Cohousing-L Mailing List: Non-approved changes to common areas

[O3C11N6G (normangauss]

I am co-owner of the common area of our condominium community, and I am 
witnessing changes, by a few members, to the private usage and legal definition 
of our common area without any permission from the general community.

This group of people have unilaterally (without the community's permission) 
declared that three general parking spaces (available to anybody in the 
community) have been converted to private ones.  That is, a portion of the 
common area has been declared off limits to the general community.   In 
addition, three private parking spaces are being converted to a workshop, again 
without permission from the community.

Are there any lawyers in cohousing land, who have some ideas on whether what I 
have described is legal?

I am interested in finding out if other communities have ever had changes made 
to the legal definition of the common area without formal approval from every 
co-owner.

Every deed makes reference to a permanent exclusive parking space defined on a 
map called the Condominium Plan.  The group I referred to above wants me to 
believe that they can, without my permission, (1) create new private parking 
spaces in the common area, and (2) create a workshop out of existing permanent 
exclusive parking spaces.  The entire map of private parking spaces is being 
changed, and I am not being ask for approval.

Does this sound right?  I hope somebody get give me some perspective on this 
state of affairs.  I have approached the members planning this change, and they 
say that their lawyer says that it is OK, end of discussion.  

If anybody knows whether similar things have been done before without approval 
from the general membership, I would be interested in the story.

Thanks,

Norm Gauss