Woodbine Subdivision
A plain-English summary of the legal landscape.
Woodbine has deed restrictions recorded with Oakland County in 1946 that bind every lot, and a separate voluntary nonprofit (the WIA, incorporated 1953) that binds only its members. The two get conflated - the WIA's website labels the restrictions "HOA Restrictions" and its state filings call itself a "Homeowners Association" - but they are legally distinct. An HOA derives mandatory membership and dues authority from recorded covenants that run with the land — the WIA's governing documents contain none of that.
We now have the 1946 original recorded restrictions (Liber 2005, Pages 262-266) and the 1956 assignment of enforcement rights (Liber 3512, Pages 620-621) in which V. Nelle Bradshaw formally transferred all enforcement authority to the WIA. The "restrictions" document on the WIA website is a 1976 unrecorded derivative that made several changes to the original — including removing two sections and replacing the original enforcement authority ("first parties") with an undefined "Committee."
The bottom line: the neighborhood has operated for decades under a 1976 document that doesn't match the actual legal record, and under the assumption that the WIA has the legal standing of an HOA — with authority to require mandatory dues, place liens, and enforce compliance. From what the recorded instruments actually say, it doesn't. This site documents what authority actually exists, what doesn't, and what homeowners' real options are.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Farmington Hills, MI
- Total Homes
- 140
- Subdivision Recorded
- 1946
- Current Dues
- $30/year (voluntary)
- MRTA Deadline
- September 29, 2027
Key Findings
The 1946 original recorded restrictions (Liber 2005, Pages 262-266) are now in hand — a Warranty Deed from V. Nelle Bradshaw containing 12 numbered sections governing residential use, building standards, and enforcement.
The 1956 assignment (Liber 3512, Pages 620-621) proves the WIA has formal, recorded enforcement authority. V. Nelle Bradshaw assigned all enforcement rights to the WIA on April 6, 1956. The chain of authority is intact: Bradshaw → WIA.
The 1976 website PDF is a modified, unrecorded derivative of the 1946 original. Key changes: discriminatory section removed, septic section removed, "first parties" replaced with "the Committee," minimum square footage increased. None recorded.
The WIA is a voluntary improvement association, not an HOA. It has no recorded authority to compel dues, place liens, or bind non-members. Since 2008, however, it has described itself as a "Homeowners Association" on its LARA filings - a self-description with no legal effect, but one that creates the appearance of HOA authority.
A preservation notice must be filed with Oakland County by September 29, 2027, or Michigan's MRTA will permanently extinguish all deed restrictions.
This is the single most time-sensitive issue. Without action, Woodbine loses all covenant enforcement permanently.
Four Key Documents
An HOA's authority comes from one place: recorded deed restrictions that name the association and grant it specific powers. In Woodbine, the 1946 restrictions gave enforcement rights to V. Nelle Bradshaw, who formally assigned them to the WIA in 1956. That chain is intact — but it does not include dues authority.
The recorded instrument that binds all homeowners
1946 Original Restrictions (Liber 2005, Pages 262-266)
Warranty Deed from V. Nelle Bradshaw containing 12 numbered restrictions. Governs residential-use limits, building standards, setbacks, and nuisance rules. Enforcement authority was retained by Bradshaw as "first parties" and later assigned to the WIA in 1956. Contains no language about dues, assessments, or mandatory membership.
Formal transfer of enforcement authority
1956 Assignment of Enforcement Rights (Liber 3512, Pages 620-621)
V. Nelle Bradshaw formally assigned all enforcement rights under the deed restrictions to the WIA. Signed April 6, 1956, notarized, recorded April 13, 1956. This is the document the clerk originally pointed us to — it's the assignment, not the restrictions themselves.
Unrecorded derivative — not the legal original
Website PDF: "Restated Building and Use Restrictions, Revised 1976"
A modified derivative of the 1946 original. Removed the discriminatory and septic sections, replaced "first parties" with an undefined "Committee," and increased the minimum square footage. None of these changes were recorded with Oakland County.
Defines the organization - does not bind homeowners
Articles of Incorporation (1953)
Filed in 1953 to serve "the members of the corporation." Never amended in 73 years. Contains no assessment authority, no lien rights, and no mandatory membership. The 2009 bylaws claim powers far beyond what these articles authorize.
Internal rules - binds voluntary members only
WIA Bylaws (2009)
Adopted by a vote of roughly 30–40 members. Claims mandatory membership for post-2009 residents and "tax lien" authority for unpaid dues - but bylaws of a voluntary association cannot create obligations that run with the land or bind non-members.