Residents vent about utility problems at a "fairness hearing" held by Township Committee
By: William Wichert
MANSFIELD Sewers may be coming to Columbus, but last week residents from other parts of the township were the ones who had the most to say about it.
The sewer project is part of a court settlement approved by the Township Committee at an Oct. 27 "fairness hearing," where a standing-room-only crowd of residents took the opportunity to inform officials of the utility problems they are facing in their own neighborhoods.
The court settlement, which also is expected to be approved at a township Planning Board meeting tonight, Thursday, concludes the two-year legal battle between the municipality and Dallas-based Centex Homes over a vacant stretch of land along Petticoat Bridge Road.
Centex took the township to court in 2003 after the Township Committee ruled that the developer’s plan, which had been originally approved in 1997, was invalid. Mansfield won that case in June 2004, but Centex later appealed the decision.
While Centex’s plan still has to go through a series of public hearings, the settlement provides a blueprint for what is to come: 310 age-restricted, single-family houses; 36 apartments for low- and moderate-income residents; and 60 apartments for physically disabled residents. Centex is also expected to pay the township $4.58 million for a sewer system in Columbus.
At last week’s hearing, Planning Board attorney Fred Hardt said the township could have kept fighting Centex in court, and most likely won, but doing that would not necessarily bring sewers to the 200 homes in Columbusone of the sites where officials expect to locate all future residential and commercial growth as part of its Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program.
"To develop these parcels (on Petticoat Bridge Road), the key is sewers and how to sewer the village of Columbus," said Mr. Hardt. "The Township Committee has come to the conclusion that absent something special, it isn’t going to happen."
That "something special" turned out to be the $4.58 million coming from Centex, providing the financial backing for a project whose costs have stalled it for several years. Township officials originally wanted to connect the Columbus homes to the sewer plant at the Homestead at Mansfield development, but that plan proved too expensive.
Township Engineer Len Faiola said the cost of the Columbus sewer system could be between $8 million and $9 million, but the majority of the expenses will be covered by the Centex settlement money and the funds brought in by future developers in the village.
Whenever the sewers are built, officials and residents said it will provide a much-needed solution to the health problem that already exists with septic systems in Columbus.
"I am one of these wonderful people who will get sewers," said Debbie Pribell of West Main Street. "So I’m very happy."
But several other township residents approached the microphone at last week’s hearing with a question: "What about us?"
Barbara Mangus of Petticoat Bridge Road asked how this court settlement would benefit her, given the traffic and pollution that will come along with the over 400 housing units entering her neighborhood.
"I don’t hear one single thing being thrown our way," said Ms. Mangus.
The loudest voice, however, came from the residents of the Four Seasons at Mapleton community. Many of these residents praised the Columbus sewer plan, but they requested tax relief to set off the high costs they pay for a private sewer system, which is about $1,000 per year.
"We feel the municipality and its officials look upon us in Four Seasons as cash cows," said William Walters of Vandevere Lane. "But this cow is running dry."
Before the governing body approved the settlement, Township Committeeman Jaime Devereaux said the officials do not look at any residents as "cash cows." "We, and particularly myself, are working hard to help all the residents with tax costs," he said.
The main reasons for moving forward with the Centex deal, Mr. Devereaux said, is to bring sewers to Columbus and to help satisfy the township’s state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligations, thereby protecting the municipality from unnecessary development in the future.
"That’s what I’m looking at," he said. "Not tomorrow, but many, many years to come."

