Lodi Township Stands Firm Against Toll Brothers in Development Battle

The Lodi Township Planning Commission is pushing back against Toll Brothers, demanding clear answers and accountability before approving the Arbor Preserve site plan.

Photo: Lodi Township Planning Commission Members, Chair Strader is third from the left. Photo by Steve Sheldon.

“We’re not Novi, and we never will be,” said Cindy Strader, Chair of the Lodi Township Planning Commission, at Tuesday evening’s meeting. Strader was expressing her concerns, bordering on outrage, on the final site plan presented to the commission from luxury home builder Toll Brothers on a proposed 107-unit development known as Arbor Preserve – North and Arbor Preserve – South.

Arbor Preserve – North will be located on the east side of South Wagner Road between Waters and Scio Church Roads. Arbor Preserve – South on the north side of Waters Road, between Wagner and Scio Church Roads. They will include 55 and 52 housing units, respectively.

With a large number of Lodi Township residents present, several used the public comment section of the meeting to express their disapproval of the proposed development. Resident concerns centered mostly around the potential environmental impact of the 107-unit development would have on existing aquifers that supply water to current residents and the potential safety and quality of life issues posed by two wastewater treatment plants that would discharge treated effluent directly into existing streams.

In her remarks, Strader raised several concerns about the site plan. “I feel disrespected by the site plan presented to this commission,” Strader said. “It is full of inaccuracies and has not addressed most of the concerns we have raised in over two years working on this project.”

In the site plan, Toll Brothers stated that 3,285 trees would be removed, 325 of which were identified as landmark trees. In addition, Toll Brothers did not include any information on water studies or specifications of the design of the wastewater treatment plant. Strader also raised serious objections to Toll Brothers doing very little to protect the natural features that exist on the property.

“This may just be another development to you, but we live here,” Strader said, “and we want something that we can be proud of. It was like you completely ignored things we have said are important to us, and that is unacceptable. You should understand this is a big deal for us and does not seem to be a big deal to you.”

Toll Brothers is a behemoth company. They have built homes in twenty-four states and are a publicly traded company. They tout themselves as premier builders of luxurious neighborhoods. Yet, there have been 205 complaints to the Better Business Bureau in the last three years. Toll Brothers has been sued by the U.S. Government under Fair Housing laws and in 2023 by Becker’s New Jersey litigation team for construction defects, which resulted in a six-figure settlement.

The Commission voted to table consideration of the site plan until their next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 29^th at 7 p.m. Strader issued the Toll Brothers a stern warning as they prepare for the next meeting, “You should know that simply cutting and pasting old, inaccurate information is not acceptable.”

The David vs. Goliath battle over the Arbor Preserve development will continue in Lodi Township. As the Planning Commission prepares for the next round of discussions on April 29, members expect Toll Brothers representatives to come armed with detailed answers—not evasions. After years of review, vague responses and missing details will no longer suffice.