for making sure that their alarm can be verified by the Condo Association. Fire safety is everyone's responsibility. I have seen many instances of fire hazards around our complex, as listed below.
1. Renters/Owners/Employees improperly disposing of cigarette butts. (This has caused two mulch fires in our complex).
2. Renters playing with combustible materials and fireworks (This caused a grass fire on the propery of the adjacent apartments).
3. Unattended candles left burning.
4. Unattended Christmas lights or decorative lights left on for days in closed offices. These lights are cheap products that are not meant to be left on continuously for months, and they are a major cause of fires. Please turn these lights off when your business is closed.
5. Grease and oil left on the outside sidewalks.
6. Lighted open signs left on all the time.
I will verify the alarm monitoring for all units and will fine owners $250 if I am unable to verify active alarm monitoring. Please provide accurate, easily verifiable information so that no one needs to be fined. Thank you!
Understand Your Fire Liability and Insurance
The Condo Association's Insurance policy covers fire damage to the buildings from the wall studs outward. It does not cover any damage done to the inside of the of the units, nor to the content of any unit. The Condo Association's insurance policy DOES NOT cover liability for fires that start inside a condo unit. Owners/renters should have insurance that covers their condo unit from the studs inward (business equipment, supplies, build out as well as liability). Fire can spread quickly from one unit to another since there is no fire wall in the roof. If your unit is not insured, the Condo Association's insurnace company and other owners can hold you personally liable for damages incurred by a fire that started in your unit as well as loss of their business income. If you rent your unit, make sure that either you or your renters have insurance on the unit. A copy of the Condo Association's insurance policy may be downloaded directly from the web site.
Bylaws and Regulations:
Copies of the bylaws and regulations may be directly downloaded from the web site. If you rent or are planning to rent your unit, please provide your renters with a copy of the bylaws and regulations before they move in, especially the sign regulation. This will prevent renters from being upset about the sign regulations. The Condo Association will enforce the sign regulations. Temporary signs are not allowed by the City any where along Valley Ave. for any reason. Real estate signs are allowed. Please make sure that your renters are aware of this before they purchase signs that are not allowed to post. The City, as well as the Condo Association, has the right to remove temporary signs without notice.
Common Areas:
The common areas of the Opequon Center are not owned by renters or owners, they are owned by the Condo Association. Owners/renters cannot alter the outside of buildings, the parking lot, the sidewalks or the landscaping without permission from the Condo Association. Please do not alter the Condo Association's property without permission as this just makes extra work for me. Any digging on the Opequon Center Common Areas for utility installation must be approved by the Condo Association and the City of Winchester in advance of digging. Unauthorized digging is tresspassing and will be dealt with accordingly.
Parking on the Yellow Lines:
Parking on the yellow lines is dangerous and is not permitted by the Condo Association. Please be aware that if an accident occurs due to parking on the yellow lines, the owner/renter is liable for the damages, not the Condo Association.
Unauthorized Use Of The Parking Lot
The parking lot of Opequon Center is private property of The Opequon Center Condo Association. The parking lot is for business use by owners, renters and customers. It is not a place for non-business meetings, nor a place to repair cars or do oil changes. Car washing using Opequon Center's water is not permintted. The Opequon Center Parking lot is NOT a long-term place to store your personal vehicle or recreational vehicle. Renters from the adjacent Brookside Apartments are not permintted to park, repair or store their vehicles in the parking lot of Opequon Center. Please report unauthorized use of the parking lot.
For Owners Who Rent Their Unit:
Owners who rent their units are responsible/liable for the actions of their renters even if the owner is not part of the business. I can convey information to renters on behalf of the Condo Association, but I have no authority to force renters to do or not do anything. Owners should make sure that their renters follow the Condo Association regulations and do not engage in dangerous or negligent behaviors.
Repairs: The status of repairs at Opequon Center can be checked by clicking the Repair-Maintenance tab on the main menu of the web site.
Please Remember:
Purchasing a unit in Opequon Center means that each owner has agreed to abide by the Condo Association document and any future changes to that document, even if you do not personally agree with its policy. The Condo Association document is a legally binding document, and failure to comply with its contents can have legal consequences.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your president.
Questions, Comment or Requests
Julie Staggers 540-247-6704 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.