Heritage Neighborhood Association (HNA)

Heritage Neighborhood Association
P.O. Box 762435
San Antonio, TX 78245-7435
Voice: (210) 673-5935

Email us
heritagena@yahoo.com

Welcome to the Heritage Neighborhood Association (HNA) website and thank you for taking an interest in your neighborhood.  As you scroll down you will see information on the following:

1. The size of Heritage
2. A bit of history and the formation of the HNA
3. The difference between a mandatory home owners association and a voluntary
          neighborhood association (update Mar 2013)
4. The purpose and objectives of the HNA
5. How the HNA works to meet the objectives of the HNA
6. HNA successes (update Mar 2013)
7. What you can do to make a difference (update Mar 2013)
8. HNA membership (update Mar 2013)
9. HNA contact Information

    10.   Using this website to learn about and gain access to the different city services

The Size of Heritage:  Heritage is the largest subdivision in San Antonio that is not made up of smaller subdivisions. It has 126 streets, 4280 housing units, and a population of approximately 12,000. Heritage is a city in itself.  It is twice as big as Castle Hills; one and a half times bigger than Alamo Heights; and three times larger than Castroville and Helotes.

Heritage is bordered by Potranco Rd to the North; Marbach Rd to the South; Hunt Lane and Ingram Rd to the east; and the Park Place subdivision and Bexar County line to the West.

There are seven entrances to Heritage:  The Fillmore, Ellison, Dugas and Emerald Place entrances off Potranco Rd; the Ellison entrance off Marbach Rd;  Bolling Brook off Ingram Rd; and Sugarloaf
off Hunt Lane.  There will be an eighth entrance, Heritage Farm off Hunt Lane, when the expansion of Hunt Lane is completed.

A Bit of History and the Formation of the HNA: 

The building of Heritage began in the early seventies and ended in the early 1990s.  In the early 2000s, a different builder added three new streets that border Heritage to the north.  These streets are now included within the borders of Heritage.

As part of the building of Heritage, the developer built a swimming facility; two tennis courts; and the entry way islands with “Heritage” signage.  The developer owned and maintained these amenities, as well as the pond, which at that time was just a pond with vegetation growing around it. Also, the developer ensured residents abided by the covenants and deed restrictions, which basically state what you can and cannot do on your property.

In 1985 the Heritage residents were notified by the developer that in the future all properties with the amenities; the entry way islands and the pond would be donated to the residents of Heritage.  This is why the Heritage Neighborhood Association was formed.  In 1987 the Texas Secretary of State approved the formation of the HNA as a voluntary association.  When the properties were
deeded over to the HNA in May 1988 the HNA became responsible for the operation of the swimming facility and the maintenance of the other properties.

The Difference Between a Mandatory Homeowners Association and a Voluntary Neighborhood Association: 

Why do we have covenants and deed restrictions? Two reasons:  first, and most importantly, homeowners want to maintain or enhance their property’s value; second, homeowners want to use and enjoy their property without annoyance, distraction or offensive use by their neighbors.

Mandatory associations:
collects yearly fees from the property owners and use these fees to pay for the maintenance and operation of their amenities and retain lawyers, when necessary, to ensure the covenants and deed restrictions are adhered to by the residents.

When Heritage was built mandatory associations were mostly formed in neighborhoods with very expensive homes.  These property owners wanted to ensure their property maintained or appreciated in value. Today, most subdivisions, regardless of the price range of homes, have
mandatory associations, simply because the buyers want to protect their property values.

A voluntary association:

Such as the Heritage Neighborhood Association (HNA) has to rely on volunteers and has to generate its own funds to operate and maintain its facilities.  Most voluntary associations
do not have the money to take a property owner to court for violating a subdivision’s covenants and deed restrictions. However, anyone, such as a neighbor, can take a property owner to court.  It should be noted the city code can be used very effectively by voluntary associations and the HNA uses the city code to reach those HNA objectives listed below

The Purpose and Objectives of the Heritage Neighborhood Association (HNA): 

For most of us the biggest investment we will ever make is when we buy a house. Whether or not our investment grows depends entirely on the neighborhood we live in.  The HNA is a voluntary non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Heritage subdivision.  

The objectives of the HNA are:

1. To promote a better environment for the safety and security of our residents.
2. To preserve property values.
3. To encourage resident involvement in community affairs.
4. To promote a sense of pride and identity for Heritage residents.
5. To provide information and educate residents about community affairs and topics that  may affect our community.
6. To promote a working relationship with our elected officials at the city, state, and federal levels.
7. To promote the common good and general welfare of the community.

 

How Does the HNA Accomplish its Objectives?  

They are accomplished by resident volunteers who care about Heritage and want to help keep Heritage a safe, secure and fun place to live and help preserve property values.  These volunteers are members of the HNA so they can have a voice for getting things done in the community.  The HNA motto is “Because We Care”.  The HNA is the voice of the people who care. 

The elected Board of Directors provides the leadership to accomplish the above objectives. There are no paid positions in the HNA.  It is volunteers who give their time in maintaining our entryways; painting and power washing graffiti; maintaining the Marbach fence line easement and maintaining this website.  Volunteers monitor and report code violations.  A membership meeting, which is open to all residents, provides information on those topics that affect Heritage.  It is a place where you
can talk directly to a District 4 constituent representative; a code compliance officer; a SAPD SAFFE officer; a guest speaker; and Board members.  It is a place where you can learn what you can do for your neighborhood.

HNA Successes: 

The HNA is known and highly respected for its work towards a better Heritage.  It was the HNA that got the Duck Pond Park on the 1998 Bond Issue; the basketball court on the 2002 Bond Issue;  the
renovation of the swimming facility and expansion of Hunt Lane on the 2007 Bond Issue and Heritage received $400,000 from the 2012 Bond for improvements to the Duck Pond Park.  A new skate park will be part of this bond.  Heritage was fortunate to be one of the three parks in District 4 to be a part of the 2012 bond. 

Our work on having an annual National Night Out (NNO) event for Heritage has earned the HNA numerous awards, to include the city wide NNO Award for 2010. Our volunteers are responsible for the outstanding appearance of our entry ways. Junked autos, overgrown vegetation, graffiti, and unsanitary premises are just a few of the code issues worked by the HNA.  A semi-annual yard sale is held at the Duck Pond for our residents.  The behind the scenes work done by our dedicated volunteers has, in no small part, been responsible for making Heritage a great place to live.  Our goal is always to make Heritage even better. 

The HNA will be working to get a community center on the next bond issue so we can have programs for our senior citizens as well as for our children.  These successes can be attributed directly to those HNA members who want to make a difference in their community.

What Can You Do to Make a Difference? 

First, start with the street you live on.  Do you see something on your street that would have a negative effect on your property value if you tried to sell your house? How about the street next to you or a few streets down from you?  If so, do something about it.  Don’t expect someone else to do it for you.  If you know it is a city code violation dial 311 and report it.  If you’re not sure then come to an HNA meeting and talk about it.  Get educated and use it to help yourself and your neighborhood. Second, consider becoming a member of the HNA and have your voice heard through the association. Last, but not least, if you are an able bodied person and have a little time to donate to your neighborhood (your biggest investment) then become a volunteer. 

You don’t have to be a member of the association to be a volunteer, just contact the association to find out where you are needed or let the association know what you would like to do to help.  There is always a need for volunteers!  One of the worst mistakes you can make is to feel you don’t have time to try and better your neighborhood and another even worse mistake is to take the HNA for granted and feel comfortable letting others take care of your neighborhood. 

Other neighborhoods have found themselves without representation, simply because their volunteer association members got burnt out doing all the work and walked away with no one to take their place.

HNA Membership: 

Being a member of the HNA gives you the power to be heard.  Also, the more members, the more power the HNA has. HNA membership dues are $36.00 a year, which comes to $3.00 a month (not bad considering what you get in return).  The collected dues are used to purchase and maintain equipment; purchase office supplies, support our NNO events; pay rent for a storage unit to house equipment; and to support membership activities. The HNA meets at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month, except June, July, August, and December, at the Ed Cody elementary school cafeteria located on the corner of Fillmore and Dugas.  Effective March 2013 the HNA is starting an aggressive campaign to increase HNA membership.  A part of this campaign is to offer a one year membership at half price ($18.00) to those residents who have not been an HNA
member for the past five years.  In order to take advantage of this half price membership the resident must attend an HNA meeting and join at that time if they chose to do so.      

Using this website to learn about and gain access to the different city services:

Using the website is easy!  At the main site, http://www.heritagena.org/  you can either browse around the website and click on the different links, or…

If you would like to register yourself, click on the sign located on the top left corner of the home page.

 

Next, click the Register Now link next to No Account?

 

Fill in the fields and create your own unique user name and password, then click SIGN UP NOW.

 

It’s that easy!

During the registration process please use a valid email address.  This allows us to send you advanced invitations to neighborhood events or activities.

From the home page, there are five links across the top.  If would like to post a special event (garage sale, special announcement, etc..) you may add it to the Calendar link to be viewed by other residents around the city of San Antonio.  Pages & Links will allow you to view and download printable documents and articles for home security, Emergency safety plans for your personal home, or access a number of city services websites.

Need to register your vehicle? Pay your water bill? Get information on upcoming elections? Contact Code Enforcement services (previously Code and Compliance)?  This is all easily done with the links here on the Heritage Neighborhood Association website and is provided to you at no cost.

Questions & Answers

Q: Do I need an email address to register?

A: Yes, Neighborhoodlink will send you a confirmation email to verify your email address is valid during the registration process. (For your protection and privacy neither Neighborhoodlink nor the HNA will never share or sell your email, name or personal information to anyone)

Q:  Who do I contact if I have questions or need assistance with the website?

A: Contact the Heritage Neighborhood Association for friendly and courteous help.