Covell Commons

Townhouses on Bella Casa Street.

The Covell Commons are located directly north of West Covell Boulevard across from Davis Senior High School in a small circular community at the very eastern end of Alvarado Avenue. The Covell Greenbelt borders the community on the north and east sides and Catalina Drive borders it on the west side. The two half-circular streets that branch off from Alvarado are Bella Casa St. to the north and Alta Loma St. to the south.

The townhouse units contain two bedroom and three bedroom configurations and most are approximately 1100-1200 square feet. There also are smaller "bungalow" units. Each unit has a small front yard and a back patio. Each townhouse has two assigned parking spots: a covered car port and an uncovered spot. There also are guest parking spots for visitors.

Residents of Covell Commons include working professionals, families with/without children, retired folks, and a few UC Davis students.

The complex is directed by the Covell Commons Homeowners Association with an elected Board. The Homeowners Association Board, the management company Association Management Concepts (new as of 2009), and residents work together to oversee the livelihood of the complex. The Board conducts monthly meetings open to all residents and owners where they hear residents' ideas, suggestions, and complaints; discuss policy; review contracts; deal with the budget; listen to committee reports; make referrals to an outside collection agency to collect late assessment dues; etc. The Board also publishes a monthly newsletter—The Covell (Un)Common Rag—which contains articles written by Board members as well as residents that offer advice on a variety of topics (e.g., energy efficiency/conservation, effective ways to settle disagreements with neighbors, how to take advantage of the nature living on the grounds of the complex, recent news from the complex or residents, etc.). The newsletter also provides information on the objectives, pragmatic issues, and financial status of the Association, and it offers additional information on sundry topics of interest.

Each Townhouse comes with 2 parking stalls one of which is an overhead shelter.

Since 2007, a newly elected Board has engaged in an active effort to counteract problematic policies and practices of previous Boards. In early 2007, for example, a former Board initiated a controversial and publicized tree removal plan in Covell Commons, but the subsequent board has rectified the situation by halting tree cutting and replacing previously cut-down trees. The same former Board contracted with Sunrise Assessment Services to deal with delinquent-dues collections, but again the subsequent Board changed service providers after reports of problems and complaints from association members.

The current board and Association Management Concepts aim to work with residents to encourage a collective living environment wherein neighbors can engage each other in a variety of prosocial, communal ways. For example, the Board has sponsored community exercise groups along the greenbelt (e.g., Tai Chi), potluck get-togethers, and more recently a Davis Neighbors' Night Out (co-sponsored by the City of Davis). Overall, the board and management company provide effective service with quick responses, new paint and new naturally stained redwood fences (as of Fall, 2009) give the townhouses a fresh and vibrant look, and a growing rapport emerging among residents from increasing positive interactions fosters a sense of community in Covell Commons.

Although Covell Commons is sometimes mistaken for an apartment complex or condominiums, the community is neither because they are individually owned and owners do not just own the rights to the air space within the walls of the structure. Covell Commons is a set of townhomes, where the homeowners own the land on which their unit resides and most of the structure.

Many of the owners live in their units. Quality of life issues are important to the Board members, all of whom currently live in their Covell Commons homes. They enforce, with escalating fines, the community's very strict noise regulations, rules that are stricter than the city noise ordinance. So CC is a great place for student renters who want a quiet place to study but people who like to party, play loud music, or have an active night life may want to look elsewhere.