Deal Reached on Cromwell Court Dispute, Demolition Starts in 2 Weeks

The is over, after the township and Michael Crowley came to an agreement Monday afternoon that will allow demolition on an abandoned home to resume in about two weeks, West Deptford Mayor Ray Chintall said.

A consent order came together late in the day, which avoids , which had been scheduled for Tuesday.

The order allows Crowley, who now owns the home at 113 Cromwell Ct. via a quitclaim deed, to remove various personal items belonging to the former owner, Robert Schumann, before demolition is allowed to proceed.

It ends a nearly three-month dispute over the demolition of the home, which began and ended almost immediately in late February, after the township upheld a demolition order issued last fall.

Crowley had been battling since late last summer, after the township first condemned the home, to try to save the property, which had been abandoned for about six years.

He had argued the home, which had a mold infestation and what township officials said were other serious problems, was salvageable and could be rehabbed back into a livable condition.