Neighborhood in Olympia

For the last several months, a small group of neighbors has been working through Lakemoor's bylaws line by line — comparing our current document against state law, against other associations' bylaws, and against the question that matters most: Does this actually protect the neighborhood, or does it just exist?

If an existing community asset can be rejected without a full cost or impact analysis, what process governs decisions about other assets?

There's a phrase that comes up often in the bylaws meeting, and it always sounds reasonable on its face: if you disagree, there are legal avenues.

Neighbors can attend in person or on Zoom. Many neighbors have already submitted comments.

Washington law recognizes two fundamentally different kinds of committees, and the distinction changes everything.

Sound Legal has returned bylaws revision language for us to review. The board has proposed addressing the articles section by section, with discussion in board meetings. Here is what we found and how you can participate.

Since January, we have been watching the board enter executive session to discuss issues pertaining to private lots. One of the persistent topics has been a 'declaration of covenant' for lot 2151 - which you may remember better as the Kaiser Woods Trail.

At its core, HB 2118 limits an HOA’s ability to retroactively tighten use restrictions on homeowners without their consent. For Ken Lake, that touches several real and recurring areas of friction.

This weekend, JOLT reported a proposed multifamily housing development at the corner of Black Lake Boulevard and 21st Avenue SW. We’re paying attention, and here’s what we know and what comes next.

Gowrylow stated “There is no zoning crisis, the city is not pulling a fast one on us as far as I can tell.” This is a stark contrast to Gowrylow's earlier position that the city upzoning would mean "crowded streets and parks."

The governance committee is recruiting members to work on it's subcommittees, making recommendations in direction as well as in the language that we will use to support each other for the next decade.

Sunshine laws are rules that make decision-making easy for the public to see. In Washington, two sets of rules often get mixed together: The Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA, RCW 42.30) The Homeowners’ Association Act (RCW 64.38) Only the second one applies to HOAs, but both help us understand how meetings should work and how to keep things open and clear for everyone. This article explains what each law does and what it means for our meetings, hybrid formats, a

The lake is refilling, and with flood warnings throughout the county, we thought it was a good moment to highlight our stormwater system here in Ken Lake. Ken Lake has 14 stormwater catch basins, each about the size of a dining table. These basins drain into the lake, which is why the Lake Committee recommends limiting fertilizers and chemical treatments. It is everyone's responsibility to keep storm drains clear.

The reality: it’s extremely hard—and usually financially pointless—to build a four-plex here. Residents can relax.

The parks are private to the Ken Lake community — let's keep the parks private.

Our neighborhood deserves a smart strategy for long term protection.

Dear Neighbors, My name is Evan Clifthorne, and about a year ago I teamed up with a handful of Ken Lake neighbors to establish the Friends of Ken Lake as a booster club for our unique and beautiful community. We figured that if you can have a booster club for sports, the arts, the sciences, and even non-profits, then why couldn't we also have a booster club for a neighborhood? We founded this group to support and advocate for Ken Lake community members around five key areas