Are Run-Down Properties an Issue in Cranford?

At the June 24 workshop meeting, the township committee discussed ways to get property owners to take care of run-down, abandoned properties.

Some of the properties in question have structural concerns and overgrown lawns, the Cranford Chronicle reported, one resident brought up a property on Connecticut Street that has numerous issues since being unoccupied.

Township Administrator Joe Hartnett stated that Cranford does not have the budget for maintenance work on these unsightly properties, but that the township does send personnel to visit properties with issues, according to the Chronicle.

Although the township has an ordinance allowing it to charge property owners for maintenance to their property, it doesn’t matter if the property owner does not pay that fee, Hartnett said.

Hartnett and Mayor Tom Hannen are looking into ways to get these owners to pay for the upkeep of their properties because it cannot fall on the Township.

Do you think unkempt properties are an issue in Cranford? Tell us in the comments.