City holding bond until developer makes upgrades

Officials want to see Beazer Homes address problems before releasing bond

Laurel Mayor Craig Moe said the city is holding Beazer’s bonds pending completion of improvements, including replacement of dead trees and installation of streetlights in the development, a new community of 37 colonial-style, single-family homes off Contee Road.

It is common for the city to hold a developer’s bond, said Jack Brock, Laurel’s deputy director of community planning and business services, but rare for the city to call, or redeem, a developer’s bond, which the city could do if Beazer fails to deliver the improvements.

‘‘There haven’t been any called in recent history,” Brock said. ‘‘Usually the developer is willing to take care of the issues once the city has contacted them.”

Homeowners association President Ben Gray said residents are considering hiring an attorney to help resolve their issues with Beazer.

‘‘For the most part it’s a constant shifting around — ‘It’s not my department,’ or, ‘I can’t speak to that area,’” Gray said. ‘‘It’s generally a typical run around.”

Beazer’s Ned Howe, a vice president for land development, said his company received a letter from Moe regarding homeowners’ complaints and is resolving them.

Howe explained that large ponds are needed during construction because of the heavy amount of runoff when grass and landscaping are not in place. Because of this, some work, such as stormwater management, cannot be completed until after all houses are finished being built, he said.

However, all 37 homes have been completed.

‘‘We’re often still doing work [lighting, access roads, landscaping and stormwater management] in subdivisions long after the last residents moved in,” Howe said.

He did not have a specific timeframe on when all of the work would be completed.

The last home in Contee Crossing —where list prices ranged from the mid -$400,000s to the upper $500,000s, according to residents — was finished about six months ago, Gray said.

Residents’ primary concern is a stormwater management pond that Gray said is a safety and health hazard. Children could wander into the pond, Gray said, adding that it’s become a haven for mosquitoes. Gray also said more landscaping and grading improvements are needed.

Barbara Robinson, a homeowners association board member, said water runoff in side yards and rear yards and drainage are also problems. During heavy rains, the standing water on her property is ankle deep, she said.

‘‘Everyone has complained of their sump pumps pumping a lot,” Robinson said. ‘‘I know that is common among the majority of homeowners.”

Robinson, however, said she blamed subcontractors for most of the problems rather than Beazer.

While Gray agreed some subcontractors might have been inadequate, he said responsibility ultimately lies with Beazer.

‘‘Beazer Homes is certainly willing to stand by their product and service their customers,” Howe said.

‘‘Like any new development, there’s issues and concerns that the homeowners are having, and my understanding is they’re not being responded to,” Moe said. ‘‘I have some heartache with that [residents’ concerns may not be being responded to] and am going to open lines of communication when possible.”

E-mail Steve Earley at searley@gazette.net.