By JUDITH O. ETZEL
Contributing writer
The Cranberry Township supervisors unanimously adopted a newly revised property maintenance code last November after months of contentious debate about the measure.
Several months into it, there have been some legal ramifications for several property owners who have been cited for non-compliance. A few residents face court hearings Friday on those violation filings.
A total of 34 letters that informed residents that they were in violation of the township’s property maintenance standards code have been sent out since January.
Several letters notifying residents of code violations addressed the storage of trash and household junk, said Breniman.
“We’ve had pretty good success with the letters that went out for the trash issue,” said Breniman. “A lot of the people who got those letters will call the office and say they are cleaning it up, getting a dumpster, that sort of thing. People are complying.”
The emphasis, though, is on the abandoned vehicles.
The vehicle-related violation notices went out to “nine individuals for 15 parcels,” said Breniman.
Abandoned cars are priority
The township code specifies that property owners cannot store more than two abandoned or junked vehicles (non-operable, not inspected) on their land. If those vehicles are visible from a public road, that constitutes a violation, according to the code.
Exempt from the restriction are vehicle repair and vehicle sales businesses and active farmers.
Breniman said court proceedings for several of the property owners notified of the abandoned vehicle infraction are set for Friday before district judge Patrick Lowrey in Cranberry Township.
All the cases involving abandoned vehicles apply to a slew of properties along a lengthy stretch of Route 322 in the township that stretches from Maple Shade to the township-Franklin city line. A few are located on off-shoot roads leading to the highway.
The charges are summary offenses and carry potential fines of up to $1,000 if the property owner does not conform to the property maintenance code rules. The fines can be levied on a daily basis if the violation is not corrected within a certain span of time.
“The priority now is junked cars,” said Breniman. “Some of the property owners who got those letters have come in and are working with me on the problem. I’m keeping tabs on it all.”
Headed to court
The township filed criminal complaints against the property owners in Lowrey’s office. They are summary offenses and can carry a fine ranging from $300 to $1,000 for infractions.
The filing of the complaints marks “the first time we’ve done it this way,” Breniman said.
The property maintenance code violations dealing with abandoned cars were accompanied by a second letter relating to zoning violations.
The township has five permits on file for junkyards, a designation that must conform to zoning regulations. Storing abandoned vehicles on land that is not identified, by permit, as a junkyard is a violation of the zoning laws. It is considered a civil complaint that carries a possible $500 per violation per day fine.
“The township has only five junkyard permits and any others are not licensed,” said Breniman. “We’re paying attention to those.”
More filings are expected
Breniman said the bulk of information related to code violations comes to his office via the public.
“People call in and tell us so I don’t really have to go out and find these problems. But, I have driven around and seen them so I know they are there,” he said. “In some cases, I will and I can go out and find those (abandoned vehicles) you can see from a public road.”
Enforcement of the township’s property maintenance code will continue, said Breniman.
“There are more in the township. This is the first round in a learning process and I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” he said. “It’s important because we believe the appearance of the township makes a difference.”
