Committee to issue ultimatum to get development repairs done
By: Lacey Korevec
Township officials said Monday that they plan to give K. Hovnanian, developer of the Four Seasons on Old Trenton Road, an ultimatum to finish repairs and construction.
The township will send a letter to the developer asking for a schedule of maintenance plans to be submitted within 30 days and that it complete those plans within 90 days of submitting the schedule. If the developer does not comply, Township Attorney Trishka Waterbury said, the committee should pull the $1 million performance bond the township holds on the development.
Four Seasons residents told the committee Dec. 4 about problems in the development, including poor drainage, flooding issues, unfinished roadways and dying shrubs. Township officials said they would look into options for getting the improvements completed as soon as possible.
A performance guarantee bond is money a developer gives to a township to ensure work it promises to complete gets done. If the developer does not meet its requirements, the township can use the $1 million to make the improvements.
"Pretty much all of the issues that were mentioned are covered by the performance guarantee," Ms. Waterbury told the committee Monday. "The idea is to give them some pretty firm deadlines and hold them to it."
Cranbury Four Seasons Home Owners’ Association President Jane Elias said she hopes more things will be accomplished by Jan. 16, when the board of directors from the association will meet with representatives from K. Hovnanian.
"Hopefully, we can get some final deadlines at that time," she said.
Township Committeeman Richard Stannard said Wednesday that the township does not want to pull the bond and is hoping the developer will comply with the timeline it sets.
"It is a fairly lengthy procedure," Mr. Stannard said. "It can get messy. We’re just hoping they do what they said they were going to do."
Ms. Elias said the issues include the completion of roadways that have never been finished, shrubbery that was improperly planted and is in poor condition, sewers that need to be repaired, alleyways and yards that need to be regraded and more.

