The city Zoning Hearing Board recently granted permission for a major home-based business upon the owner’s appeal of an administrative denial by the city of a business license.

The board granted the permission on condition that Jessica Stehley’s JDS CleanOuts keep her and her husband’s property on the 3000 block of Spruce Avenue looking as if there were no such business headquartered there.

JDS performs “residential, foreclosure, estate and hoarding” clean-outs, according to its application to the board.

The stuff collected during clean-outs normally goes directly from job sites to local transfer stations, although there have been times when her husband has been “overwhelmed” and the company’s dump trailer has been parked at the house, Stehley said.

“It can’t happen (anymore),” said solicitor Bill Stokan. “A home-based business is supposed to look like no business (takes place there).”

The property has a three-bay garage in which the dump trailer can be parked.

The home is only used for the clerical aspects of the business, and no clients come to the house, Stehley said.

She and her husband are the only employees, she said.

There have been times when her husband has been “overwhelmed” and the dump trailer has been parked on the property before there was an opportunity to take it to a transfer station, Stehley said.

Digital sign approved

The board granted permission for Blvd Suites Inc. on the 1200 block of Pleasant Valley Boulevard to replace a double-stack billboard with a single digital sign measuring 12 by 24 feet.

The new sign would be about half the square footage of the existing signs put together, according to Buddy Swisshelm of Digital Signs and Marketing of Murrysville.

The owner of the existing billboard setup is ending its lease, which will enable Blvd to install its own sign, according to Swisshelm.

The digital image on the new sign will be static — no motion, no movement, Swisshelm told the board.

It will be operated in compliance with city and state rules that govern digital boards, which include a requirement that brightness goes down at night, Swisshelm said.

Postponement

The board postponed consideration of a request for a variance on setbacks and off-street parking requirements from Humble Homes and Rentals of Hollidaysburg, which is proposing to build a small house on the corner of 12th Street and Fourth Avenue, across from a corner of the Penn-Lincoln Elementary School property.

The board granted the continuance because the project architect was unable to make the hearing.