An extension has been granted to a couple who owns a lavender farm in Lower Towamensing Township.

On a unanimous measure, township supervisors last week agreed to a stipulation to waive statutory deadlines per the request of Chris and Sheri Anthony, owners of Quiet Hills Lavender Farm, a 35-acre farmette on Hemlock Drive.

The township’s zoning hearing board has 60 days to hold a meeting once an application has been filed.

In the stipulation to waive deadline, it does not give how long they were allowing, just that upon written notice, the hearing would be held within 60 days of that written notice.

Before the vote, township solicitor Jim Nanovic informed the board of the Anthonys’ request to waive statutory deadlines to schedule a zoning hearing within 60 days.

Nanovic said the couple asked for an extension to continue dialogue with the township to explore a potential resolution to the matters raised by the Anthonys in their zoning appeal application so as to potentially obviate the need to conduct zoning hearing board proceedings.

“I received nothing as far any proposals,” Nanovic said.

Supervisor Jay Mullikin noted that either way, the Anthonys were still going to have to go through the township’s zoning hearing board, though he had no problem if they wanted to talk to the supervisors.

The Anthonys filed an appeal on March 11 to zoning hearing board, appealing the zoning officer’s denial of their zoning permit application dated Jan. 29, and requesting alternate relief and submitting a substantive validity challenge.

In November, the Anthonys approached supervisors about their farmette to clear up issues about building and zoning requests.

Duane Dellecker, zoning and code compliance officer, said the problem was that “they were issued a permit for a storage building for them to deal with their lavender, making their oils, and at the time it was not a public building, (but it) has since morphed into extended uses and we’re not aware of those uses.”

Chris Anthony said the couple started planting lavender on the farm in 2017, and now has one of the largest in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey.

He told the board they have many hundreds of guests who visit the farm on a free basis.

The property was used for religious retreats before it was purchased by the couple in 2015.

Anthony said they received a building permit in January 2024.

Anthony said that in the summer, Scott Brown, of Hanover Engineering, appeared on their property to say their septic system permit was denied, and that they needed to have a land development plan.

Since then, Anthony said the couple hasn’t received any communication from the township.

Nanovic told Anthony that, to his knowledge, the supervisors did not deny the couple’s septic permit, but that he could not comment on whatever Brown may have told them.

Nanovic said the board does not instruct the sewage enforcement officer how to do his job, and that a land development plan is needed.

Anthony emphasized that he wasn’t trying to be combative, and added that the building is a half-mile off the road.

Nanovic said that typically a developer prepares some type of plans that go to the township’s planning commission and engineer for review.

Township code enforcement officer Brent Green told Anthony that the township didn’t get any complaints, and added that he believes it was an oversight.

Green said that building permits do not come before the board of supervisors, and that whatever use they’re proposing goes to the state Department of Environmental Protection for their review.

Nanovic said no plan was submitted, but that if they want to have certain uses, they have to go to the zoning officer, and then to the zoning hearing board.

Sheri Anthony questioned whether it was the goal of the township to target and bully them so that they would have to sell.

Nanovic said he would respond to their attorney, but recommended they talk to the township’s zoning officer.

It was noted by the couple that the facility wasn’t built to serve as a wedding venue.

The discussion turned heated at several points throughout that meeting, with township planning commission member Angela Farrell telling the couple that the planning commission did not receive any land development plan.

Supervisors Chairperson Connie Brown said the board didn’t even know anything about it.

Dellecker said that a permit was issued for an agricultural building to grow/produce lavender.

Green told the couple that the township needs to know all of the uses the Anthony’s intend.

Farrell said that while she respects what the couple was doing, she didn’t feel it was fair for them to point the blame in the township’s direction.

Lydia Anthony, the daughter of Chris and Sheri Anthony, asked for everyone to work together.

Brown stressed that the township wasn’t trying to stymie their progress.