Residents raised questions at the meeting about a Hartz redevelopment project that received a temporary certificate of occupancy and about recent objections to the township’s affordable-housing plan.

Resident Bridal Labrutta told the committee the town had two objections (described in the transcript as filings) to Cranford’s affordable-housing plan after the August 31 deadline; she also criticized the Hartz project for operating after its temporary CO was issued on July 26 without conventional property tax reassessment. "If their website is correct...212 apartments are rented. So, Hartz collects rent...and Cranford got 0," she said, urging scrutiny of the town’s deal.

Mayor Terrence Curran and Business Administrator Lavona Patterson responded with procedural clarifications. Curran said he spoke with the township housing lawyer, who will send Hartz "two weeks to finish the items they need to finish on their punch list and then we'll move forward with other steps." Patterson explained that conventional taxes on the residential and commercial portions of the property will be reassessed in November and that pilot payments tied to the developer’s final certificate of occupancy will begin when that final CO is issued.

Township Attorney Tom Slattery (identified in the meeting) described the objections filed against the township’s plan as routine procedural filings that will be addressed through the municipal affordable-housing process. He said the township will review the objections and advise the committee on next steps rather than characterizing them as an immediate legal crisis.

No formal legal action was taken at the meeting. Officials said they will follow up with counsel and report back to the committee on Hartz’s punch-list status and the status of the affordable-housing objections.

Speakers urged the committee to be transparent about developer deals and tax handling; officials said they would provide updates and that some tax recalculations and pilot payments are governed by the timing of certificates of occupancy and standard tax-assessment schedules.