Four Seasons at Kent Island is the metro's most ambitious 55+ new-construction project: 1,079 homes planned, waterfront-adjacent, with K. Hovnanian as the builder. The sales center is impressive. Here's what happens after you sign.
In any new-construction community, the builder retains declarant controlof the HOA until enough homes close — typically until 75% of planned units are sold or a set number of years pass, whichever comes first. During this period, the builder appoints HOA board members, sets the budget, and controls spending priorities.
With 1,079 homes planned, Four Seasons at Kent Island is mid-build. Early buyers — homes 1 through several hundred — are living under builder-controlled governance right now. The amenity package may be partially built. Rules may change. Reserve fund contributions may be set at levels that look artificially low to attract buyers, with full-cost HOA fees starting after builder transition.
K. Hovnanian's published base prices start around $600K for SFH and $500K for condos. What you will actually spend depends almost entirely on the design center visit — which typically happens 30–60 days after signing a purchase contract, when you're emotionally committed.
Industry-standard averages for 55+ active adult communities show buyers spending $50,000–$120,000 in design upgrades above base price. Common upgrade traps at builder design centers:
Kent Island is connected to the Maryland mainland by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (US-50). The bridge is 4.3 miles long, and while it's a reliable structure with a strong safety record, it's a chokepoint with no bypass options. If the bridge is closed — weather, accident, wind advisory (it does close in high winds) — you're on the island.
On summer weekends, westbound Bay Bridge traffic backs up during Sunday evening return periods. The backup extends onto US-50 westbound through Chester (the community's local commercial hub) and can add 30–60 minutes to any westbound trip. This isn't hypothetical — it's a documented annual pattern that Kent Island residents accept as part of life.
For medical emergencies: University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton is approximately 25 miles east. Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis is approximately 17 miles west — requiring a Bay Bridge crossing. Johns Hopkins in Baltimore is 40+ miles. In a cardiac or stroke emergency, the bridge is a variable in response time that doesn't exist for Anne Arundel residents.
Kent Island sits at low elevation in the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Significant portions of the island are in FEMA flood zones — AE and VE (coastal) designations are common on waterfront-adjacent parcels. Even homes not immediately on the water can sit in AE zones due to the island's low topography and proximity to tidal areas.
Four Seasons at Kent Island's marketing emphasizes "waterfront-adjacent" access — the same geography that creates the flood risk. Buyers need to:
NFIP rates for Zone AE homes on Kent Island can range from $600–$3,500+/year depending on elevation. FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 (implemented 2021–2022) has significantly changed premium structures — older community-level rates no longer apply; each property is rated individually based on structure elevation and flood pathway.
Estimated HOA fees of $350–$450/month are current ranges based on the community's build-out phase. As amenities open fully, the cost basis rises. After resident transition, the new elected board will commission a reserve study — and will almost certainly find that contributions need to increase to adequately fund future capital replacements of roofs, parking lots, pool equipment, and clubhouse systems.
This is not unique to K. Hovnanian — it's standard across new 55+ community builds. The pattern: builder sets HOA fee at a level that makes the community look affordable, amenities come online and increase operating costs, and the resident board finds underfunded reserves at transition and raises fees.
Budget conservatively. If your financial plan depends on the HOA fee staying at $375/month indefinitely, stress-test it at $475–$525/month to see if it still works. A $100–$150/month HOA increase over 5–7 years at a community like this is not unusual.
Maryland reassesses residential property every three years. New construction is an exception: the Maryland SDAT will assess your new home at close to purchase price very shortly after settlement. But the taxable assessment phases in over the first assessment cycle.
More importantly: if you buy before all phases of the community are complete, your property tax may be calculated on a partially-improved parcel in year 1. Once the community build-out triggers a formal reassessment of your specific parcel, your bill can jump. Queen Anne's County effective rate is ~0.86% — on a $750K home, that's $6,450/year at full assessment. If you're quoted a $4,500 tax estimate in the sales center, understand the trajectory.
K. Hovnanian markets Four Seasons at Kent Island as one community, but the condo product (from ~$500K) and the SFH product (from ~$600K+) carry structurally different risk profiles:
If you're financing a condo, verify lender condo project approval before signing. If the project phase you're buying in hasn't completed Fannie Mae project approval, your financing options narrow to portfolio lenders at potentially higher rates.
Evaluating Four Seasons at Kent Island?
A buyer's agent who knows new construction contracts can negotiate design center allowances, review the HOA documents before you sign, and pull FEMA flood maps for your specific lot.
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