North Whidbey homeowner says HOA delays left limb that destroyed garage

Alyssa Moncada of Northgate Terrace says delays in her neighborhood homeowners association’s approval process contributed to a large evergreen limb remaining in her backyard until windstorms on the night of Dec. 17 caused a portion of the upper half to fall and destroy the family’s garage. The fall also knocked out electricity and hot water for the Moncada household, according to local reporting by the Whidbey News-Times.

Moncada and her family are currently living in a rental while repairs go forward and remain unlikely to return to their home until June, a photographic caption in the reporting states. Moncada told the paper, “Luckily our insurance is covering it, but just for these two, it’s so incredibly expensive,” underscoring immediate financial strain even with an active claim.

The tree involved was described by Moncada as originally standing 40-50 feet tall and 3-4 feet in diameter. A photo provided by Moncada shows the upper half of the large evergreen lodged in the ruined garage; a photo by Whidbey News-Times photographer Allyson Ballard accompanied the story and its captions documenting displacement and damage.

It took Moncada two months to obtain the homeowners association’s approval to remove the remainder of the tree, the Whidbey News-Times reported. The paper states that a homeowners association and changes to its tree policy made removing dangerous trees difficult for the resident. Moncada said, “I feel like this is just an easy stamp of approval,” and expressed concern about safety: “It’s one thing if (the tree) hits our already broken house, but I don’t want it to hurt somebody.”

Board President Rachel Oswalt declined to be interviewed for this story, and the reporting does not provide the exact date the HOA granted approval or the specific language of the policy changes that slowed removal. Moncada also raised a neighborhood-wide affordability concern: “I don’t think anybody in the neighborhood has the money to start cutting down a bunch of trees,” a remark that highlights potential unequal burden when large, aging trees pose hazards.

The Moncada case raises outstanding questions about how Northgate Terrace’s HOA handles urgent tree hazards, who bears cost and liability when dangerous trees are reported, and whether current policies allow expedited action when utilities and habitability are affected. These procedural and financial gaps remain unresolved in the neighborhood’s public record as reported.