Tradesmen and business representatives listened to Bob Karen talk about Hovnanian's "Partners Program." Key goals of the program are to improve quality, reduce costs and share savings, and to solve problems together so all parties can benefit. The program is intended to provide subcontractors and suppliers with a consistent, predictable flow of work, and clear standards and construction methods. The current plan calls for building about 150 homes a year, said Karen, president of active adult housing for Hovnanian. 
 
The development site consists of several parcels that total 562 acres. Karen said the company believes the Four Seasons community will be better overall for Queen Anne's County than having separate projects built by five, six or seven developers. Karen said Hovnanian will invest $40 million in the project before it sells the first home.
"There will not be one school child generated from the community," said Karen. At least one resident of a home would have to be age 55 or older. Children 18-years-old or younger could not live in Four Seasons.
 
The meeting drew a variety of people including carpenters, plumbers, mechanical contractors, electricians, roofers, painters, landscapers, paving contractors, and lumber and fuel suppliers. Those interested in the partners program were asked to fill out forms so they can be contacted by Hovnanian at a later date. 
"It's inevitable probably," John Neff said of the planned development. A basement waterproofing contractor from Kent County, Delaware, Neff said his business, Seal-Tek, does most of its work in Delaware. He said many communities are looking for developments geared for retirees, and Four Seasons is probably the lesser of several evils when compared to other ways the property could be developed.
 
"It looks like a good layout," said Bill Leonard of Tri-Gas & Oil. "If not this (project), who knows what (would be built)?" He said Tri-Gas could supply diesel fuel for construction vehicles and fuel for temporary heating during construction, and supply propane gas after the homes are built.
 
The positive points of the project outweigh the negatives, said Doug Shreve, executive director of the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber's board of directors voted last September to support the Four Seasons plan. 
"It's a win-win situation for a whole raft of reasons," said Shreve. He said the project would have a tremendous fiscal impact on local businesses not only during construction but after homes in Four Seasons are occupied.
"The chamber will testify, no question about it," Shreve said of the Feb. 27 growth allocation hearing for Four Seasons.
The Feb. 27 hearing before the county commissioners - slated for 6 p.m. at Kent Island High School - is the next step in the review process for the Four Seasons plan. Hovnanian has conceptual plan approval from the county planning commission and its growth allocation petition was conditionally approved by the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission. Growth allocation is a mechanism which allows land within the state's critical area to be reclassified to allow higher density development. The county commissioners also have to approve growth allocation requests. 
In addition to asking contractors and businessmen to work on the Four Seasons project, Karen asked them to support Hovnanian's effort in getting its plan approved. He asked people to write letters to newspapers and call "neutral neighbors" and the "town fathers."
 
"If you like us, ... we need some support," said Karen. "... People who are 'anti' are certainly more mobilized than people who say, 'this looks good.' "
 
Many Kent Islanders strongly oppose the Four Seasons plan, citing the size of the project and its impact on local roads; wildlife, wetlands and water quality; and police and emergency services as some of the reasons for their opposition. On election day last November, about 2,200 people signed petitions asking the county commissioners to deny the growth allocation request. The petition drive was organized by a citizens group, the Kent Island Defense League.
 
Karen and Mark Stemen, area president for Hovnanian, said they were pleased with the turnout at the Feb. 6 meeting at Chester River Inn. "I'm very pleased with the prospect of having local trade partners," said Karen.
Stemen said he thinks contractors are "excited and eager" about the project. "I think it's good for Queen Anne's County," he said.
 
Hovnanian has built seven age restricted communities - five in New Jersey and two in Pennsylvania. Construction on the most recent project began in 1993 and was completed in 2000. The Four Seasons Country Club and Spa in Lakewood, N.J. was done in seven years, although it was originally planned to be built over 11 years, said Karen. He said the plan called for 1,560 homes, but the project ended with 1,306 homes because more buyers bought bigger homes. 
 
"The market acceptance was far beyond out expectations,'' said Karen. 
The concept plan for Four Seasons at Kent Island shows a recreation complex - clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and bocce court - and a helicopter pad. The houses would be a mixture of single-family homes and multi-family condominium units. The minimum lot size for a single-family house would be 40 feet by 120 feet.