Community Safety Committee

Len Collins, Chair

About Us

The Community Safety Committee monitors traffic, parking, and lighting within the community.  It identifies situations that would adversely impact the safety of OTV residents, their property, and the property of the community.  The Committee serves as liaison to the Alexandria Police Department and as the primary contact for information regarding safety, security, criminal activity and hazardous situations within or affecting OTV residents and the community.

Security and Safety

Security and safety are important community concerns.  Fortunately, we have not had major problems in these areas. The answer to most of our safety and security concerns is active participation of OTV residents in making this a safe and secure community. Please be aware of your surroundings and take action to help when needed, i.e., when you see a neighbor's garage door open for an extended period, burned out lighting, children playing in the street, cars speeding, etc.

Our streets are narrow and, with parking on both sides of the street, it is often difficult for cars and pedestrians to safely interact. Please keep to the posted speed limit of 25 mph and observe the STOP signs. The intersection at Roundhouse and Fayette Streets deserves special attention.

If you have a safety or security concern, please bring it to the attention of a Community Safety Committee member or a member of the Board of Directors; their names are listed each month in the community newsletter, the Village Crier.

Vehicle Registration

OTV homeowners and residents who rent and/or lease homes in the community must register their owned, leased, or loaned vehicle(s) with the community. To register your vehicle, please contact the Community Manager:

Legum & Norman, Inc.
Attn: OTVOA Community Manager/Casondra Johnson
4401 Ford Avenue, Suite 1200
Alexandria, VA 22302
703-848-4323
Fax: 703- 848-0982

Vehicle Decals

Homeowners and renters will receive a numbered OTVOA Parking Decal for no more than two registered vehicles per residence. A record of registrants and their decal number(s) will be kept by the OTVOA Community Manager at Legum & Norman and by the Community Safety Committee. This information will only be released to proper authorities when appropriate.

The parking decal is to be placed on the inside lower left corner of the rear window on the driver's side of each registered vehicle. If loan arrangement, security condition or vehicle condition precludes this application, the decal must be displayed on the vehicle dashboard when the vehicle is parked in OTV.

Homeowners who desire additional parking decals must address their request in writing to the Board of Directors.

Homeowners, renters and leaseholders are to remove the OTVOA decal and notify Legum & Norman when they move from OTV or dispose of their vehicle.

Vehicles without a visible OTVOA Parking Decal, applied as above, are subject to towing at the owners or driver's expense and liability.

Guest Parking Passes

No more than two OTVOA Guest Parking Passes will be provided per residence. Guests must display the pass from the rearview mirror or dashboard of their vehicle when it is parked within the community. The passes are the property of OTVOA

If additional Guest Parking Passes are needed, they must be requested in writing to the Board of Directors.

If you are hosting a special event where a number of guest vehicles are expected to be parking within the community for a period of time, please advise a member of the Community Safety Committee.

Homeowners, renters, and leaseholders must return their OTVOA Guest Parking Passes to a member of the Board of Directors or the Community Safety Committee when they leave OTV.

Guest's vehicles that do not display the OTVOA Guest Pass are subject to towing at the owner's or driver's expense and liability.

Remote Gate Openers

The number of remote gate openers issued to homeowners and renters will be equal to the number of OTVOA vehicle-parking decals issued to that residence. Remote gate openers will not be issued until the resident has received their vehicle parking decals. To obtain a remote, please contact the Community Manager at Legum & Norman.

A $25.00 deposit per remote gate opener will be collected when the device is issued. The deposit will be refunded when the device is returned. Inoperable remote gate openers will be replaced at no cost when the damaged device is returned. Remote gate openers that are reported as lost will be replaced at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

The OTVOA Management Committee is responsible for maintenance of the West Street traffic control gate.

Remote gate openers are the property of OTVOA.  Homeowners, renters, and leaseholders must return their remotes when they move from the community. Remotes can be returned to the Community Manager at Legum & Norman, a member of the Board of Directors or to a member of the Community Security Committee.

Lighting

Please notify the Community Manager at Legum & Norman or a member of the Community Safety Committee if you notice a burned out streetlight within OTV. Each streetlight in the community has a number/letter affixed to the base for identification.  Please do not remove stickers.

A well-lighted community is a safer community. Residents are urged to turn on their front as well as their rear garage residential lights during times of reduced visibility for safety and as a deterrent to criminal activity. Local hardware stores offer a variety of mechanical timers that will turn outside lighting on and off automatically.

Parking

Our covenants stipulate garages and carports are the primary sites for vehicle parking by residents. There are only 48 on-street parking spaces in the community. Please be considerate of the parking needs of your neighbors.

Parking is not permitted along streets in non-indented curb areas, in marked "No Parking" areas, or in streets/driveway areas marked "Emergency Vehicle Easement' or "No Parking Fire Lane". Vehicles parked in approaches to garages/carports must not extend on to the Emergency Vehicle Easement, i.e., the blacktop portion of the road surface.

No mobile home, trailer, boat and trailer, or trucks larger than three quarter ton are to be parked within the community.

Vehicles are not to undergo mechanical maintenance outside garages or carports.

Abandoned, disabled, inoperable, and unlicensed vehicles, and those not registered by a state or OTVOA, are not permitted within our community. These will be removed at the owner's or driver's expense and liability.

Parking Enforcement

Vehicles in violation of OTVOA policies can receive a warning notice from a member of the Board of Directors or the Community Safety Committee. Please heed these warnings.

Vehicles parked in a Fire Lane or Emergency Vehicle Easement will be towed immediately, without notice or warning as the Association is held responsible by Alexandria authorities.

Towing Policies

The following infractions can result in your vehicle being towed:

- Vehicle parked without displaying an OTV resident decal or guest parking pass.

- Vehicle parked so as to block access to streets, alleys or fire hydrants.

- Vehicle parked in such a manner as to impede traffic and/or constitute a hazard.

- Vehicle in violation of OTVOA policies if the violation is not corrected in a reasonable time after the owner has been contacted.

- Vehicle displaying an OTVOA decal or OTVOA Guest Parking Pass and parked in the same location without being moved in excess of two weeks. If you anticipate having to park your vehicle on the street for an extended period of time please advise a member of the Board of Directors or member of the Community Safety Committee.

- Vehicles that are abandoned, disabled, inoperable, unlicensed or unregistered and those that are in unsightly condition or appearance.

Vehicles (other than those parked in a Fire Lane or Emergency Vehicles Easement) will not be considered for towing until a reasonable effort has been made by the Community Safety Committee or the Board of Directors to contact the owner, if an OTV resident, or the sponsor of the vehicle belongs to an OTV guest.

Vehicles will not be towed without the expressed approval of a member of the Board of Directors. The Community Safety Committee will arrange for the towing. The OTVOA towing contractor is: Henry's Towing at 703-698-8900.