HOPEWELL TWP. — The 66 houses approved by the planning board here a few years back have since been reduced by the contractor to 17.

The unidentified developer was expected to attend Thursday’s planning board meeting with updates requested by the board back in November.

Their appearance was called off the day before, as an updated site map is still unavailable.

They did not attend the December meeting either. The next planning board meeting is on Feb. 16, it is unclear whether they will appear before the board at that time.

The lot in question is a field north of Mary Elmer Lake and along Woodlawn Avenue and Pineview Terrace. Hopewell Crest Elementary School, on Sewall Road, sits northwest of the new location of the proposed homes.

The surrounding roads have numerous sharp turns and are without street lights. This has drawn the concern of residents who believe increased traffic from drivers unfamiliar with the area could cause problems.

Former planning board chair Jim Manski said “so much discussion” had taken place in the years since approval.

He believes the tanked housing market may have played a part in the reduction decision.

Planning board secretary Donna Hickman said on Thursday that the board does not know what kind of homes are being proposed yet and the board requested further information after the November meeting.

“They haven’t come back with revisions yet,” said Hickman who was unsure of the reason why.

She added that interested residents may call her office a few days before the scheduled February meeting to see if the contractor is on the agenda. Her office number is (856) 453-9181.

Page 18 of the 2007 Hopewell Township Master Plan states “new residential uses should continue to be permitted in the agriculture areas.”

Further, the document classifies as the lot as an R-3 district. Hopewell’s land use plan from the same year recommends “boundaries of these districts (R-3) be reduced.”

As the lot in question is little more than a vacant field, it would seem the planning board’s approval around the time the master plan was published is in order.

In a letter to the editor that appeared in Monday’s edition of the News, many varied points are raised that challenge approval of 17 more homes.

Among those points are 15 homes built on speculation a short distance from the Hopewell lot.

All but five of these houses in Deerfield Township were sold. The remaining homes and sales office, which was a trailer, have been left in a state of disrepair.

The letter draws comparisons to what could happen if these homes are built and the demand doesn’t show up.

The author uses figures from an October issue of the Home Buyers Guide to support that argument. There are 800 homes listed for sale around the county.

On their website, Weichert Realty presently lists nine single family and one multifamily home for sale in Hopewell. Prices average around $200,000 with a few outliers.

The Home Buyers Guide lists average purchasing price for a home in Cumberland County is $157,437.