>> REVISED: Owners at The Manors (formerly "Mount McComas") Face Problems With Builder
By Karen Cordry, KHCA President
Long-time residents of Kensington Heights recall that ever since the construction of the mall in Wheaton (formerly Wheaton Plaza, now Westfield Wheaton), there was a huge mound, rising over the ring road and stretching south to McComas Ave. Fondly referred to as Mount McComas, it represented leftover construction debris from the original construction of the mall in 1959 piled up on the vacant land at that location. [See picture attached here.] After many delays, a builder, Opal Construction, was finally issued a permit to build 11 townhouses and three single-family houses on the property. The first step in the process was the reversal of the construction of Mount McComas with the removal of literally hundreds of truckloads of dirt and debris and the return of the area to contours roughly consistent with those of the neighbors. Because the land now sat at the bottom of a relatively steep 15-20 foot drop off from the mall south and was part of an overall downward sloping area along McComas from east to west, it was obvious that substantial attention would need to be paid to drainage and stormwater management issues to protect the new houses and those of existing neighbors. (The sizeable sloped area on the south side of McComas near the nursing home is an example of the sort of drainage solution that has been used to master the hilly glories of Kensington Heights.)
Such work would likely involve substantial earth moving and excavation and logically would be done before the houses were built -- and, indeed, the plans approved for the construction permit do indeed show that that work was scheduled to be done before construction started. In fact, though, it appears that, for whatever reason, that step was skipped, and the homes were finished before the drainage was installed. Now, the buyers find that they have drainage problems as well as other unfinished work affecting the common areas of the community. Although the installation of the drainage system started late last year, the work proceeded slowly because of the need to work around utility lines and the finished homes and to try not to cause damage. The wet weather also did not help.
The owners are concerned and have held several internal meetings, including one that I attended as KHCA President. At least one owner has filed a complaint with the County Department of Permitting Services to inquire about the work, the prior permits, and whether the current work is properly permitted. The County recently issued a stop-work order on the drainage system installation until certain conditions relating to the worksite are addressed. KHCA will continue to work with homeowners to help them get their problems resolved. In the meantime, stop by and say hello to the good folks living there and welcome the newest addition to KHCA.
