News, newsletters, and meeting minutes

The Shipley’s Choice Community Association (SCCA) Board of Directors is pleased to see so much interest and engagement in our community. We hear you—and we want you to be involved.

Now is your opportunity to help shape the future of Shipley’s Choice and continue making it a great place to live. We currently have three openings on the Board of Directors: Treasurer and two Director positions.

Any resident of Sections 1 and 2 who is in good standing (meaning annual dues are current) may be nominated or may nominate themselves. If you’ve been following the recent conversations on Facebook and have been thinking about getting involved, now is the time to step forward.

We also want to clarify one point: suggestions that the SCCA will be “taken over” by Anne Arundel County are without merit. The current Board openings are the result of normal organizational turnover. One longtime Director passed away earlier this year, while the Treasurer and another Director are completing their two-year terms and will be retiring from the Board.

We encourage interested residents to consider serving and bringing their ideas, experience, and perspective to the Board. Your involvement can make a difference. To be considered for a Board position, please send your nomination or self-nomination to shipleyschoice.scca@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The playground on Live Oak Drive is getting an upgrade! The Shipley's Choice Community Association Board of Directors approved a request from an Eagle Scout candidate to build two benches and apply mulch. In addition to the picnic table that's already in place, the benches will provide lots of seating for children and parents. The project is underway!

The Board of Directors contacted the County's Traffic Engineering Division to request replacement of the original street lights in our neighborhood which are 45 years old and in poor condition. The senior engineer in charge of the County's street lights responded immediately and agreed to replace them. The lights in the SCHOA part of Shipley's were already replaced and our new lights will be like those. The new light fixtures and poles will improve the appearance of the neighborhood. The fixtures are brighter LED lights which will improve safety.

We are hopeful the street light replacement project will begin in the Spring of 2027. The senior engineer explained the funding for this project comes from two different sources and, consequently, the upgrade will take place in stages; the fixtures will be replaced first and then the poles. Your Board of Directors is working hard to improve the neighborhood!

In December 2025, we announced the SCCA Board of Directors voted to pursue designation as a Special Community Benefits District (SCBD). This would allow Anne Arundel County, through the property tax process, to establish separate funding dedicated exclusively to maintaining the 45 acres of common property and other assets described as follows:

The purposes of the Special Community Benefit District are:

1. 1) To maintain and improve community-owned real and personal property, including open space, recreation property, and entry signs for Sections 1 and 2 of the community.
2. 2) To pay administrative expenses to accomplish this purpose, including repayment of any loan and interest thereon, and payment of insurance, legal, utility, and administrative expenses.

This fund would be administered by the SCCA. Membership in the association would continue to be voluntary and open to all residents.

We are pursuing this because currently only about 70 percent of SCCA homeowners pay annual dues, while community income does not keep pace with expenses. An SCBD would ensure all homes contribute and provide the financial stability needed to address maintenance and improvements.

On July 24, Anne Arundel County staff confirmed our eligibility and approved the wording of our petition. In order to obtain approval for the SCBD, our next steps are:

1. 1) obtain signatures from two-thirds of SCCA homeowners
2. 2) submit the signed petitions to the County for review.

Beginning in September, we will share more information on our website and in the annual newsletter, with an informational Q&A planned for our October annual meeting. We are committed to keeping the community informed and being open and transparent throughout the process.

More information to come!

A friendly reminder: all work on community-owned common grounds must be approved by the SCCA Board before it is undertaken.

While we deeply appreciate the spirit of volunteerism, this policy is essential for several reasons. First and foremost is safety and liability; uncoordinated work can create hazards and expose our community to legal and financial risks. Additionally, any modifications to common areas must comply with county zoning laws and align with the community's long-term landscaping and maintenance plans.

Under SCCA bylaws Article IV, Sections 1 & 4, Association-owned facilities and common properties are reserved strictly for the managed use and enjoyment of members in good standing under rules established by the Association. Individual homeowners do not have individual property rights to alter, landscape, or build on common property.

We've noticed an increase in residents walking in the street, especially during evenings and on weekends. While we love to see our neighbors out and about, this can create hazardous situations for both pedestrians and drivers.

For everyone's safety, we strongly urge all residents to use sidewalks whenever they are available. When walking on a street without a sidewalk, please walk facing traffic and stay as far to the side of the road as possible. Let's all do our part to keep Shipley's Choice a safe community for everyone.

During our SCCA Board of Directors meeting on December 12, 2025, the Board voted to pursue designating SCCA as a Special Community Benefits District (SCBD).

Such a designation would result in Anne Arundel County collecting our annual dues through annual county tax collection. We are pursuing this action for one reason: only 70 percent of houses that are part of SCCA pay annual dues and the community’s income doesn’t match our expenses. There are many homeowners’ associations designated as SCBDs in Anne Arundel County, including our neighbors in Chartwell.

Two-thirds of SCCA homeowners must sign a petition in order for our community to become a SCBD. Establishing a SCBD will likely be a lengthy process; we will be sure to share information regularly and provide an opportunity for members of the community to share their opinions about this initiative.

Riding bikes and scooters can be a lot of fun, but it's also important to teach our children about the potential dangers, especially when riding at night. To help keep our community safe, we encourage all parents to talk to their kids about bike and scooter safety. Here are some important safety tips to share:

• Always wear a helmet.
• Ride defensively and be aware of your surroundings.
• Use bike paths and sidewalks when available.
• Avoid riding at night.

The intersection of Governor Stone and Benfield can be especially perilous, as well as the intersection of Severncrest and W Benfield. It is vitally important for children to learn their safety basics and for drivers to be vigilant.

For more information regarding children and e-scooters, please visit HealthyChildren.org and watch this short video from MarylandEMS.