The Builders are Back

continued

"Yes, there was anger," says association president Matt Jordan, "disappointment and resentment with how the city handled it. For some unknown reason [the bond] didn't automatically renew, so when it expired, the city didn't take any action to pursue [Stoneleigh] for that money."

The city and the Chelsea Fairways residents ended up splitting the cost of having the roads finished, and the work was done this past spring. Norfolk stepped in to buy the thirty-two remaining undeveloped lots and complete the subdivision and also kicked in some money to replace the home owners' association dues not recouped from Stoneleigh. To cover the rest of the cost, Chelsea Fairways home owners will be assessed about $200 annually for the next ten years. And in a final move, the home owners' association lowered its annual dues by $200 a year, so that the net effect of the assessment is close to zero.

Even though the outcome is mostly positive, Leslie Lewis, a home owner in Chelsea Fairways, sums up many residents' mixed feelings about the resolution:

"I am happy that the streets are paved, although I feel that we should not have to pay the extra tax for these roads," says Lewis. "I feel the city of Chelsea dropped the ball with letting the bond lapse."