New builder steps in to rescue Birch Hill Residents grateful town helped community when it was abandoned BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Residents of an Old Bridge housing development have found that cooperation and determination saw them through a bleak-looking crisis. Now that West Long Branchbased PRC Homes has taken over construction of the partly built adult community, Horizons at Birch Hill, those who live there are finally seeing the positive outcome they have waited for. "Patience and good people made the payoff on this thing," Frank Ramson, president of the Birch Hill Homeowners' Association, said. "You can have good people in a bad situation, and if good people work together, you get good results." After Kara Homes declared bankruptcy in October 2006, residents of Horizons at Birch Hill were left with an unfinished community and no real answers as to when, or if, the problems there would be resolved. "Everything just came to a halt at that point," Ramson said. "There were certain houses left abandoned. We had the issue of these homes being winterized. There was ... some exposure to the elements." Of the 253 homes originally proposed by Kara, only 72 were completed before the company went under. Roads were left unpaved, with no curbing. Residents were left with only a temporary sewage pumping station. Homes, along with common areas such as the clubhouse and swimming pool, were left unfinished. Rainwater accumulated in the incomplete pool, making residents feel alarmed about a possible health hazard. "It was just desolate in the areas that were under construction," Ramson said. "That left us with a dilemma. We sort of marshaled ourselves together. We became very close-knit. We kept looking at the community as a whole, and that kept us together." The homeowners' association was facing problems that seemed insurmountable. Instead of buckling under the pressure, they mobilized, continuing to pay their maintenance fees in order to contract for necessary services. The group hired companies for landscaping, snow removal, garbage pickup, maintenance and insurance, Ramson said. They also retained an attorney. "We always communicated with the homeowners, so they knew exactly what was going on," Ramson said. "Somehow, we got through that period." Mayor Jim Phillips, along with other Old Bridge officials, pitched in to help the residents make it through. When the homeowners' group approached the township governing body with its woes, the town hired legal counsel to fight for the performance bond money deposited by Kara at the start of the project. The township also covered the costs of removing large garbage bins from the development, as well as putting fencing around the perimeter of the pool. Public safety was further ensured when the town funded initial snow plowing and roadclearing, according to Phillips. "It's a work in progress," Phillips said. "Only problem is, it's been a work in progress for a couple of years now." Ramson could not say enough about his gratitude toward township officials, especially Phillips. "I have to applaud the mayor," Ramson said. "He did step forward. His door was always open, every time I needed to see him. He was always responsive and kept us positive. Even the people in his office, they're so delightful." The optimistic attitude of everyone involved in the homeowners' struggle proved to be a portent of things to come. Amboy National Bank, which had a $26 million lien on the property, according to Ramson, put the development up for auction. In late September, PRC Homes partnered with the bank to see the project through to fruition. "They are some of the finest people," Ramson said of PRC and Amboy Bank. "They were so concerned about the homeowners. We feel so secure now in the fact that they are taking over this construction." At a Sept. 24 meeting hosted by PRC at the Grand Marquis, the developers presented their plans for the community, now to be called Madison Crossing at Birch Hill. They also addressed questions and concerns posed by the residents, Ramson said. In recent weeks, the developer began the work of completing tasks left undone by Kara. After cleaning up the site, they set to work on the various areas of the development that were in limbo. "It doesn't look abandoned," Ramson said. "They're working very diligently and consistently. It is such a relief." Phillips said he is also relieved. "For so long, they had lived with not knowing if this project would ever be completed," Phillips said. "We ... call ourselves the yachtsmen, because we're all in the same boat." Ramson praised Kara's original vision for the community, and said it took a special company like PRC to bring the project to completion. Now not only will the clubhouse be finished, but the new plans include improvements to the existing structure, Ramson said. "We feel very strongly ... that in the end, Madison Crossing at Birch Hill will be not only as good as we thought, but even better than we thought," Ramson said. "We didn't have a pool, we didn't have a clubhouse, but we had our homes, and we had each other. We knew in our heart of hearts that it was going to be OK in the end."