HOWLAND Petition targets local developer

The developer says he is addressing the concerns.
By STEPHEN SIFF
and PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- The paint is barely dry in the sitting room of Maribeth Bailey's $270,000 home in a brand-new development, but the potholes in the street, overgrown lots and unfulfilled expectations make her question her decision to buy a home there.
"If I would have to do it over again, I would never even think of buying in this neighborhood," said Bailey, a mother of four.
"It's awful. You put all your savings in your home, then you are trapped."
The neighbors aren't happy, either.
Petition signed
Nearly every homeowner in Crosswinds Landing, a 5-year-old development off state Route 46 with large homes and landscaped lawns, has signed a petition demanding government action against the developer, Atty. Robert Safos.
Complaints include potholes and ruts on the street that loops through the development and which has yet to receive its final coat of pavement; weeds and overgrown grass on unsold lots; a decorative entranceway that was never built, and street lamps that were never installed.
"I'm addressing all the concerns that I can," Safos said Monday. "I'm really surprised that the media would be contacted before people addressed the issues with me."
A meeting has been scheduled for today with township officials to discuss streetlighting and bids are being sought on repairing the potholes, Safos noted.
"I had the potholes patched in March and as soon as I get the bids, I will get the work done," Safos said.
Safos has been working with township officials to install streetlights at intersections, as required by local code, said township administrator Darlene St. George.
Township regulations aren't concerned with streetlights on the rest of the street.
High grass
The tall grass on unsold lots is cut a "few times" a year, Safos said. Reporters say grass there at least a foot high Monday.
Residents note in their petition that the overgrown grass is dangerous for small children because snakes and different types of animals have been spotted.
In some cases, high grass can also be a zoning issue, St. George said, but many of the other complaints are issues between homeowners and the developer.
And residents who have been there a year or two are worried their neighbor's houses aren't up to snuff.
The new ones going in cost as much as $100,000 less, driving down the value of the whole neighborhood, they say.
"You don't want to sound like a snob, but we put a lot of money into our homes," said Craig Harrington, who has lived in Crosswinds three years.
Last month, Trumbull County Engineer John Latell told Safos to put the final course of asphalt on the streets in Crosswinds before winter or risk sacrificing performance bonds totaling $60,000.
siff@vindy.comsinkovich@vindy.com