Frustrated by the growing weeds and unsightly appearance of the vacant buildings in the abandoned section of the Ellsworth shopping center property, the West Windsor Township Council has asked its attorney to look into options for dealing with what it is calling an “attractive nuisance.”
Discussing the matter during its agenda session on September 13, council members said they wanted to ensure that the property is not a health and safety hazard to the public.
“We talked about the fact that when the weeds grow, or there is some dumping back there, or some of the boards come down, we do have to send violation notices to the owners,” said Business Administrator Robert Hary. “Typically, they do comply after a period of time.”
The weeds have been growing up around the vacant buildings, attracting attention from council members.
Council has asked Township Attorney Michael Herbert to look into the township’s options for moving the process along, including whether they could require that the buildings be demolished.