UPPER FREEHOLD — A resident of the Woods at Cream Ridge can continue operating a business out of her house, but would need further approvals if she wants to rent her home.

At the Sept. 22 meeting, the Planning Board found that Ming Chu "Margaret" Lei has complied with the conditions the board set when it approved the home-based business three years ago.

Vice Chairman Doug Raynor said the board has not received any complaints about the business since Lei's last appearance. Raynor said he had looked at the property, and saw no external evidence that Lei was conducting business out of the home.

On July 25, 2006, the board approved Lei's home occupation as a conditional use of the property, despite the opposition of some neighbors. At that time, Lei said she owns and runs Leigh International, a children's fashion design company that makes communion dresses. Lei, a single mother, told the board the business is her means of supporting her daughter.

At the time of approval, Lei testified that customers rarely come to her house, and that she has one employee.

Trish Dorey, who is now on the Planning Board but did not attend the Sept. 22 meeting, had filed a complaint about Lei's business in 2006. Dorey complained that Lei's business is a public nuisance that mars the upscale appearance of the neighborhood.

Upon approving the business as a conditional use of the property in 2006, the board said it would review the approval in one year. However, the review had not been done until now.

When Lei appeared for the review, she said she now runs the business by herself, without employees. While a United Parcel Service truck comes to her house almost every day, tractor-trailers, which were a bone of contention with her neighbors, come to the residence about five times a year, she said.

"It doesn't bother the neighbors," she said.

Customers no longer come to her home, she said. While she previously stored merchandise in the garage, she now keeps it in her basement, she said.

Chairman John Mele said that zoning officer Ron Gafgen visited the home and reported that Lei stores gowns on a 20-foot rack in the basement.

Lei told the board that she may rent her house due to the slow economy, as well as high mortgage payments and property taxes. She said she had tried to sell the house, but could not in the current market.

According to the township code, a home business owner must own and reside at the property where the business is located.

Planning Board Attorney Dennis Collins told Lei that if she rents the home she must pursue approval with the Zoning Board.