Dover Shores News, October 1, 2025

Fall has arrived and the holidays will be coming soon. The holidays are a time to reflect on times past. Here is a blast from the past...

Dover Shores under construction in the 1960s

Save the Date - October 21 - Dover Shores Annual Meeting

The Dover Shores Annual Meeting will be October 21, 6PM at the Blue Water Grill. This is a great opportunity to meet your Board and your neighbors. Valet parking available, no host bar.

A Message from BHE Management Corporation:

Swim Platform Removal

In late September, the Association was contacted by the Coastal Commission’s South Coast District office and we were advised that multiple complaints had been received in the past 30 days from homeowners within Dover Shores Association who were asserting that the Association was expanding the swim platform to accommodate a slide. The Commission explained that anytime that they receive multiple complaints, it must be reviewed.

While the Coastal Commission confirmed that they have no concern about a slide, they recognized that they had no records of the swim dock itself being permitted, and requested that the Association either provide evidence that a permit had been secured for the existing swim dock, or remove it. We believe from old photos that the swim dock was installed in the late 80’s/early 90’s, but we have been unable to locate any evidence confirming if it was permitted, and the Burden of Proof falls onto the Association.

The Commission further explained that even if the Association were to pursue a new permit at this juncture (which would be very costly and difficult to obtain) that the swim dock would have to be removed during the permit process, and that the Association could face significant daily fines (up to $11,250.00 per day and up to five (5) years retroactively with that penalty) if it were not removed.

We therefore have no choice but to remove the swim platform, and the Board is very sorry to be delivering this troubling news.

Election News

BHE confirmed at the HOA meeting of September 16 that the independent 3rd party Inspector of Elections has certified that we met the requirements for Election by Acclamation as there were three Board openings and three candidates by the deadline for submitting Candidacy Statements. Therefore, no ballots will be sent out this year. A motion was made and carried to appoint Sherry Bilbeisi, Mario Montecinos, and Jason Ward to the Board of Directors effective October 21, 2025.

BHE Management Corporation
www.BHEManagement.com (949)363-1963
Lisa Parra, Community Manager, LParra@BHEManagement.com
Melissa Mora, Architectural Assistant, AP@BHEManagement.com
Marla Hemmel, Managing Agent, MarlaH@bhemanagement.com

Beach Committee

North Star Beach Update

Work is proceeding on installing utilities at North Star Beach, electrical followed by plumbing and gas - a necessary first step on plans to improve the beach with amenities.

Next Dover Shores HOA Board Meeting: November 18, 5:00 PM

The board is continuing to offer Zoom access to board meetings. All meetings will use the same credentials listed below. The general session for homeowner participation for these meetings begins at 5PM.

Join Zoom Meeting with your browser

Meeting ID: 880 4927 2107
Passcode: 940601
One tap mobile: (669)900-6833

For the foreseeable future, those wishing to attend in person can attend at the principal office of the Association which has been designated by the Board as the place of business of BHE Management, located at 30011 Ivy Glen Dr., Ste.118, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. BHE Management will be present.

The November meeting will be the last board meeting of 2025. This meeting will be our annual organizational meeting to elect officers.

Join a Committee

We need our residents to participate on our committees. Committees do the bulk of the work of the HOA, and our Board members chair each of the committees and look for community volunteers to be on their committees. That process will begin after our October election. So now is the time to let us know if you have an interest on being on one of our committees.

Simply respond to this Newsletter with your name, address and a little bit about why you are interested in a particular committee, or serving on any committee. We cannot guarantee there will be room for everyone wanting to volunteer, but we will try our best.

The Dover Shores Committees are are found at the end of this Newsletter.

Architecture Committee

Recently, some owners have started home improvement and/or major landscaping projects without submitting the appropriate HOA application. Neglecting to get HOA approval for your project could result in the unnecessary expense of removing or altering work already done. The goal of the process is to protect views, ensure your plans comply with the Architectural Guidelines, and to maintain the aesthetic appearance of our community. Dover Shores HOA Architectural approval is a separate and required review and approval process in addition to the permitting and inspections required by the City of Newport Beach.

An Architectural/home improvement application is required for structural modifications and additions, removal and addition of walls, replacement of doors and windows, installation of fences and patio covers, tile/stone installation on entryways, installation of large trees, major landscape and hardscape changes, solar panel installation, patio refurbishment, new pools/spas/fountains, and installation of new A/C units or HVACs.

Homeowners must submit the Architectural Application (with plans and fees) to the Architecture committee and receive approval PRIOR to the start of demolition re-modeling or new installation. Matching (like for like) replacement and repair modifications require an application but typically don’t require any fees or deposit monies. Fees and deposits are based on the level of complexity. If you are uncertain whether or not your project requires HOA approval, review the HOA guidelines or contact BHE Management for clarification at (949) 363-1963, or email Melissa Mora at mmora@bhemanagement.com.

Communications Committee

You may have seen real estate ads referencing Dover Shores for homes that are not, in fact, part of Dover Shores. In an effort to protect the exclusivity that helps make Dover Shores valuable, we have successfully registered the phrase "Dover Shores" as a service mark with the California Secretary of State, owned by the Dover Shores Community Association. Now that the mark has been registered, we can require any inappropriate usages to be withdrawn. If you see any such usages, let BHE know, and they will contact the offending party.

It has been reported that some people who want to receive the newsletter have not been receiving it. If you know of anyone in this condition, please ask them to email us at board@dovershoreshoa.org. There are a handful of residents who are not receiving it because they have an automatic spam blocker that is rejecting the newsletter. We are trying to resolve those blocks.

CERT / Neighborhood Watch Updates

Yikes It's a Snake!

Most of us who have lived in Dover Shores for a while have seen snakes in our yards. Small garter snakes are the most common but occasionally you may see a bigger one like a gopher snake or a king snake. All of these are harmless if you leave them alone. Don't call animal control unless you see or hear a rattle.

In the unlikely event that you see a rattlesnake in your yard or in a park, please call animal control at 949-644-3717. Keep children and pets inside but keep an eye on it, if you can, until animal control arrives. Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snake in Newport Beach. In walking the back bay trails for more than 40 years, I've never seen or heard a rattlesnake around the bay. I have seen and heard rattlesnakes at Crystal Cove State Park. Like most snakes, as long as your don't surprise them, they will leave you alone if you leave them alone.

The NBPD has put up a snake page with more information on their web site. California Herps has good information including the ranges and photos of the most common Southern California snakes.

Fall CERT Classes

Fall CERT classes start October 7. More information is available on the City web site here.

Opinion from David Price

Dover Shores resident David Price has asked us to publish the following, indicating that it is provided solely to increase our mutual respect and neighborliness. The Board has no formal position on this content.

If you happen to be walking in the Dover Shores community and notice a property on which the landscaping encroaches on the sidewalk in a manner which makes it difficult to pass, you have a couple of options (other than of course doing nothing). You can, for example, file a formal complaint with the Newport Beach city offices. For your information, the city code provides that no landscaping may exceed any portion of the sidewalk line and the city takes the position that landscaping which encroaches even as little as one inch is a violation of city code. However, city staff adds that they make no effort whatsoever to inspect for or to enforce this ordinance such that the only instance in which a homeowner will be cited is one in which another resident reports a violation. Thus, while city staff also estimates that no less than 50 to 75% of our homes are in violation of the landscape ordinance, it will only cite and fine someone upon receipt of a formal third party complaint.

To avoid such an unnecessary scenario, you can step back and consider another alternative when you spot the offending landscaping – remembering that those homeowners are in fact your neighbors. If you notice landscaping which you find to be objectionable, just stop for a minute and send a message to Marla or Lisa at BHE. They can in turn pass the message to our landscape committee which can then advise the homeowner of the concern. The HOA does not need to be involved or otherwise address the scenario. It merely passes on the message. If the homeowner elects to ignore the matter, the reporting neighbor always retains the right to contact the city. However, we would all like to believe that the offending property owner will appreciate the respect shown by such an innocuous communication and will promptly ameliorate the problem.

The bottom line is that there is no reason to unnecessarily get the city involved or to have one of our neighbors cited and fined for what is most likely a petty and easily managed issue. Let’s all try to do the neighborly thing, and to show a little respect for the community as a whole. Thank you for your understanding.

Board Officers and Committees:

The Board Committees are:

If you would like to participate in any of these committees, please email us at: board@dovershoreshoa.org. We could use more help!

Finally

If you would like to submit an article for publication in the Newsletter that you think might be of interest to Dover Shores, please let us know by responding to this Newsletter by email.

Please let your neighbors know how to contact us at board@dovershoreshoa.org if they are not part of our email list and would like to join. Or please forward this email to them. Our goal is to reach every Dover Shores neighbor.

Note that past newsletters are always available at our archives.