FAQ about Us

1. How did the SBRNA come about?

In December of 2019, four neighbors that live on the South end of Basking Ridge began to research the process for establishing a Neighborhood Association. These four neighbors collaboratively planned for several months; consulting with the city of San Jose on how to get started, and the surrounding District 2 Leadership Council, and set up the original SBRNA Board. In terms of answering questions regarding security, we have been asking the city to provide experts and information to answer all of our questions and concerns and desire to help everyone feel that they are being listened to and cared about.

2. What is the difference between a Neighborhood Association and a Homeowner’s Association?

Homeowner’s Association 

An HOA is an overseeing body is in place to make decisions and manage the Common Interest Community (CIC.) A condo complex or new development follows the HOA’s rules and regulations, which a builder put in place during an area’s design and building stages. Usually, the HOA collects a fee for their service and a purchaser of any certain property does not have the option of rejecting it. And at times, there can be legal ramifications for not following area guidelines. HOAs typically manage and provide a wide variety of amenities: management, security, landscaping, recreational extras and/or maintain exterior condition of properties.

Neighborhood Association 

A neighborhood association is formed by a group of concerned neighborhood residents. There are typically no fees for this service, as a neighborhood association (NA) operates on a volunteer basis or may complete projects with fundraisers. Neighborhood associations strive to build resident interest, better the safety of the streets, protect the quality of the neighborhood, and represent the community voice at city meetings.  The neighborhood association doesn’t have the same legal authority as an HOA or city representatives.  A neighborhood association organizes citizen interest, and can mediate a resolution with a neighbor. ¹

3. Why was the SBRNA established rather than just the Basking Ridge NA?

In the researching phase of developing and establishing the SBRNA, it was discovered that the South end of Basking Ridge alone encompasses over 200 homes. The SBRNA board was informed that the original Basking Ridge Neighborhood Association had been absent from the D2 Leadership Council for over 3 years. Due to this, the initial team decided to start small and establish the SBRNA. We wanted to ensure that we didn’t “bite off more than we could chew”, but we had every intention to expand when the time is right.

4. How can I get involved with the SBRNA?

Sign up to become a member of SBRNA through our email list generated from our Google form, or website and attend the official SBRNA meetings and share ideas for upcoming meetings and events.

5. Is SBRNA only for neighbors that live on the South end of Basking Ridge?

SBRNA welcomes neighbors from both the North and the South of Basking Ridge. The neighbors from the South will have voting rights, but we welcome the input of the neighbors from the North. The difference is that there are a number of HOAs that have oversight of the homes on the North end. Approval from these overseeing agencies is required on certain interventions that the South would not require (i.e., installation of license plate readers). South Basking Ridge Neighborhood Association, while focusing on initially starting up to help residents in the southern area of Basking Ridge is also open to input, suggestions and participation from all northern residents along Basking Ridge Ave.

Want to be a member?

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1. Hornung, Lane. (2010, December 30). Is There a Difference Between an HOA or NA or not? Retrieved from  https://activerain.com/blogsview/2046870/is-there-a-difference-between-an-hoa-and-na-or-not-