THE VILLAGES, Fla. — It’s been well over a year since a sinkhole formed in a neighborhood in The Villages retirement community, and the damage can still be seen today.
- Sinkhole formed in Villages 1 year ago still unfixed
- Residents think damaged pipe played role in sinkholes
- Homeowners say they're tired of dealing with "eyesores"
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Many in the neighborhood think a damaged stormwater pipe that runs between the two homes played a role in the sinkholes that formed in The Villages neighborhood last year.
Others say there must be issues with the infrastructure in their neighborhood. Many want to move but say it’s impossible to sell their homes with two eyesores and a blocked-off street in their neighborhood.
After some lengthy wrangling over insurance and the value of the two homes, the damaged structures are now owned by Asset Trust Holdings, which has announced plans to make repairs to the houses and then resell them.
The residents have been told that the damaged roadway can’t be repaired until two properties on McLawren Terrace have been stabilized.
They’re simply tired of waiting for something to happen.
“We’re concerned about how safe it is for the rest of us,” said neighbor Suzanne Matonek, pointing out that a temporary pump has been in place for months to reroute stormwater away from the damaged pipe. “There are 75 homes that rely on coming down McAlpin Street, and if it erodes like (McLawren Terrace), we are going to be stuck down there.”
Matonek said another concern is the fact the neighborhood has dealt with the eyesore of the two damaged homes with overgrown lots for more than a year.
“We’re very concerned that our property values are going to go down as a result of that,” she said. “All of us pay amenity fees, and we pay taxes to get this infrastructure built. Obviously, there’s an issue with this infrastructure, and we want it fixed now.”
Matonek said that after purchasing the damaged homes, Asset Trust Holdings received extensions from Marion County to make repairs. She said the time for such delays in getting the properties fixed should come to end, and she and her neighbors plan to make that clear to county commissioners with a petition that has been signed by many area residents.
Spectrum News 13 reached out to the Marion County Commission for a response, but phone calls were not returned.