Cranberry Run residents press Buena Vista for help with Legacy-managed park; assembly members pledge $400,000 for salt shed

Residents of the Cranberry Run manufactured-home community used the July 22 public-comment period to press Buena Vista Township officials on longstanding infrastructure and contract problems with the park’s owner, Legacy.

Speakers described frequent utility failures, drainage and road defects, questions about who is responsible for electrical and water-service lines, concerns over rising lot rents and what residents described as inadequate responses from park management. One resident asked whether Legacy had a permit for a pool; township staff Lisa said no pool permits were pending and that the current pending application relates to a proposed pickleball court.

Residents and committee members discussed a pad (lot) fee the park owner collects. A resident and staff described the pad fee as an owner-collected charge that offsets township services; attendees estimated the fee at roughly $25 per home and an annual aggregate near $90,000, but the committee characterized those numbers as resident estimates rather than formal finance figures. Township staff and committee members repeatedly advised residents to pursue legal counsel as a collective: South Jersey Legal Services was recommended as a place to start.

Two visiting state assembly members who identified themselves as Dan and Cody Miller addressed the meeting. Dan and Cody said they worked with the speaker’s office to secure $400,000 in the state budget for a new salt shed for Buena Vista, calling the structure “mission critical” to store roughly 500 tons of rock salt and maintain the township’s 44 square miles of roadways. The assembly members said they will support the township’s efforts to obtain the project funding and encouraged continued engagement with local officials.

Committee members and staff acknowledged limitations on the township’s authority when a problem stems from a private contract with a private park operator, and they encouraged residents to gather documentation, photos and a single shared list of issues to aid legal counsel and any formal complaints. The committee said it can escalate matters to county or state agencies in cases that rise to the level of public-safety hazards.

The public-comment session also included questions about AutoZone’s proposed store near Tractor Supply (staff said local approvals are largely complete and county-level permitting remains), recycling-tote replacements (information provided about Atlantic County Utilities Authority options), and complaints about roadstriping and heavy truck traffic on local roads.