BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead will have another boarding facility following a decision from the municipal planning committee (MPC).
On May 7, the MPC unanimously approved Jaryd and Alysha Riebel's application to build a 14-by-28-foot building to host a small breeding and boarding service.
Development officer Jenny Bruns said the property is in an agricultural district developed with a residence and multiple outbuildings.
The municipality's land-use bylaw defines small breeding and boarding services as any development that breeds, boards, cares for, or trains small animals generally considered household pets.
"This application is for pet boarding," Bruns said. "Like a doggy daycare sort of thing."
She added that under the LUB, small animal breeding and boarding facilities should be no closer than 305 metres or 1,000 feet from a residence unrelated to the proposed development and shall be considered discretionary uses, saying the closest adjacent residence, which is the applicant's, is 280 metres away.
"The development authority may regulate the number of animals based on size and type of animals, size of parcel and proximity to other residents," Bruns said, adding that animals under six months old do not count towards that number.
Suitability
In their application, the Riebels state that the building will house up to 10 dogs in individual runs and that a large fenced area will allow the dogs more room to run.
"[The applicants] would only exercise the dogs in fenced areas, and owners would be required to have their animals on leash when dropping and picking them up," Bruns said. "They also indicate that all clients must fill out waivers and that all dogs staying at the facility must be properly vaccinated."
She also noted that the applicant plans to control client drop-off and pickup times, limiting them to between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., with quiet hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Coun. Walter Preugschas asked why the municipality was limiting the proposed development to 10 dogs.
Bruns replied that it wasn't the county that imposed the limit but rather what the applicant stated, the number of animals the new building would accommodate.
"When we spoke to the applicant, we asked if they might want to do more. She said they would love to, but that would require constructing a second building. It is not our regulation. They could ask for 50, but this is what they think the market can bear," she said.
Preugschas also asked about the proposed pickup times.
Bruns again stated that the municipality has no regulations regarding this, but the applicant indicated this in their proposal.
She added that administration staff recommends approval with the standard conditions for this type of development.
Some of the conditions include that any facility structures and exercise runs used to accommodate animals be within 6.1 metres of the property line, that the facility and exterior runs be kept clean to mitigate odour to the satisfaction of the development authority, that the facility operator may have to employ soundproofing mitigation to various parts of the facility upon satisfaction of the development authority and that the municipality reserves the right to regulate the hours that the dogs are allowed outdoors upon receiving complaints from nearby residents.
Deputy reeve Marvin Schatz noted that many of the conditions are to the satisfaction of the development authority.
"What happens if the applicant doesn't like the development authority's decision? Is there some sort of process in place to hear those concerns?" he asked.
Bruns replied that an applicant always has the right to appeal a decision or condition imposed by the MPC or development authority, adding that the subdivision appeal board would hear any appeal.
The subdivision appeal board is an independent quasi-judicial board that hears appeals from residents who could potentially be adversely impacted by a development authority decision.
