Neighbors Want Township to Shut Down Home-Based Carpet Business

The Upper Southampton Township Zoning Hearing Board heard an appeal Wednesday evening that, if granted, would allow a resident to continue to cut carpet in his driveway on Churchville Road

Neighbors say Robert Briggs is illegally running a carpet business out of his home. The appeal hearing has been , allowing him to continue operating his business as he awaits a decision.

“We‘ve been putting up with it for 10, 11 years now,” said Neighbor Janet Lynch.  “We’re tired of the trucks next door. Our windows rattle, things fall off our walls.”

Briggs’ address is residentially zoned and, as such, using the land for business purposes is technically prohibited. 

Briggs purchased the property, which covers roughly 3.4 acres, in 1984 and has been using it as his business’s primary base of operations since that time.

He said he takes a client’s order, picks up carpet at the mills then cuts it to his client’s specifications in the driveway. 

According to reports, the trucks leave the site an estimated 15 times a month and carpet is cut in the driveway eight different times in that span.     

Even though only family members work on the premises, and the house is not used for any sort of retail purpose, Upper Southampton laws forbid utilizing it for anything business-related.   

Lynch, who lives next door to Briggs, said she originally filed a complaint with the township nearly two years ago. 

When asked why she waited so long to file a complaint, Lynch said the situation has escalated over the years.

“It started out with one truck,” she said.  “Eventually it was four trucks.  They start warming them up at 6 AM and they run until 8 at night.  We’re just tired of it.  All the noise, vibration, emissions - our pool is 20 feet from where they’re parked.”       

Along with Lynch, a handful of neighbors were present at the hearing to argue the granting of the variance once again, citing concerns over both noise and air pollution.   

Briggs, who does contract work for Prime Properties of Philadelphia and hopes to retire within the next five years, said that running the business from a different location isn’t feasible given the current economic conditions. 

He said he has made attempts to quell the neighbors complaints including no longer warming the trucks up in the early morning hours.   

When asked by Board Chairman William Cummings if he’d consider using gas-powered trucks instead of the noise-producing diesel vehicles he currently employs, Briggs replied, “I’d love to.  I just have to get the money together.”

The hearing concluded with Lynch asking the Board to deny the zoning variance. 

Cummings said the board would issue a decision within the standard timeframe of 45 days. 

In Other News:

The Upper Southampton Township Zoning Hearing Board heard from resident Julie Luther regarding a request for a variance that would allow her to keep two sheds on her property, the second of which was put up without a permit.  Neighbors have referred to the situation as “something of an eyesore.”

True Beauty Concepts, which purchased property in Southampton in March, requested a variance to put up two parallel signs on the side of their building that faces Street Road.

The property, which dates to the 19^th century, is considered a historical building. 

Although one of the signs will be mounted onto the building’s walls, Site Project Manager Theresa King and Sign Designer Shannon Burkitt outlined plans that would permit them to update the sign for modern purposes while still preserving the historical integrity of the structure.    

The Board said it would have decisions on all three matters within 45 days.