Princeville Is Losing More Than Its Shine

Opinion by Bernard Markowicz — Friends of Princeville

I believe Princeville is going down the drain, and the investment each of us holds here is suffering with it. For some, that investment is a home and life. For others, it is a property entrusted to a community they expect to be managed responsibly. We all deserve better.

This judgment comes from my work on PHCA committees, conversations with owners, and professional experience planning and managing infrastructure projects. I see a community losing direction while its leadership allows political disputes to crowd out the work that protects our shared future.

Princeville looks tired. Cracked roads, rusting fences, poor drainage and neglected surroundings send a message. Buyers notice. So do residents who encounter these conditions every day. Our natural setting remains beautiful, but scenery cannot compensate indefinitely for weak management and deferred renewal.

What I have not seen is a credible, coordinated program that assesses infrastructure, ranks needs, sets budgets and delivers work against clear deadlines. Where is the overall drainage plan? Emergency and contingency planning? The beautification effort? Owners should not have to piece together scattered meeting reports to understand what their association intends to accomplish.

Some roads have been resurfaced. That does not answer why those roads took priority, how their selection followed an assessment of community needs, or when more consequential problems will be resolved. In my view, isolated jobs do not amount to meaningful progress against years of accumulated needs.

The Board must require professional planning and execution from management, then evaluate results. I believe its leadership has failed that test. Activity substitutes for achievement, and the community carries the cost.

Meanwhile, disputes over the Woods Course have politicized Princeville. In my view, Board priorities have become too closely aligned with SoS Hui and a minority opposing possible development near their homes. Their concerns deserve a hearing. They should not define the agenda for an entire community.

The Mull/White litigation and the Schulz dispute with Chicago Title also raise questions that reach beyond neighboring properties. The Schulz complaint alleges difficulties with marketing and financing Woods Course properties. Title-industry associations have warned of insurance consequences from the Woods Course ruling. These disputes create uncertainty that I believe can discourage buyers and damage Princeville’s appeal.

I am troubled by how little room remains for questioning the prevailing narrative. To me, this is groupthink: agreement becomes a test of loyalty, while contrary evidence and practical tradeoffs receive too little attention. “Open space” becomes a slogan instead of a discussion about ownership, rights, costs and achievable community benefits.

The Board should lead that discussion. I have seen no sustained effort to educate owners, explain competing choices or engage the sub-associations, our AOAOs, in a shared plan. Without that work, rumor fills the gap and divisions deepen.

Interest rates, insurance costs and broader market conditions also influence property values. But PHCA controls something: whether Princeville offers buyers and owners confidence in its upkeep, management and future. I believe we are losing that confidence.

We need a five-year renewal plan, published priorities, realistic funding and quarterly progress reports. We need management judged by delivery, rules reviewed for today’s needs, and regular engagement with owners and AOAOs. We need leadership willing to negotiate, examine facts and serve the whole membership.

That requires a change in how this Board leads and holds management accountable. Owners need decisions explained, commitments tracked and problems addressed before deterioration becomes the accepted standard. We should expect that discipline from those spending our dues.

Protecting and enhancing our investments is a reason we pay association dues. Princeville needs a Board that accepts that responsibility and acts on it.

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