Carlisle Commonwealth sits on a former 9-hole golf course in Durham Park. The developer sold lots in Carlisle in the late 1960's and early 1970's, marketing the lots in 5 separate stages known as "Units", each with its own Protective Covenants. These Covenants established a high standard for construction, with minimum dwelling square footage, minimum lot setback margins, and the requirement for enclosed garages instead of carports - to name just a few. The developer chose this incremental method to facilitate financing, since lending practices required a certain percentage of lots to be sold before permanent housing loans would be provided.

 

In the early 1970's the developer sold the remaining lots to another company for continued building. This new developer began building homes smaller and inferior to existing standards in the community. Several Carlisle homeowners pooled their resources and launched a legal battle to force the new developer to comply with the strict standards established by the original covenants. To the benefit of the entire community, the homeowners prevailed.

 

The residents of Carlisle Commonwealth established two voluntary organizations to manage the affairs of the community. The Carlisle Athletic Club, Ltd. owned and operated the swim and tennis facilities, and the Carlisle Civic Association provided the social network essential to the neighborhood, maintained the front entrances, published the neighborhood directory and newsletter, and also assisted in maintenance of the children's playground.

 

When Carlisle Commonwealth was conceived by its developers in the late 1960's, very few communities had mandatory associations. The law concerning such entities was not fully developed or didn't exist in most states. Only 500 such mandatory associations existed in the U.S in 1970, so developers would have had a difficult time selling property in subdivisions with mandatory associations.

 

But times had changed. By the late 1990's more than 250,000 community associations existed in the U.S. and 50% of new swim and tennis neighborhoods were governed by mandatory associations. CCCA was established as a mandatory real estate organization, a non-profit corporation, whose members decided to commit to paying dues forever, or at least as long as they owned their Carlisle home. Members pledged their property by signing an Owner's Consent form that was filed at DeKalb County Courthouse, binding the current and subsequent owners to membership in CCCA.

 

CCCA bought all assets belonging to the Carlisle Athletic Club, Ltd., which was dissolved by its members. With CCCA, Carlisle could compete with the new swim and tennis communities being developed in Atlanta. The mandatory structure provided the assets, member base, and a significant financial commitment from the residents. This arrangement made bank financing and long term planning much more feasible.

 

CCCA owns our neighborhood swim & tennis facilities, the playground, and the community center. CCCA, with an efficient organizational structure, operates a neighborhood web site, has an active line of credit, and an involved board of directors with a vision and plan for the future of our community. 

 

Today there are 224 lots in Carlisle Commonwealth, with 217 constructed homes plus the community center. The community is well situated geographically, being 20 minutes from downtown Atlanta, 25 minutes from Hartsfield International Airport, and less than 5 minutes from MARTA's Indian Creak station. Carlisle is only 10 minutes from one of Georgia's finest natural resources -- Stone Mountain Park. Potential homeowners continue to see Carlisle as a real find.

 

CCCA is on the move. We extend a sincere invitation to all residents of Carlisle. Join us. Help us continue to help Carlisle be all it can be.