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Highview at Souderton HOA president tells borough council of management, safety and financing shortfalls
Summary
Adam Rich, president of the Highview at Souderton homeowners association, told council the community faces long-running management failures, a projected reserve shortfall that could push HOA fees to about $320 by 2028, nonfunctional streetlights, missing signage and disputes with a commercial tenant over assessments, and asked council to help hold the developer accountable.
Adam Rich, president of the Highview at Souderton homeowners association, told the borough council on Feb. 3 that the community has endured years of mismanagement tied to the original developer and its property manager and now faces mounting costs and safety gaps.
"I became immediately responsible for overcoming a more than $220,000 deficit in our budget," Rich said, describing a shortfall left when HOA fees were kept at a low introductory rate. He told council the association’s reserve underfunding and ongoing maintenance needs mean the HOA could face dues in the "$320 plus" range by 2028 unless the board imposes a special assessment — he said a $1,500 special assessment is being considered.
Rich itemized several concerns he said remain unresolved: a lack of community signage (including no posted speed limits and inadequate parking controls that create safety risks), many streetlights that "have never been" functional on Lenape Lane and nearby streets, and interior roads the speaker said are private and therefore not dedicated to the borough. He also raised disputes with the development’s only commercial tenant, Dollar General, saying the commercial property has not contributed as expected for upkeep and alleging an agreement for a monthly assessment he described on the record.
Rich said residents had replaced the property manager with a professional management company and that the new manager identified punch-list items requiring developer attention. "How can or will thorough council help us address these issues, and is there someone that we can consult to get them resolved or that can hold the developer accountable for doing what is right by our community?" he asked.
Council chair Alex Brook acknowledged the level of detail but said the council would not debate the specifics at the meeting and offered to take the matter offline. Brook said the borough would revisit the original development agreement "to see which things we may or may not have been responsible for and support," and invited Rich to follow up by email or in a separate meeting so staff could investigate the developer obligations and the HOA’s assertions.
Next steps: Council took no formal action on the record at the meeting beyond agreeing to follow up; Rich said he had been recently elected HOA president and requested council assistance in reviewing the developer’s obligations and potential remedies.
