When a Home Business Becomes Big Business

Zoning Board meetings tend to deal with building improvements or additions that may require variances from the township code. Other than an occasional next door neighbor, they rarely generate much attention from the public, One of the two applications to be he heard at this Thursday's ZB meeting has already provoked much discussion on neighborhood Facebook pages all over town.

But when a newly purchased single family home began attracting lines of cars loaded with laundry every morning, neighbors up and down Pitt Street began to get organized to challenge what turned out to be a well established commercial cleaning business.

15-38. Zoning regulations. 

A. R-1A, R-1B, R-2A, R2B single- and two-family residential zones. 

(1) Purpose. The intent of these zones is to preserve the integrity of existing residential areas by preventing the intrusion of nonresidential uses into residential neighborhoods and by maintaining existing development intensity and population density consistent with residential neighborhood patterns and the specified one- or two-family densities for each particular zone..

This issue is not confined to the North Center Neighborhood. I've seen it happen in the Newark area on a smaller scale, but it can happen anywhere. Home businesses are a growing trend and can be an asset to a community, but lines need to be drawn. It's up to our Zoning Board to make the call.

UPDATE on Pitt St. Zoning Board Application: Their attorney did NOT give proper notice so the ZB will NOT hear this application on Thursday, March 7.