[9] When first developed in the late 1940s, the rural community was unattached to nearby neighborhoods,[5] but by the early 1950s, it was often linked as a sub-section of Oak Tree due to the school and fire districts.

[12] Local neighborhoods up to that point had septic systems installed to each house, but the land had poor seepage due to the proximity of Dismal Swamp and residents experienced frequent raw sewage overflow.

[17] A portion of the land had an easement from the Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, where the Big Inch pipeline had been laid between 1942 and 1943 as a World War II emergency oil-carrying measure.

[36] By November 1950, the newly-built homes were advertised to include name brand appliances such as Crosley refrigerators, Bendix washing machines, oak floors and attached garages, for a cost ranging between $12,000 and $13,500.

[35][38][39] On December 7, 1950, Alphonse Seyfried was appointed section air raid warden for Stephenville, as well as the neighboring communities Oak Hills, Arrowhead Park and Dismal Swamp.

[19] After several weeks of investigation,[50][52] the New Jersey Department of Health, the Raritan Township Board of Commissioners and Tufaro came to an understanding in which Terra-Nova Construction Company would spend a considerable amount of money to correct the situation and maintain every septic tank in the community for a year.

[51][53] Tufaro made a good-faith promise to the Raritan Township Board of Commissioners that no new families would move into Stephenville until tests showed that the septic tanks were properly functioning for each household.

[54] The Raritan Township Board of Commissioners, however, pointed out that due to the water tables in that location, the only permanent solution would be for the residents to invest in the installation of a sanitary sewer system, for which Tufaro was not responsible.

[49] The New Jersey Department of Health, however, proposed a plan in which a full sewer system and sewage treatment plant would be built in Stephenville, at a cost to be included in the purchase price of new homes.

"[12][41] Commissioners Engel and Russell B. Walker, chairman of the health board, pressed for an injunction in the New Jersey courts against the Terra-Nova Construction Company, but were again met with opposition from Mayor Forgione, who advocated that the contractor should be given more time.

[12] Taking the matter into his own hands, immediately after the November 27, 1951 meeting, Commissioner Engel instructed township building inspector George Thompson to order a halt of construction at Stephenville's new 31-home Plainfield Road development.

[78] In mid-January 1952, Stephenville residents again appealed to the Raritan Township Board of Commissioners and the New Jersey Department of Health for a second investigation to be conducted into the community's sewer problem.

[87] On March 26, 1952, New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Daniel Bergsma brought a verdict that Raritan Township had 90 days (until July 1, 1952) to correct the pollution resulted from untreated sewage discharge in Stephenville.

[88] The State warned that the Raritan Township Board of Health could face court actions if the order was not followed, and sent notices to Commissioners Engel, Walker, Brace Eggert, and Martin J. O'Hara Sr., as well as to Mayor Forgione.

[88] On April 1, 1952, Mayor Forgione forced the responsibility back onto Stephenville residents by giving the homeowners two weeks to clear up and permanently resolve the sewage problem at their own expense.

[91] Problems delayed the connection of Stephenville to the Borough of Metuchen's treatment plant when it was discovered that Plainfield Road would only provide a less-than-adequate two-foot fall, and would necessitate the construction of a pumping station.

[107] In mid-August 1952, the Raritan Township Board of Commissioners announced that an agreement with the Borough of Metuchen would be signed on September 15, 1952, establishing a cooperative sewage treatment for Stephenville.

[110][111] With the community's sewage troubles seemingly nearing the end, Tufaro competed his purchase of 145 acres of land between Plainfield Road and Grove Avenue from the Raritan Park Company in mid-August 1952.

[165][166] Residents explained that they were not opposed to swimming pools but rather at the fact that the Edison Township was willing to pass an exception to allow the construction of public and business facilities in Residential AA areas, which by law was restricted to single-family dwellings.

[170][171] On November 12, 1958, the Stephenville Civic Association again opposed the residential plans offered by Absig Corporation, claiming that "large-scale housing developments" should be banned by the Edison Township Council.

[176] By doing so, the Woodside Swim Club would be able to extend Harding Road northward towards Oak Tree and pave the street at its own expense, thereby limiting the amount of traffic going through Stephenville.

[183] The Edison Township council added new clauses to the approval, noting that the Woodside Swim Club would need to use water supplied by a public utility company and build sanitary sewers.

[188] The Holiday Homes community had projected to relocate or remove Prospect Street, Washington Avenue and Bradford Road and subdivide land to smaller than legally-allowed parcels for residential construction.

[212] Powell suggested filling in and paving over the swamp, but Edison Township Mayor Anthony M. Yelencsics opposed the idea, citing it would be a public nuisance to the residents of Stephenville.

[217] On April 14, 1967, the Middlesex County Planning Board gave preliminary approval to John and Joseph Gulya for the development of land immediately adjacent north of Stephenville.

[223] The grant was used to cover the financing of damages to municipal utilities, drainage facilities and storm debris clearance as well as reimburse the township for a $20,000 emergency resolution passed by the council to reconstruct a portion of the Stephenville Brook culvert.

[227] Nearly 20 Stephenville residents attended the meeting to protest the request, stating that the proposed gasoline station would be closer to their homes and would create additional traffic congestions.

[230][234] Chief Fisher also pointed out that 12 additional uniformed patrolmen and 3 new cars would be added to its 118-man police force as part of the 1973 budget, which he felt would be sufficient to combat any rise in crime the northern communities were experiencing.

[240] The residents, however, brought out historical zoning maps of Edison Township, showing that the parcel of land had originally been designated as residential, explaining that it had intentionally been left undeveloped as a buffer between houses and the gasoline service station at the corner of Park Avenue and Stephenville Parkway.

[241] In addition, the council voted to obtain a legal opinion on whether it can introduce an amendment to the land-use ordinance that would reclassify the land back to a residential zone without the Edison Township Planning Board's input.