Council unhappy with truck storage at Haverty’s

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

To say several Fayetteville City Council members are skeptical of the truck activity at Haverty’s Furniture on Ga. Highway 85 north would be an understatement.

After grilling Rawson Haverty — a senior vice-president of the company — at its meeting Thursday, the council decided to table consideration of an outdoor storage plan for furniture delivery trucks. The company is appealing an action of the city’s planning and zoning commission, which voted down the plan.

Haverty’s explanation of how the company’s trucks come and go upset several council members.

“Basically you're operating a transfer facility on a retail business,” said councilman Larry Dell, who said he wanted the city attorney to look into the matter before he voted on the issue.

Councilman Walt White said he wanted to see what the store defines as its service area for deliveries. While White said Haverty was helpful in answering questions, he also noted Haverty’s answers were “a little bit vague.”

Haverty said the adding of trees and landscaping to the rear and side of the building along with a brick wall would screen the trucks from view of adjacent residents and the Johnny Carino’s restaurant, which is next door.

Haverty said trucks that come in the evening contained deliveries for the entire area south of Atlanta, and the only other store on the south side is at Southlake Mall. The furniture is stored in those trucks overnight before they are taken to area homes the next day, Haverty said.

Those trucks do not have beepers as they back up, Haverty said, noting that the Fayetteville store “is the most isolated store geographically.”

The company’s delivery system allows the company to hire local drivers, Haverty noted.

Haverty also said recent noise complaints from residents about garbage trucks beeping early in the morning have been addressed with the garbage company. He also said while some of the Haverty’s drivers have left before the 7 a.m. restriction the city has placed on local businesses, that has also been addressed and wouldn’t happen again.

But one resident also complained at the meeting about the smell from the diesel trucks, especially since some of the drivers leave them running all evening.

“I drove a truck for 44 years,” said Harry Turpin, who lives on New Hope Road behind the store. “... A truck puts out a bad breath.”

The local store only has about 2,000 sq. ft. of storage space indoors, company officials said.

“We’re concerned in every case with being good neighbors,” Haverty said, adding later that the “level of trucking” at the store is small for a big-box retailer.

Haverty confirmed when the store first opened it did not offer deliveries like it does currently.

The vote to table the matter was 3-2, with councilman Al Hovey King and Bill Talley against.