Watson v. The Village at Northshore I Ass'n, Inc. ( 2016 )


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  • Watson v. The Village at Northshore I Ass’n, Inc., No. 835-8-13 Cncv (Toor, J., Feb. 5, 2016).
    [The text of this Vermont trial court opinion is unofficial. It has been reformatted from the original. The accuracy of the text and the
    accompanying data included in the Vermont trial court opinion database is not guaranteed.]
    VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT
    CHITTENDEN UNIT
    CIVIL DIVISION
    │
    ROY H.A. WATSON, III,                                                     │
    Plaintiff                                                                │
    │
    v.                                                                       │                 Docket No. 835-8-13 Cncv
    │
    THE VILLAGE AT NORTHSHORE I                                               │
    ASSOCIATION, INC.,                                                        │
    Defendant                                                                │
    │
    RULING ON CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, MOTION TO DISMISS,
    AND MOTION FOR JOINDER
    This is a remanded action for declaratory relief concerning various disputes between a unit
    owner and a condominium association. Plaintiff Roy H.A. Watson, III requests declaratory
    judgment on thirteen issues related to the governance of The Village at Northshore (“Northshore”),
    a condominium in Burlington. Brooks McArthur, Esq. and David J. Williams, Esq. represent
    Watson, and Carl H. Lisman, Esq. represents The Village at Northshore I Association (“the
    Association”).
    The Association moves to dismiss multiple issues for lack of subject matter jurisdiction
    and moves for summary judgment on all issues. Watson filed a notice of voluntarily withdrawn
    issues, which the court interprets as a motion to dismiss. Watson cross-moves for summary
    judgment. The Association also moves to join other unit owners under V.R.C.P. 19(a).
    Facts
    The following facts are undisputed unless otherwise noted. Watson has owned a unit at
    Northshore since 1987. Northshore was created in 1986 by the Declaration of Condominium of
    the Village at Northshore I (“Original Declaration”). Pl.’s Ex. 1. The Association amended the
    Original Declaration multiple times between 1986 and 2012. When the Association adopted and
    recorded the Amended and Restated Declaration of Condominium (“Amended Declaration”) in
    2012, it replaced the Original Declaration and brought Northshore under the provisions of the
    Vermont Common Interest Ownership Act.1 
    Id. The dispute
    between the parties revolves around Northshore’s division into units, common
    elements, and limited common elements, and the subsequent amendments that purport to alter the
    definition or boundaries of that division. “Common areas” or “common elements” include all parts
    of the property that are not units.2 Orig. Decl., Art. I(A)(7). Each unit owner is permitted to use
    the common elements “in accordance with the purposes for which they were intended without
    hindering or encroaching” upon other unit owners’ rights, subject to the Association’s rules and
    regulations. 
    Id. Art. III(B)(3).
    “Limited Common Elements” are the “portions of the Common
    Elements reserved for the exclusive use of one or more, but less than all, of the Units.” 
    Id. Art. I(A)(16).
    A unit includes “the undivided interest in the Common Elements which pertain to that Unit,
    as defined in the [Condominium Ownership] Act.” 
    Id. Art. I(A)(10).
    The undivided interest
    “means the percentage interest of each Unit in the Common Elements.” 
    Id. Art. I(A)(27).
    1
    Northshore was originally subject to Vermont’s Condominium Ownership Act, 27 V.S.A. § 1301 et seq. Orig. Decl.,
    preamble (“[T]he Declarant hereby submits the Property to the provisions of Chapter 15 Title 27 of the Vermont
    Statutes Annotated, known as the Vermont Condominium Ownership Act . . .”). Certain sections of Vermont’s
    Common Interest Ownership Act, 27A V.S.A. § 1-101 et seq., apply to events and circumstances after December 31,
    1998, while others apply to events and circumstances after December 31, 2011. The court will note this where it is
    relevant. See 27A V.S.A. § 1-204(a)(1)–(2). The remaining sections of the Common Interest Ownership Act apply to
    Northshore after the Association enacted its Amended Declaration in 2012. The Condominium Ownership Act
    provides that “[a]ll of the apartment or site owners may remove a property from the provisions of this chapter by an
    instrument to that effect, duly recorded, if the holders of all liens affecting any of the apartments or sites consent
    thereto or agree, in either case by instruments duly recorded, that their liens be transferred to the percentage of the
    undivided interest of the apartment or site owner in the property as herein provided.” 27 V.S.A. § 1316(a). The parties
    have not submitted evidence that such an instrument was recorded or that the relevant lien holders consented to remove
    Northshore from the Condominium Ownership Act.
    2
    The Original Declaration further defines common areas and common elements by reference to their definition in the
    Condominium Ownership Act, 27 V.S.A. § 1301 et seq.
    2
    Northshore consists of two- and three-bedroom units as well as single story “garden homes.” 
    Id. Art. II(C).
    Each unit consists of space between defined boundaries. 
    Id. Art. II(D).
    The upper boundary
    is “the horizontal plane of the bottom surface of the plasterboard of the ceilings of the second floor
    of the Two Bedroom Unit and the Three Bedroom Unit and of the first floor of the Garden Home.”
    
    Id. Art. II(D)(1)(a).
    The lower boundary is “the horizontal plane of the top surface of the
    subflooring on the first floor.” 
    Id. Art. II(D)(1)(b).
    The vertical boundary is “the vertical plane
    which includes the innermost surface of the plasterboard of all walls bounding each Unit extending
    to intersections with each other and with the upper and lower boundaries.” 
    Id. Art. II(D)(2).
    According to the Association, each attic space is accessible only to the unit below it, and the attic
    spaces themselves are structurally separated by firewalls. Watson disputes this fact, arguing that
    the Board president, whose affidavit supports it, is not qualified to testify regarding the structure
    of the buildings.
    Limited common elements include “[a]ny doorsteps, stoops, porches, decks, patios and all
    exterior doors and windows, equipment storage areas, closets or other fixtures or improvements
    designated to serve, attached to, or adjacent to a single Unit, but located outside the Unit’s
    boundaries.” 
    Id. Art. III(A)(2).
    These limited common elements are “allocated exclusively” to a
    unit. 
    Id. Additionally, “garage
    spaces” are “Limited Common Elements appurtenant to and for the
    exclusive use of the respective Units to which they are assigned.” 
    Id. Art. III(A)(3).
    The Original
    Declaration states that the garages are depicted in Exhibit B, which is an overhead drawing of
    Northshore. 
    Id. In October
    2006 the Association recorded an amendment to the Original Declaration to
    allow garage spaces to be “reallocated by an amendment to [the Declaration] executed by the unit
    3
    owners between or among whose units the reallocation is made.” Pl.’s Ex. 5. Unit owners
    executing the reallocation amendment must provide the recording fees and a copy of the
    amendment to the Association, which will record it. 
    Id. In January
    2008 the Association recorded an amendment to the Original Declaration,
    adding “attic spaces and roof structures located immediately above a Unit” to the definition of
    limited common elements. Pl.’s Ex. 6. One purpose of this amendment is to “reclassify the attic
    spaces and roof system immediately above a Unit as a Limited Common Element in order to allow
    for extension of the livable area of a Unit.” 
    Id. The Association
    admits that the amendment purports
    to effect a reclassification, but argues that the attic spaces and roof structures located immediately
    above a unit have always already been limited common elements.
    In November 2011 the Association recorded another amendment to the Original
    Declaration, this time replacing the phrase “attic spaces and roof structures located immediately
    above a Unit” with “attic spaces above a Unit and skylights above a Unit.” Pl.’s Ex. 7. The
    Association does not dispute the language of the amendment but disputes that it changed the
    definition of limited common elements.
    In September 1999 the Association’s Board approved a plan for the owner of unit 136 to
    expand the unit into the attic space above it. The Board approved similar expansions of other units
    before and after the 2008 amendment. Watson asserts that each expansion into the attic space
    above a unit required the building structure to be altered and roof trusses removed. Pl.’s Ex. 4. The
    Association objects that no affidavit supports Watson’s exhibit, a diagram of a unit expansion. The
    parties agree that some structural modification is necessary to expand a unit into the attic space
    above it.
    4
    Watson received permission to install a satellite dish on the chimney above his unit in 2008,
    and he installed the dish in 2009. In 2010 he relocated the dish to the roof above his unit. The
    parties dispute the reasons for and circumstances surrounding the relocation. Plaintiff petitioned
    the FCC in 2010 for a ruling on the Association’s rules regarding satellite dishes. In 2013, the
    Association modified its satellite dish rule to conform with FCC rules.
    In August 2011 Watson and the trustees of the Edmunds Living Trust executed an
    amendment that purported to reallocate a garage space from unit 127 to Watson’s unit. Watson
    provided the amendment to the Association with the filing fee, but the Association has not recorded
    the amendment. The Association sent Watson a letter in which it indicated that it would file the
    amendment as soon as Watson corrected an error it contained. Pl.’s Ex. 11.
    In June 2012 the Association recorded an Amended and Restated Declaration of
    Condominium (Amended Declaration). Pl.’s Ex. 12. The Amended Declaration provides that the
    Board or its representatives may enter any unit “after prior notice, to determine compliance with
    this Declaration and Rules, to enforce such compliance and for any other lawful purpose.”
    Amended Decl., § 5.04(b).
    The Amended Declaration also requires that unit owners maintain the temperature in their
    units “at all times at a level which will prevent the freezing of water pipes of both the plumbing
    and heating systems.” Amended Decl., § 6.02(c)(ii). In 2005, the Association’s insurance carrier
    advised its agent that as a result of a loss of $80,144 due to flooding from a burst pipe, it would
    not renew the Association’s insurance coverage.3 Pl.’s Ex. U. After the agent discussed with
    3
    Watson claims that this fact is disputed because “there is no evidence in the contemporaneous Board meeting minutes
    to substantiate this statement.” The fact is, however, supported by an affidavit, and Watson does not claim that the
    evidence is inadmissible. Watson cites his own affidavit, claiming that “Defendant has acknowledged that it received
    no correspondence from the insurance carrier threatening to cancel coverage over the temperature monitoring issue”
    (emphasis added). Plaintiff’s Response to Defendant’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts in Support of Motion
    for Summary Judgment. According to the exhibit Watson cites, the Association replied to Watson’s request to produce
    correspondence in which the insurance carrier threatened to cancel coverage unless the Association mandated the use
    5
    various insurance companies how the Association could obtain coverage without prohibitive cost,
    the Association enacted the rule requiring temperature monitoring devices in each unit.4
    The Association has required that unit owners maintain temperature monitoring devices
    since 2005. The current rules require unit owners to install and maintain temperature monitors that
    remotely alert the management company or other designee of the Board when the temperature of
    a unit falls below 45 degrees. 
    Id. § 2.5.7.
    In a unit owner’s absence, the Board or its agents “may
    take such reasonable action as is deemed appropriate including entry into the unit to verify the loss
    of heat and the actual temperature within the unit.” 
    Id. The Board
    adopted rules on April 29, 2013, that state that “[n]o immoral, improper,
    offensive or unlawful use shall be made of any unit, and all valid laws and regulations of all
    governmental bodies having jurisdiction shall be observed.” Pl.’s Ex. 13, § 2.3.1.
    Plaintiff complained to the Board about the condition of the fence behind his unit in 2008.
    Plaintiff also requested that the Association relocate the fence. The parties dispute whether the
    fence has been repaired.
    The Association Bylaws require that unit owners “desiring to address the Board of
    Directors shall give notice at least 48 hours prior to the Meeting; the President may waive this
    requirement for good cause shown.” Ex. 15, § 6.06(f). The parties dispute the facts surrounding
    another unit owner’s attempt to raise an issue with the Board.
    of “temperature monitoring devices … in every unit.” Pl.’s Ex. U. The Association stated that it had received no
    correspondence stating that the carrier would cancel coverage “unless the Association mandated installation of
    temperature monitoring devices in all units.” 
    Id. (emphasis added).
    That statement does not contradict the fact asserted
    by the Association: the carrier informed the Association’s insurance agent that it would not renew coverage due to the
    $80,144 loss caused by a burst pipe. That fact is therefore not genuinely disputed.
    4
    Watson attempts to dispute this fact by asserting that the rule was adopted “several months after the Board had
    chosen the exact model of temperature monitor that would be mandated.” He also claims that the minutes do not
    mention “that an insurance crisis required the Board to adopt the temperature monitor rule.” These assertions are not
    inconsistent with the fact asserted by the Association, which is therefore not genuinely disputed.
    6
    Discussion
    I. Motion to Dismiss under V.R.C.P. 41
    Watson filed a “Notice Re: Voluntarily Withdrawn Issues” on August 6, 2015. The
    Association filed its “Motion To Dismiss Or, In the Alternative, For Summary Judgment” on June
    11, 2015, in which it argued that the court should dismiss three of the four issues that Watson now
    withdraws, or to grant summary judgment in favor of the Association on all four.
    Voluntary dismissal by a plaintiff is permitted without order of the court or by stipulation
    only before the adverse party files an answer or a motion for summary judgment. V.R.C.P.
    41(a)(1). The court therefore interprets Watson’s “notice” as a motion for dismissal by order of
    the court. V.R.C.P. 41(a)(2). Under V.R.C.P. 41(a)(2), dismissal may be “upon such terms and
    conditions as the court deems proper.”
    Watson’s amended complaint contained 13 issues for declaratory judgment. The
    Association investigated facts related to each issue and expended time and effort in addressing
    each of the issues in its motions to dismiss and for summary judgment. The Association requests
    that the court dismiss with prejudice the 4 issues that Watson now agrees to dismiss and that the
    court order Watson to reimburse the Association for fees and costs. The court agrees that given
    the timing of Watson’s consent to dismissal it should be with prejudice. Thus, issues 8, 11, 12, and
    13 of the amended complaint are dismissed with prejudice.5 However, the request for attorney fees
    is denied. The fact that a party concedes that it cannot prove certain claims is not grounds for a fee
    award, absent further evidence regarding pursuit of, for example, obviously frivolous claims.
    5
    The issue numbers refer to the numbers in Watson’s amended complaint (Oct. 21, 2014).
    7
    The following issues remain:6
    1. Whether the “access easement” included in the Amended Declaration, § 5.04 violated
    Watson’s property rights under Vermont law (Issue 1).
    2. Whether the Association can mandate the use of temperature monitors in units (Issue 2).
    3. Whether the Association’s bylaw that requires members who wish to address the board provide
    48-hour notice violates Vermont law (Issue 3).
    4. Whether the Association has an obligation to repair the fence located behind Watson’s unit
    (Issue 4).
    5. Whether Watson has the right to install an antenna on the “roof structure” immediately above
    his unit pursuant to Federal Communications Commission rules (Issue 5).
    6. Whether unit expansion into either a common element or a limited common element to enlarge
    the living space of that unit violates Watson’s property rights under Vermont law, and whether
    the removal of ceilings, joists, and roof trusses to enlarge the living space of that unit violates
    Watson’s property rights under Vermont law (Issue 6).
    7. Whether “roof structures” can be removed from the allocation of a limited common element
    without Watson’s consent (Issue 7).
    8. Whether the Association has an obligation to file the Amendment reallocating a garage space
    to Watson’s unit (Issue 9).
    9. Whether the Amended Declaration’s redefinition of garages as limited common elements
    violates Watson’s rights under Vermont law (Issue 10).
    6
    Unless otherwise noted, the court refers below to the issues as they are numbered in Watson’s Amended Complaint.
    8
    II. Motion to Dismiss under V.R.C.P. 12(b)(1)
    The court first addresses the Association’s motion to dismiss Issues 1, 3, 5–7, and 10
    because it relates to subject matter jurisdiction.7 The Association contends that these issues are not
    justiciable cases or controversies upon which the court may issue declaratory judgment.
    Additionally, with regard to Issue 5, the Association argues that the Federal Communications
    Commission (FCC) has sole authority to adjudicate the issue of satellite dish installation, and no
    private right of action exists under the FCC Rule at issue.
    Watson requests only declaratory relief. 12 V.S.A. § 4711. The purpose of declaratory
    judgment is “to adjudicate and define specific rights and liabilities of parties.” Cupola Golf Course,
    Inc. v. Dooley, 
    2006 VT 25
    , ¶ 10, 
    179 Vt. 427
    . A declaratory judgment should “serve some useful
    purpose to the parties” and “serve some practical end in quieting or stabilizing an uncertain or
    disputed jural relation either as to present or prospective obligations.” Walsh v. Andorn, 
    311 N.E.2d 476
    , 478 (N.Y. 1974).
    “The availability of declaratory relief turns on whether the plaintiff is suffering the threat
    of actual injury to a protected legal interest.” Dernier v. Mortgage Network, Inc., 
    2013 VT 96
    ,
    ¶ 38, 
    195 Vt. 113
    (quoting Town of Cavendish v. Vt. Pub. Power Supply Auth., 
    141 Vt. 144
    , 147
    (1982)). “[A]n action for declaratory relief must be based on an actual controversy; the claimed
    result or consequences must be so set forth that the court can see that they are not based upon fear
    or anticipation but are reasonably to be expected.” Dernier, 
    2013 VT 96
    , ¶ 38 (quoting Robtoy v.
    City of St. Albans, 
    132 Vt. 503
    , 504 (1974)). The court lacks jurisdiction if the plaintiff “is merely
    speculating about the impact of some generalized grievance.” Town of Cavendish v. Vermont Pub.
    7
    Although the Association frames its motion to dismiss under V.R.C.P. 12(h)(3), the court will treat it as a motion to
    dismiss under V.R.C.P. 12(b)(1). Rule 12(h)(3) provides that a motion under 12(b)(1) may be filed at any time. See
    Poston v. Poston, 
    161 Vt. 591
    , 592 (1993) (mem.).
    9
    Power Supply Auth., 
    141 Vt. 144
    , 147 (1982). Whether the “facts are sufficiently immediate and
    real to make an actual controversy is something that must be worked out on a case-by-case basis.”
    Wright, Miller & Kane, 10B Fed. Prac. & Proc. Civ. 3d § 2757. There is no precise test to
    determine whether there is a controversy, but “the question in each case is whether the facts
    alleged, under all the circumstances, show that there is a substantial controversy, between parties
    having adverse legal interests, of sufficient immediacy and reality to warrant the issuance of a
    declaratory judgment.” Golden v. Zwickler, 
    394 U.S. 103
    , 108 (1969) (quotation omitted).
    The Association argues that Watson’s issues are general grievances, rather than justiciable
    controversies. It cites a previous decision in which this court ruled that it lacked subject matter
    jurisdiction when a plaintiff challenged the legality of condominium declaration provisions, rather
    than asserting an injury. Pinnacle at Spear Homeowners Ass’n v. Larkin Milot Partnership, No.
    S0700-08 Cnc, slip. op. at 5 (Vt. Super. Ct. Mar. 17, 2010) (Toor, J.). Pinnacle revolved around a
    declarant’s retained but unexercised veto power over future amendments to the condominium’s
    declaration. In this case, Watson asserts that he had acquired property rights that required his
    consent to alter, and that the Association subsequently altered its governing documents, affecting
    those rights without his consent. Whereas the plaintiff in Pinnacle speculated about a future,
    hypothetical injury, if Watson is correct, his injury has already occurred. Viewed together, the
    issues in this case reveal years of unsettled controversy between the parties.
    In Issue 1, Watson seeks declaratory relief invalidating the provisions granting Board
    members access easements to enter units (§§ 5.04 and 6.02 of the Amended Declaration). The
    Association argues that Watson’s complaint is a “generalized grievance” rather than a justiciable
    controversy because Watson has not suffered any injury. According to the Association, it has never
    exercised its right to enter Watson’s unit or threatened to do so. It is not necessary, however, for
    10
    the Association to enter or to expressly threaten to enter Watson’s unit for controversy to arise
    over whether an amendment to the declaration impermissibly abridges a protected legal interest.
    Watson’s ownership of unit 132 includes a right to exclude.8 See Loretto v. Teleprompter
    Manhattan CATV Corp., 
    458 U.S. 419
    , 435 (1982) (“The power to exclude has traditionally been
    considered one of the most treasured strands in an owner’s bundle of property rights.”); Chioffi v.
    City of Winooski, 
    165 Vt. 37
    , 43 (1996) (quoting Esposito v. South Carolina Coastal Council, 
    939 F.2d 165
    , 170 (4th Cir. 1991) (stating that “the fundamental incidents of ownership, include[e] the
    right to […] exclude others from it”)); 27 V.S.A. § 1305 (“Each apartment or site owner shall be
    entitled to the exclusive ownership and possession of his or her apartment or site.”).
    By accepting the deed to unit 132, Watson agreed to be bound by the terms of the Original
    Declaration, which included easements that limit his right to exclude. See Pl.’s Ex. 2; Orig. Decl.
    Art. V(E) (providing that unit owners must allow the Association and its agents access across their
    units for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the common elements and the units). The
    Amended Declaration arguably broadens the easement, or creates a new easement, to allow the
    Board and its representatives to enter a unit to determine compliance with the declaration and rules.
    § 5.04 (“Easement for Entry”). Thus, the actual controversy is whether the new or broadened
    easement, to which Watson allegedly did not consent, impermissibly encroaches on Watson’s right
    to exclude. Since the Association has already recorded the Amended Declaration, this is a
    justiciable controversy that is ripe for declaratory judgment.
    The Association similarly contends that Watson fails to allege injury by the rule that
    requires Association members to give 48-hour notice before addressing issues at Board meetings.
    8
    Watson cites Barrett v. Kunz, 
    158 Vt. 15
    (1992) for the proposition that because an easement is a right of use over
    the property of another, the creation of an easement directly implicates and abridges the right of a property owner to
    exercise his or her right to exclude others from entering. Barrett, however, deals with appurtenant easements and does
    not actually provide authority that Watson, as the owner of a condominium unit, has the right to exclude.
    11
    “Unit owners must be given a reasonable opportunity at any meeting to comment regarding any
    matter affecting the common interest community or the association.” 27A V.S.A. § 3-108(a)(5).
    The parties do not dispute that Board meetings include an “Open Forum” time when unit owners
    can bring up questions or concerns. Watson does not assert that the Board ever denied him the
    right to address the Board, only that another unit owner attempted to bring up the issue of unit
    expansions, and the Board tabled the discussion. The statute requires that unit owners must have
    “a reasonable opportunity” to comment at meetings, but Watson fails to show that the 48-hour
    notice rule unreasonably limits the opportunity to speak. There is no justiciable controversy with
    regard to the 48-hour notice rule.
    Next, the Association argues that Watson alleges no injury from the unit expansions into
    attic spaces and the redefinition of limited common elements (specifically “roof structures”). The
    Association claims that the theoretical impact that Watson alleges “cannot exist as a practical
    matter.” According to the Association, the costs of repair and maintenance are borne by the owner
    of an expanded unit, not by the Association. The controversy, however, is whether the Board
    violated Watson’s interest in the common elements, first when it allowed units to expand into the
    common elements, and next when it amended the Original Declaration’s definition of limited
    common elements, including—and later excluding—“roof structures.” There is no dispute that
    Watson, as a unit owner, has an interest in the common elements. The question of whether the
    Association violated Watson’s property rights with regard to those attic spaces is a justiciable
    controversy because the Association’s approval of unit expansions arguably affects Watson’s
    interest in the attic spaces. This issue is closely connected with the questions of whether an
    amendment allocated the roof structure above Watson’s unit to Watson, and whether a further
    amendment impermissibly altered that allocation without his consent. The resolution of this
    12
    controversy will quiet the parties’ longstanding disagreement about the status of the attic
    expansions and the allocation of roof structures.9
    The Association next argues that Watson’s claim regarding his garage fails because “[i]t is
    not at all clear that the Amended Declaration alters the allocation of garage space, as Limited
    Common Elements, to any Unit,” and “[w]hat is clear is the absence of any allegation of harm
    flowing from any such alteration, and the corresponding absence of justiciable controversy in [this
    Issue].” Watson’s claim is that the Original Declaration allocated the attic space and roof above
    each garage to the unit owners as limited common elements, whereas the Amended Declaration
    limits garage space to “the area within the walls, ceilings and floors of the garages.” Thus, the
    question is whether the Amended Declaration reallocated the attic and roof of Watson’s garage,
    reducing his allotted exclusive use in violation of his rights. Watson’s concern appears to be his
    ability to place satellite dishes on the roof. Because Watson claims a loss of exclusive use of the
    garage roof—presumably for satellite dish placement—he states a justiciable claim.
    Finally, the Association moves to dismiss the satellite dish issue. First, the Association
    essentially argues that the issue is moot because Watson’s dish is permitted to remain on his roof
    under the revised rules. However, under the new rules, Watson will have to seek permission if he
    seeks to install an upgraded dish or move his dish to a different location to get better reception.
    Watson’s claim is that by requiring such processes, the Association violates his rights to the use
    of the roof. The issue is therefore not moot.
    However, the Association also argues that this court does not have jurisdiction to decide
    this issue because Watson already petitioned the FCC to decide the matter. The Court agrees. The
    9
    Watson’s filings with the FCC indicate his plans to install satellite dishes on the roof. Although this court will not
    render a decision with regard to the application of the OTARD rule, the court’s declaratory judgment with regard to
    whether the roof structures are limited common elements allocated to Watson potentially affects the application of the
    OTARD rule.
    13
    FCC’s Over the Air Reception Devices Rule, 47 C.F.R. § 1.4000 (“OTARD rule”) does not create
    a private right of action between a condominium association and unit owner. Scott v. Lantern Park
    Condo. Ass’n, No. CIV. 3:05CV1265AVC, 
    2006 WL 618108
    , at *4 (D. Conn. Mar. 9, 2006)
    (quoting Opera Plaza Residential Parcel v. Hoang, 
    376 F.3d 831
    , 835 (9th Cir. 2004)). The satellite
    dish claim is therefore dismissed.
    III. Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment
    A. Statutes of Limitation
    The Association argues that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on several of the
    remaining claims because they are time-barred. According to the Association, Watson’s claims
    regarding the easements for entry (Amended Declaration §§ 5.04 and 6.02), the bylaw requiring
    48-hour notice before bringing an issue to a Board meeting, the redefinition of garages as limited
    common elements, and the removal of roof structures from the definition of limited common
    elements are controlled by 27A V.S.A. § 2-117. That statute provides that “[n]o action to challenge
    the validity of an amendment adopted by the association pursuant to [section 2-117 of the Common
    Interest Ownership Act] may be brought more than one year after the amendment is recorded.”
    27A V.S.A. § 2-117(b) (emphasis added).
    Section 2-117 has applied to Northshore only since the Amended Declaration was recorded
    on June 25, 2012, subjecting the Association to the Common Interest Ownership Act in its
    entirety.10 Watson’s claims regarding the easements for entry challenge the validity of certain
    sections of the Amended Declaration. Although Watson filed his claims after section 2-117 applied
    to Northshore, section 2-117(b)’s one-year limitations period only applies to amendments adopted
    10
    Section 2-117 is not one of the enumerated sections that applied before the Amended Declaration was recorded. See
    27A V.S.A. § 1-204(a)(1)–(2).
    14
    pursuant to section 2-117. The Amended Declaration, including sections 5.04 and 6.02 and the
    revised definition of garage space, could not have been adopted pursuant to section 2-117 because
    that section did not apply until after the Amended Declaration was recorded. Therefore section 2-
    117(b)’s one-year limitations period does not apply to the issues that challenge those provisions.
    The redefinition of limited common elements in the 2011 amendment preceded the
    Association’s 2012 adoption of the Common Interest Ownership Act, including section 2-117. The
    Association nevertheless contends that because the Amended Declaration restated the “covenants,
    conditions, [and] easements … applicable to the property,” Watson’s challenge to the 2011
    amendment is also a challenge to the Amended Declaration. Even if that were the case, challenges
    to the Amended Declaration, as noted above, are not limited by section 2-117(b) because section
    2-117 did not control the Association’s enactment of the Amended Declaration itself.11
    Finally, the Association argues that Watson’s claim regarding the Association’s obligation
    to repair the fence accrued “at the latest” in August 2008, when Watson first notified the Board
    that the fence was in disrepair. This claim, says the Association, is subject to a six-year limitations
    period. 12 V.S.A. § 511; see Fitzgerald v. Congleton, 
    155 Vt. 283
    , 287 (1990) (noting that section
    511 “is a catchall statute that applies to civil actions generally”). Watson first raised the fence
    claim in his amended complaint in October 2014.
    The Association does not explain its reasoning that the claim accrued “at the latest” when
    Watson first brought his concerns about the fence’s condition to the Board in 2008. Certainly a
    unit owner cannot be said to be on notice that the Association has breached its obligation to repair
    or replace a common element the moment the unit owner reports a damaged common element.
    11
    In other words, the Amended Declaration, by subjecting Northshore to the Common Interest Ownership Act,
    provides that the Association will enact future amendments pursuant to section 2-117. Those amendments will
    generally be subject to the one-year limitations period in section 2-117(b).
    15
    The alleged breach, if there was one, would likely have occurred at some later time, when the
    Association was already aware of the need to repair or replace the fence and neglected to perform
    its obligation. Equally puzzling is Watson’s argument that “[s]ince this cause of action has not yet
    accrued, [the] claim is not time-barred.” The claims would have accrued at least by October 2009,
    when Watson alleges that all action on the fence ceased. Am. Comp. ¶ 29. The court cannot
    ascertain a specific date when the claim accrued, based on the undisputed material facts.
    B. Access Easements (Issue 1)
    Watson requests declaratory judgment that the “access easement” included in the Amended
    Declaration violates his property rights under Vermont law. The Original Declaration required unit
    owners to allow the Association and other unit owners access across each unit for maintenance,
    repair, and replacement of the common elements and units. Orig. Decl. Art. V(E). Under the
    Amended Declaration, the Board and its representatives may enter any unit in an emergency or to
    “accomplish emergency repairs,” and “after prior notice, to determine compliance with [the
    Amended Declaration and Rules], to enforce such compliance and for any other lawful purpose.”
    § 5.04(a)–(b).
    The Condominium Ownership Act provides that “[t]he association of owners shall have
    the irrevocable right, to be exercised by the manager or board of directors, to have access to each
    apartment or site from time to time during reasonable hours as may be necessary for the
    maintenance, repair or replacement of any of the common areas and facilities therein or accessible
    therefrom, or for making emergency repairs therein necessary to prevent damage to the common
    areas and facilities or to another apartment or apartments or sites.” 27 V.S.A. § 1306. The Common
    Interest Ownership Act provides that the unit owners must provide access “reasonably necessary”
    for maintenance, repair, and replacement of common elements and units. 27A V.S.A. § 3-107(a).
    16
    Watson argues that the “easement for entry” in the Amended Declaration expands the
    purposes for which the Board and its representatives may enter a unit beyond what is specifically
    allowed under Vermont law by allowing access to check for compliance with the declaration and
    rules. § 5.04. Watson does not argue that the Amended Declaration was unduly adopted, only that
    the Amended Declaration’s “easement for entry” exceeds the authority for such easements in
    Vermont’s statutes.
    While the statutes do not expressly allow easements for other purposes beyond
    maintenance, repair, and replacement, they also do not limit a declaration’s easements to the
    purpose of maintenance and repair. Watson takes issue with the Amended Declaration’s grant of
    access to ensure compliance with rules. He notes that the Board has adopted rules that prohibit
    “immoral, improper or offensive behavior.” The Amended Declaration’s easement for entry does
    grant the Board the right to enter Watson’s unit in a broader range of circumstances than the
    easement in the Original Declaration, but Watson has not shown that this easement is unlawful,
    void, or otherwise unenforceable. By accepting the deed to his unit, Watson accepted the terms of
    the covenants, including the method for amending the declaration, which can occur even if Watson
    is opposed to it. The easement does not violate Watson’s property rights under Vermont law.
    C. Temperature Monitoring Devices (Issue 2)
    Watson argues that the Board cannot promulgate a rule that requires unit owners to install
    and maintain temperature monitors and permits the Board or its agents to enter units to verify the
    loss of heat or actual temperature. Pl.’s Ex. 13, § 2.5.7.
    The Amended Declaration requires that unit owners maintain their own units such that their
    failure to make repairs does not damage other units or the common elements. § 6.02(c).
    Specifically, unit owners must maintain the temperature in their units “at all times at a level which
    17
    will prevent the freezing of all water pipes.” 
    Id. Unit owners
    (and their tenants or lesees) are liable
    for damages resulting from their “acts, neglect, or carelessness.” Amended Decl., § 10.02. The
    Amended Declaration also prohibits activities that “may result in an increase in insurance rates
    occasioned by use … of a Unit …” 
    Id. The Association
    may generally adopt and amend rules. 27A V.S.A. § 3-102(a). Rules that
    “affect the use of or behavior in units” must “(1) implement a provision of the declaration; (2)
    regulate any behavior in or occupancy of a unit which violates the declaration or adversely affects
    the use and enjoyment of other units or the common elements by other unit owners; or (3) restrict
    the leasing of residential units to the extent those rules are reasonably designed to meet
    underwriting requirements of institutional lenders that regularly make loans secured by first
    mortgages on units in common interest communities or regularly purchase those mortgages.” 27A
    V.S.A. § 3-120(f).
    Watson argues that because the statutes and Amended Declaration do not specifically
    authorize the Board to require temperature monitors, and because maintenance of unit temperature
    (and each unit’s condition, generally) is the responsibility of the unit owner, the Association
    (acting through the Board) cannot require temperature monitors. According to Watson, the
    Association is responsible only for maintenance of common elements. Watson additionally
    contends that the temperature monitor rule does not meet the requirements of section 3-120(f), and
    that the rule is “not reasonable” as required by section 3-120(h). He claims that the Association
    and unit owners are protected by the liability provision in the Amended Declaration, combined
    with the provision that requires that unit owners maintain temperatures that prevent pipes from
    freezing.
    18
    Watson cites Weldy v. Northbrook Condominium Association for the proposition that the
    declaration is the Association’s “constitution.” 
    904 A.2d 188
    , 191 (Conn. 2006). In Weldy,
    however, the Connecticut Supreme Court also cited with approval a case noting that “an
    association’s power should be interpreted broadly, [and] the association, through its appropriate
    governing body, is entitled to exercise all powers of the community except those reserved to the
    members.” 
    Id. (quoting Schaefer
    v. Eastman Cmty. Ass’n, 
    836 A.2d 752
    , 756 (N.H.
    2003)(quotation omitted)). “[P]rovided that a [board’s action] does not contravene either an
    express provision of the declaration or a right reasonably inferable therefrom, it will be found
    valid, within the scope of the board’s authority.” 
    Id. (quoting Beachwood
    Villas Condo. V. Poor,
    
    448 So. 2d 1143
    , 1145 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 1984)).12 The provisions of the declarations that render a
    unit owner responsible for maintenance within the unit, and the Association responsible for
    maintenance of common elements except those damaged by unit owners, create obligations, not
    rights that the temperature monitor rule contravenes.
    The Association argues that the temperature monitor rule implements the provisions in the
    Amended Declaration that require that unit owners maintain temperatures to prevent pipes from
    freezing and forbid unit owners from activities that lead to increased insurance costs. In the
    alternative, the rule “regulate[s] any behavior in or occupancy of a unit which violates the
    12
    At the time of Weldy, Connecticut, like Vermont, had adopted the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act. The
    Connecticut legislature had not yet enacted the provision analogous to Vermont’s 27A V.S.A. § 3-120. Conn. Gen.
    Stat. Ann. § 47-261b. The court includes the discussion of Connecticut case law because it was raised by the parties.
    Although Watson and the Association argue for and against the temperature monitoring law in terms of § 3-120, that
    section was added by the legislature in 2009 to take effect in 2012. See 2009, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 38. The parties
    do not dispute that the temperature monitoring rule at Northshore has been in effect since 2005. The Association did
    not move for summary judgment on the issue of the temperature monitoring rule on the basis of the statute of
    limitation.
    19
    declaration or adversely affects the use and enjoyment of other units or the common elements by
    other unit owners.” 27A V.S.A. § 3-120(f).
    The temperature monitor rule is not the only rule that affects the use of or behavior in units.
    The Association requires the use of lint filters in clothes dryers. Pl.’s Ex. 13, § 2.5.3. Similarly,
    units must have stove hoods and grease screens. 
    Id. Unit owners
    must also provide the Board with
    written evidence of biannual boiler inspections and professional cleaning of dryer vents, as well
    as annual professional cleaning and inspection of wood-burning fireplaces and flues if used during
    the preceding heating season. 
    Id. § 2.5.6(1)–(3).
    Like the temperature monitor rule, these rules
    require unit owners to take measures, at the unit owners’ expense, designed to reduce the chance
    of damage to other units or common elements, even though a unit owner would already be liable
    for damage resulting from his acts or omissions. All of these rules are consistent with the terms of
    the Amended Declaration and the Original Declaration. The temperature monitor rule is reasonable
    in light of these other rules.
    The rule implements a provision of the declaration by requiring a device that sends an alert
    when a unit’s temperature is too low, causing a risk of broken pipes and damage to the surrounding
    units and common elements. The undisputed facts indicate that the decision to implement the rule
    also related to the cost of obtaining insurance for the Association. Thus, the rule also aims to curtail
    behavior that would violate the terms of the declaration by causing increased insurance costs.13
    The temperature monitor rule does not have to be the most efficient or effective means of
    achieving its purposes to satisfy the requirements of section 3-120(f). Watson’s motion for
    summary judgment on the temperature monitoring rule is denied. Because the undisputed facts
    13
    Watson argues in a footnote that the rule is also unreasonable. 27A V.S.A. § 3-120(h). However, no reasonable jury
    could find that the rule is unreasonable.
    20
    show that the rule meets the statutory requirement of implementing a provision of the declaration
    the Association is entitled to summary judgment in its favor.
    D. Fence Repair (Issue 4)
    Watson requests a declaratory judgment stating that the Association has an obligation to
    repair the fence located behind his unit. The parties do not dispute that the fence located behind
    Watson’s unit is a common element. The Association bears the cost of maintaining, repairing, or
    replacing common elements. 27 V.S.A. § 1302(7)(B); 27A V.S.A. § 3-107(a) (providing that the
    Association is generally “responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement of the common
    elements”). The Original Declaration and the Amended Declaration provide that “[a]ny portion of
    the Common Elements which is damaged or destroyed shall be promptly repaired or replaced by
    the Association.” Orig. Decl., Art. VI(A); Amended Decl., § 6.03. The Amended Declaration also
    specifies that replacements must be substantially similar to the original construction. Amended
    Decl., § 6.03.
    Watson requested that the Association replace and relocate the fence in 2008. The Board
    and Association Building Committee considered and discussed the request in 2008 and 2009 but
    did not grant it. The parties disagree about what happened later. Neither party’s undisputed
    material facts indicate that the fence was “damaged or destroyed” such that the fence’s condition
    triggered the Association’s obligation to replace it. The actual condition of the fence is a question
    of fact that is not definitively set forth in either party’s facts. The court cannot determine whether
    the Association did or did not have an obligation to repair or remove the fence, or whether the
    “business judgment rule” applies. The undisputed facts do not entitle either party to summary
    judgment on this issue.
    E. Unit Expansions (Issue 6)
    21
    Use of Attic Spaces
    Watson requests declaratory judgment stating that unit expansion into either a common
    element or a limited common element to enlarge the living space of that unit violates his property
    rights. The 2008 amendment, which designated attic spaces as limited common elements, says
    Watson, violated his rights under Vermont law by altering his undivided interest in common areas
    and facilities without his consent. The Amended Declaration continued to define the expanded
    areas as limited common elements.
    Watson’s argument is that when a unit’s living space expands into a limited common
    element, it diminishes his undivided interest in common elements (of which limited common
    elements are a part). He argues that the expansions violate two provisions of the Condominium
    Ownership Act. First, “[t]he percentage of the undivided interest of each apartment or site owner
    in the common areas and facilities as expressed in the declaration shall have a permanent character
    and shall not be altered without the consent of all of the apartment or site owners expressed in an
    amended declaration duly recorded.” 27 V.S.A. § 1306(b). Second, “[c]ommon areas and facilities
    shall remain undivided” and “[n]o apartment or site owner or any other person may bring any
    action for partition or division of any part thereof, unless the property has been removed from the
    provisions of [the Condominium Ownership Act].” 27 V.S.A. § 1306(c). Watson argues that the
    units that have expanded in the attic spaces have increased in value, and “[t]he diminishment of
    [Watson’s] undivided interest is, of course, inversely proportional to the increased value of the
    expanded units.”
    The plain language of the statute refers to “percentage of undivided interest,” which is
    “computed by taking as a basis the value of the apartment or site in relation to the value of the
    property.” 27 V.S.A. § 1306(a). Exhibit C to the Original Declaration presents a schedule of values
    22
    of the units, and the corresponding percentage of undivided interest in the common elements. The
    Original Declaration assigned a value of $90,000 to Watson’s unit (132) and 0.6781% undivided
    interest in the common elements.
    The Common Interest Ownership Act provides that “[t]he declaration shall state the
    formulas used to establish allocations of interests.” 27A V.S.A. § 2-107(b). The Amended
    Declaration simply provides that the percentage of undivided interest in common elements is set
    out in “Exhibit C,” which appears to be the same schedule that was attached to the Original
    Declaration.14 §9.08. The facts do not include any indication that the assigned unit values or
    corresponding percentages of undivided interest in common elements have been altered.
    The undisputed facts also do not include evidence that the expanded units have increased
    in value generally. And even if the expanded units have increased in value, the statute requires an
    amendment by unanimous consent to alter the corresponding percentages of interest. The facts do
    not indicate that such an amendment has occurred. Therefore it is immaterial that the expanded
    units, by virtue of increased living space, sell at higher prices: Watson’s percentage of undivided
    interest remains the same. Additionally, since the expanded living spaces are considered limited
    common elements, they are still owned in common by the unit owners even though each space is
    allocated for the use of only one unit—like the garages and decks at Northshore. No unit owner’s
    percentage of undivided interest is altered when a unit’s deck is extended, or when a unit owner
    acquires the use of a second garage.
    The Condominium Ownership Act’s provision requiring that common areas remain
    “undivided” and prohibiting actions for partition or division does not apply to amendments that
    14
    The court’s copy of Watson’s Exhibit 12 (the Amended Declaration) is missing the page of its schedule that includes
    his Unit’s value and percentage of undivided interest in the common elements, but the other pages of the schedule of
    values are identical to the schedule that was recorded with the Original Declaration. The undisputed facts do not show
    that the Association has altered the schedule of assigned percentages of undivided interest.
    23
    allocate the use of limited common elements to specific units. 27 V.S.A. § 1306(c). Since the
    Condominium Ownership Act provides for limited common areas, the use of which is by definition
    restricted to fewer than all units, it would make no sense to interpret this statute to mean that
    common areas cannot be limited common areas, or that the designation of limited common areas
    is the sort of “division” that the statute purports to prohibit. Rather, this statute disallows unit
    owners from acting to legally divide or partition any part of the common areas. The unit expansions
    at issue in this action cannot be characterized as actions to claim ownership or to force partition of
    common elements.
    Watson compares the expansion of units in Northshore to the improvements increasing the
    size of a unit in Sisto v. Am. Condo. Ass’n, Inc., 
    68 A.3d 603
    (R.I. 2013). Sisto was an action for
    declaratory relief regarding unit expansion within a condominium that includes three
    “subcondominium residential areas,” each of which is governed in accordance with a master
    declaration and its own declaration. 
    Id. at 606.
    Sisto sought to expand his unit into the adjacent
    yard. 
    Id. at 610.
    He argued that the yard was a limited common element and that unit expansions,
    according to his subcondominium’s declaration, were also limited common elements. 
    Id. Under Rhode
    Island’s Condominium Act, amendments that change unit boundaries require unanimous
    approval of unit owners. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-36.1-2.17. The Sisto Court held that a declaration
    could not circumvent the statute’s requirement for unanimous consent by creating a “legal fiction”
    that an expansion merely occupies limited common elements rather than changing the unit’s
    boundaries. 
    Id. at 614.
    Sisto is of little help in this case. First, a proposed expansion of a unit’s footprint into a
    lawn area that could more likely be used by other unit owners differs from the Association’s
    approval of expansions into attic space that is otherwise unusable to any unit other than the one
    24
    below each attic. Second, Vermont lacks an analogous statute that requires unanimous consent for
    unit expansions. As for expansion under the Amended Declaration, the Common Interest
    Ownership Act specifically allows amendments, by 67 percent vote, to relocate boundaries
    between common elements and units such that common elements are incorporated into units. 27A
    V.S.A. § 2-112(b). Vermont law does not require the unanimous consent that the declaration in
    Sisto sought to circumvent.
    The Association’s insistence that units expanded into attic spaces are using limited
    common elements draws on a similar legal fiction, but it does not circumvent a statute that clearly
    intends to require unanimous approval of unit expansions. Watson is not entitled to summary
    judgment on the unit expansion issue.
    The Association argues that it had authority to permit unit expansions into the attic spaces.
    Before the 2008 amendment, attic spaces were either common elements (because they are outside
    of the unit boundaries) or already limited common elements as “portions of the Common Elements
    reserved for the exclusive use of one or more, but less than all, of the Units.” Orig. Decl., Art.
    I(A)(16). The 2008 amendment expressly includes attic spaces as limited common elements.
    The Association may “regulate the use, maintenance, repair, replacement, and modification
    of common elements,” “make additional improvements to the common elements,” and “grant
    easements, leases, licenses, and concessions through or over the common elements.” 27A V.S.A.
    § 3-102(a)(6), (7) and (9). Limited common elements, as portions of the common interest
    community other than units, are a type of common element. 27A V.S.A. § 1-103(4).
    Although most provisions of the Common Interest Ownership Act did not apply to
    Northshore until the Association recorded the Amended Declaration in 2012, sections 1-103 and
    3-102(a)(6) applied to events and circumstances occurring after December 31, 1998. 27A V.S.A.
    25
    § 1-204(a)(1). The provisions relating to “additional improvements” and easements did not govern
    Northshore until 2012. The Board approved some of the challenged expansions before 2012. The
    subsection that authorizes the Association to regulate the use and modification of the common
    elements empowered the Board to approve unit owners’ expansions of their units into the attic
    spaces. See 27A V.S.A. § 3-102(a)(6). The original bylaws provided that “[n]othing shall be altered
    or constructed in or removed from the Common Elements except upon the prior written consent
    of the Board of Directors.” Ex. A-1 at V(H)(1)(d). Watson does not dispute that the Board
    consented to the expansions.
    The Association argues that prior to the 2008 amendment that expressly characterized the
    attic spaces as limited common elements, the attic spaces were either already limited common
    elements because access to them was only possible from the unit below, or they were common
    elements that could be used by the units below without interfering with other unit owners’ use of
    them because other units had no way of accessing them. It is not necessary for the court to conclude
    that the spaces were already limited common elements prior to the 2008 amendment because the
    statutes authorize the Board’s approval of construction and regulation of use of the attic spaces.
    The Association is entitled to summary judgment on the issue of unit expansions.
    Removal of Ceilings, Joists, and Roof Trusses
    Watson’s Motion for Summary Judgment treats the actual removal of ceilings, joists, and
    roof trusses as a separate issue, although in the Amended Complaint, it appeared to be part of the
    issue of unit expansion into the attic spaces. The Association argues that Watson’s evidence does
    not support his assertion that specific structural elements were removed for all the unit expansions
    in question, but the parties agree that the unit expansions required some alteration of the building’s
    structure. Watson argues that these structures are common elements and that Vermont law requires
    26
    that they “shall have a permanent character and shall not be altered without the consent of all of
    the apartment or site owners expressed in an amended declaration duly recorded.” 27 V.S.A. §
    1306(b).
    The statute does not mean that common elements as such cannot be physically altered
    without consent of all unit owners; it refers to the “permanent character” of “the percentage of the
    undivided interest of each apartment or site owner in the common areas and facilities.” 
    Id. (emphasis added).
    As noted above, the unit expansions do not alter the percentage of undivided
    interest in common areas—Watson’s percentage of undivided interest remains as indicated in the
    schedule of unit values and corresponding percentages of undivided interest.
    Vermont law does not support Watson’s request for declaratory relief regarding the issue
    of removal of ceilings, joists, and roof trusses. The Association did not expressly move for
    summary judgment on this issue as a separate issue, but it substantively overlaps the unit expansion
    issue.15 The court understands this issue to be included in the unit expansion issue, and grants
    summary judgment in favor of the Association for the same reasons.
    F. “Roof Structures” (Issue 7)
    In 2008, the Association amended the Original Declaration to include “attic spaces and
    roof structures immediately above a Unit” in the definition of limited common elements. Watson
    argues that the subsequent amendment in 2011, which removed “roof structures” from the
    definition of limited common elements, violated Vermont law by altering the allocation of a
    limited common element without his consent. 27A V.S.A. § 2-108(a). In the alternative, Watson
    argues that the 2008 amendment created a covenant running with the land that would require his
    15
    The Association based its motion for summary judgment on the issues as they are enumerated in Watson’s amended
    complaint, in which the unit expansion issue encompassed structural modifications. In Watson’s motion for summary
    judgment, he separated unit expansion and structural modification.
    27
    consent to extinguish. According to Watson, the 2011 amendment took away Watson’s exclusive
    use and control of the roof structure without his consent.
    The section of the Common Interest Ownership Act that requires an affected owner’s
    consent to alter the allocation of a limited common element did not control Northshore until its
    members recorded the Amended Declaration in 2012. At the time of the challenged 2011
    amendment, such alteration was authorized by the terms of the Condominium Ownership Act,
    which requires that a declaration include the method by which the declaration may be amended.
    The Original Declaration requires agreement of the owners of units to which 2/3 of the votes
    appertain. See 27 V.S.A. § 1311(11); Art. XI(B). The parties do not dispute that the Amended
    Declaration was executed by that method. The Original Declaration does not specify that a
    unanimous vote is required, nor does it require the consent of an affected unit owner to alter the
    allocation of a limited common element.
    Watson relies on general principles of property law to argue that the 2008 amendment
    created a covenant running with the land that granted him exclusive use of the roof structures
    above his unit, which could only be extinguished by his consent as the benefitted party. See
    Chimney Hill Owners’ Ass’n, Inc. v. Antignani, 
    136 Vt. 446
    , 454–55 (1978) (“For a covenant to
    be enforceable as running with the land, four requirements must be met: a writing, intent, touch
    and concern, and notice.”); see also Albright v. Fish, 
    136 Vt. 387
    , 394 (1978) (“A release
    extinguishes only the estate of the releasor.”).
    The 2011 amendment cannot be viewed as a covenant in isolation of the Original
    Declaration in which it is embedded: the amendment is part of the declaration. Watson, in
    accepting the deed for his unit, acknowledged prior receipt of the Original Declaration and bound
    himself, his heirs, and assigns to its provisions, one of which allowed for amendments to the
    28
    Declaration by 2/3 vote. See Pl.’s Ex. 2. It cannot be the case that unit owners possess the power
    to veto any amendment that touches and concerns their property, regardless of a declaration’s
    method for amendment. By accepting the deed to a unit in Northshore, Watson consented to be
    bound by future, duly enacted amendments, regardless of whether he agreed with them or voted
    against them. Watson’s motion for summary judgment on the issue of roof structures is denied.16
    H. Obligation to Record Garage Reallocation (Issue 9)
    Watson requests a declaratory judgment that the Association is obligated to file the
    Amendment reallocating garage space to his unit. Pursuant to a 2006 amendment to the Original
    Declaration, unit owners can reallocate a garage by executing an amendment. Pl.’s Ex. 5. The 2006
    amendment requires the Association to record the amendment. 
    Id. Watson and
    the other party
    executed the reallocation amendment, but the Association declined to record it. See Pl.’s Ex. 11.
    As Watson’s own exhibit plainly indicates, the Association pointed out that the amendment
    inaccurately stated that the grantors had received their deed to the garage from Northshore, rather
    than David Keith Johnston. 
    Id. The Association
    offered to record the amendment promptly as soon
    as it was corrected. 
    Id. Although Watson
    framed his complaint exclusively as a request for declaratory relief, his
    Motion for Summary Judgment requests specific performance: the court should “order the
    Association to record the amendment transferring interest in the garage space to him.” However,
    “[e]very contract or duty governed by this title imposes an obligation of good faith on all parties
    in its performance or enforcement,” and the facts do not indicate a breach of this obligation. 27A
    V.S.A. § 1-113. The Association’s letter rejecting Watson’s reallocation amendment clearly
    requests a simple correction to the amendment and states that the Association will file it when it is
    16
    The Association did not submit a substantive argument for summary judgment on the issue of the roof structures.
    29
    corrected. The undisputed facts do not indicate whether the Association was correct regarding the
    language in the amendment. The facts also do not indicate that Watson executed the correction.
    Watson’s argues that the terms of the 2006 amendment require the Association to record
    the amendment regardless of its erroneous content. There is nothing in the undisputed facts that
    indicates a lack of good faith on the part of the Association in refusing to record an amendment
    when it knows that the contents are false. The court cannot grant Watson summary judgment on
    this issue in the form of declaratory relief or an order of specific performance.17
    H. Redefinition of Garages (Issue 10)
    Watson contends that the Association’s “redefinition of garages as Limited Common
    Elements” violates Vermont law. The Original Declaration states that the “garage spaces depicted
    on Exhibit B shall be Limited Common Elements appurtenant to … the respective Units to which
    they are assigned.” Art. III.A.1. Exhibit B of the Original Declaration is an overhead drawing of
    Northshore, which depicts the footprints of the units and garages. Each garage is numbered to
    match the number of a corresponding unit. The Amended Declaration changed the description of
    limited common elements to “the garage stalls (that is, the area within the walls, ceilings and floors
    of the garages) referred to on Exhibit B.” § 3.01(a). “Each garage stall designated on Exhibit B or
    thereafter re-assigned is appurtenant to … the respective Unit to which it is assigned. The garage
    stalls were originally numbered to correspond to the number of the Unit to which each was
    originally appurtenant.” 
    Id. Watson argues
    that because Exhibit B of the Original Declaration was an overhead
    depiction, “the entire garage structure, including the roof, the attic, the interior walls and the floor”
    was a limited common element assigned to him for his exclusive use. He concludes that when the
    17
    The Association did not move for summary judgment on this issue.
    30
    Association amended the definition of garages as limited common elements to restrict the
    corresponding unit owners’ exclusive use to the interior of the garage, it altered the “allocation”
    of a limited common element. See 27A V.S.A. § 2-108(a) (generally requiring a unit owner’s
    consent to alter the allocation from the unit to which a limited common element was allocated).
    In order for Watson to succeed on this issue, the court would have to determine that the
    Original Declaration actually allocated “the entire garage structure, including the roof, the attic,
    the interior walls and the floor” to Watson. The Original Declaration simply states that the garage
    spaces “depicted on Exhibit B” are limited common elements appurtenant to the units to which
    they are assigned. The fact that the drawing depicts only an overhead view does not unequivocally
    lead to the conclusion that the declaration allocates the entire structure, “including the roof, the
    attic, the interior walls and the floor” to Watson. Notably, the drawing depicts units in the same
    two-dimensional manner. To the extent that the drawing relates to the garages as limited common
    elements, it only shows which “garage space” is allocated to each unit. The text of the Original
    Declaration describes the allocated area as “garage space,” which also does not support the
    conclusion that the exterior structures are limited common elements as opposed to common
    elements.
    The definition of limited common elements in the Amended Declaration includes the
    interior of garages and is consistent with the previous allocation and does not alter the allocation.
    Because the Amended Declaration does not alter the allocation—the garages remain appurtenant
    to each unit as indicated by the drawing or by a subsequent amendment—the consent requirement
    in section 2-108(a) does not apply.
    Watson also argues that the definition of garages as limited common elements in the
    Original Declaration created a covenant running with the land, and the benefit from that covenant
    31
    cannot be extinguished without his consent. Watson urged the court to apply the same reasoning
    to the roof structure issue, and the court declines to do so for the same reasons it outlined above:
    the covenant regarding the use of the garages as limited common elements cannot be separated
    from the context of the entire declaration. The deed to Watson’s unit binds him to all the terms of
    the Original Declaration, including a procedure for amendment that does not require his individual
    consent. And even if his consent was required, the Original Declaration did not expressly include
    a covenant to use “the entire garage structure, including the roof, the attic, the interior walls and
    the floor.” His allocation, which allows him to use the interior of the garage, remains unchanged
    in the Amended Declaration. Watson is not entitled to summary judgment on this issue.18
    IV. Motion for Joinder of Indispensable Parties
    The Association moves to join the Association’s members as indispensable parties. The
    court must order a person to be made a party if “the person claims an interest relating to the subject
    of the action and is so situated that the disposition of the action in the person’s absence may (i) as
    a practical matter impair or impede the person’s ability to protect that interest or (ii) leave any of
    the persons already parties subject to a substantial risk of incurring double, multiple, or otherwise
    inconsistent obligations by reason of the person’s claimed interest.” V.R.C.P. 19(a). In an action
    for declaratory relief, “all persons shall be made parties who have or claim any interest which
    would be affected by the declaration, and no declaration shall prejudice the rights of persons not
    parties to the proceeding.” 12 V.S.A. § 4721. However, “[a]n action alleging a wrong done by the
    association, including an action arising out of the condition or use of the common elements, must
    be brought only against the association and not against any unit owner.” 27A V.S.A. § 3-111(b)(1).
    18
    The Association’s motion for summary judgment with regard to this claim is limited to its argument that the claim
    is time-barred.
    32
    The Association argues that because Watson challenges provisions of the governing
    documents which every unit owner (member) at Northshore has the right to enforce, the court must
    order all of the Association’s members to join the action as parties. Specifically, the Association
    argues that the court must order the members to join the action if the court denies the Association’s
    motions with regard to issues 1–3, 5–7, and 10. Because the court has dismissed issues 3 and 5 and
    granted summary judgment on issues 1, 2, and 6, it will decide the Association’s motion for joinder
    only with regard to issues 7 and 10. These issues deal with the definitions of “roof structures” and
    garages as limited common elements.
    The Association’s argument for mandatory joinder of its members primarily relates to the
    concern that Watson “desire[s] to use any judgment he obtains in this action as the basis for future
    lawsuits against other Unit Owners.” While it is apparent that this concern for future lawsuits
    relates to issues 2 and 3 (unit expansion and removal of ceiling, joists, and roof trusses), the
    Association provides no further explanation of how the court’s decisions regarding allocation of
    garages and “roof structures” affect individual member’s interests in such a manner that joinder is
    mandatory. If the court ultimately decides those issues in Watson’s favor, then at most, the
    declaratory judgments will be limited to the application of the amendments and rules to Watson.
    The Association also argues generally that the court should order all members to join
    because Watson’s challenges to provisions of the governing documents affect the interests of all
    unit owners equally. Although decisions related to the validity or enforceability of provisions in
    the governance documents affect all of the Association’s members, the court cannot ignore section
    3-111(b)(1), which seeks to prevent association members from being haled into court every time
    a disgruntled member challenges an amendment, bylaw, or rule.
    33
    The Association argues that courts in other jurisdictions have held that all members of a
    homeowners’ association are necessary parties in an action to invalidate provisions of the
    governing documents. Only one case cited by the Association actually deals with the question of
    joinder of indispensable parties under Rule 19 while considering the provision in the Uniform
    Common Interest Act that requires actions to be filed against associations rather than unit owners.19
    See Clubhouse at Fairway Pines, L.L.C. v. Fairway Pines Estates Owners Ass'n, 
    214 P.3d 451
    , 456
    (Colo. App. 2008); Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 38-33.3-311.
    In Clubhouse at Fairway Pines, L.L.C. the Colorado Court of Appeals held that the relevant
    section of the Common Interest Ownership Act was “intended to ‘change the law in states where
    plaintiffs are forced to name individual unit owners as the real parties in interest to any action
    brought against the 
    association.’” 214 P.3d at 456
    (Colo. App. 2008) (quoting Uniform Common
    Interest Ownership Act § 3-111 cmt. 1). The court concluded that the statute did not establish that
    the association provided adequate representation of its members for purposes of determining
    indispensable parties. 
    Id. The outcome
    of Clubhouse at Fairway Pines, L.L.C. determined whether
    members would avoid paying fees or continue to benefit from a temporary club facility. 
    Id. at 457.
    Unlike Clubhouse at Fairway Pines, L.L.C., the outcome of the remaining issues in this case will
    not potentially subject Northshore’s unit owners to additional fees or a loss of use of facilities.
    Despite the interpretation of the equivalent statute in Clubhouse at Fairway Pines, L.L.C.,
    section 3-111 does not merely permit plaintiffs to name associations as defendants rather than
    individual unit owners. The statute provides that “[a]n action alleging a wrong done by the
    association, including an action arising out of the condition or use of the common elements, must
    be brought only against the association and not against any unit owner.” 27A V.S.A. § 3-111(b)(1)
    19
    The other cases are from jurisdictions in which the legislature has not enacted a version of the Uniform Common
    Interest Ownership Act.
    34
    (emphasis added). Not only does the plain language of the statute require Watson to bring the
    action solely against the Association; it also restricts him from filing against other unit owners.
    Section 3-111(b)(1) is clearly in tension with the Declaratory Judgment Act, which
    provides that “all persons shall be made parties who have or claim any interest which would be
    affected by the declaration, and no declaration shall prejudice the rights of persons not parties to
    the proceeding.” 12 V.S.A. § 4721. It is a “long-standing rule of statutory construction that where
    two statutes deal with the same subject matter, and one is general and the other specific, the more
    specific statute controls.” Town of Brattleboro v. Garfield, 
    2006 VT 56
    , ¶ 10, 
    180 Vt. 90
    (citing
    Looker v. City of Rutland, 
    144 Vt. 344
    , 346 (1984)). Additionally, “newer statutes will be enforced
    over older statutes, if there is a conflict.” Our Lady of Ephesus House of Prayer, Inc. v. Town of
    Jamaica, 
    2005 VT 16
    , ¶ 16, 
    178 Vt. 35
    (citing Cent. Vt. Hosp., Inc. v. Town of Berlin, 
    164 Vt. 456
    , 459 (1995)). Section 3-111(b)(1), enacted fifty years after the Declaratory Judgment Act,
    controls in this case because it specifically limits the parties in actions involving the use of common
    elements. The Association’s motion for joinder is therefore denied.
    Order
    Watson’s motion to withdraw issues 8, 11, 12, and 13 of the amended complaint is granted.
    Those claims are dismissed with prejudice.
    The Association’s motion to dismiss is granted with regard to the 48-hour notice rule and
    the satellite dish rule, and denied with regard to the access easements, unit expansions, roof
    structures, and garage. The Association’s motion for summary judgment is denied with regard to
    fence repair, obligation to record garage reallocation, and the redefinition of garages as limited
    common elements. Its motion for summary judgment is granted with regard to unit expansions;
    35
    removal of ceilings, joists, and roof trusses; access easements; and the temperature monitoring
    rule. Watson’s motion for summary judgment is denied.
    A status conference will be scheduled to discuss resolution of the remaining issues.
    Dated at Burlington this 5th day of February, 2016.
    ______________________________
    Helen M. Toor
    Superior Court Judge
    36