Plan Commission - Regular Meeting

Uh, good evening and welcome to the Decal County Board of Zoning Appeals. Yes. Meredith, if you take roll call, yes. Frank Palver, yes. Roy Walker, Andrew Proines, yes. Wayne Funk, yes. Jason Carneahan, yep. Andrew Cruz, here. Chris Galmer, here. Meredith Wright here. Okay. Approval minutes from August 11th of 2025. Is there a motion to approve? Move. Thank you. All in favor? I I old business.

None. New business. Petition 25-09. Joshua Hefinger. Uh he's requesting a special exception to allow for uh professional canine boarding. Uh property is located at 5776 County Road 36A in Butler and is zoned A2 agricultural. Uh you can see on the site plan um he's got an existing pole barn there. Um he's proposing half of it to be used um for the K9 boarding. Um and uh we'll be using basically everything that's existing the driveway um any you know area to for drop off or or loading for parking. Um no other development standards are required to be met for this. It's just a special exception um used through the BCA. um proposing to have uh 4x4 signage um again hours of operation um 6 am to 7 am and 6 pm to 7 pm. Um ex and then again access and parking uh will be the existing driveway and existing parking areas. Um I don't see any issues with this. Um have recommended approval as you see in your staff report. Um, but as you see, uh, Josh is here to answer questions if you have any. Um, but pretty simple uh, request.

Only got one question. Make sure your mic's on. Okay. The only question I have is just is how much time will they be outside and is there any sort of run or how do you keep them from running?

So there'll be two outdoor runs. This is not an indooroutdoor facility is the plan. Um so they're not full access outside. Uh the kennels inside allow them. They're on raised floors with their own catch pans and built-in plumbing to the kennels themselves. So they're not they don't need to be inside outside all the time. Um we do plan on during those hours of operation the 6A to 7A and thenum again at 6P to 7 to be able to let them in the outdoor runs where there'll be a little turf pad for them whatever if you're potty train a dog you want them access to that. Um but those going to be like 20 minutes of that hour each time morning and afternoon and that would be it. So they otherwise they're inside the the building there.

Perfect. I just didn't know if they were kept from running freely. So yeah. And then every um there are going to be built-in interlocks in between each kennel set so that if a dog were to get away from you, they only they can't get out. There's no escape risk there.

What is your what is your capacity or your proposed capacity? 12 would be the max is what the building could physically hold. The first set of candles I'm buying is going to be six. So it works in five years and we might try to get to that 12, but that's not in the near future. But that's what the building could would be the max of the building. So have a question Chris as part of this. We haven't specified a max on here. So, we can we can put that in if you want.

I just don't want him limited to have to come get another if if this gets passed. I don't want him have to come back for four extra dogs for a whole new Yeah. Yeah.

Sorry, my microphone wasn't on. Have to come back. put that in the conditions uh for it to be 12 max. You don't think you would go above that? Not anytime soon. Okay.

I have a full My wife and I both work full-time job now and I don't want to get out where that uh would impact that either one of those jobs too. This is kind of a basically it comes down to I we were trying to board. We have had five dogs. One just passed away. Two are owned by the county. But um at our house now we were trying to leave and trying to get boarding facility and there's few and far between around us. I did talk to the one other guy um out on 34 and he said he plans on retiring the next couple years. So we just like well we have a small dog training business now. Um, I'm a K9 handler and we just thought, well, this might be a good time to kind of fill a need if there is a need and kind of keep it where it's um not a primary job for us, but they'll be able to help folks out with dogs and do training and stuff.

Any more questions uh for the petitioner? Thank you. No, Chris, I was just going to ask you uh is this treated as a home business? No. So, we have it in the um in the UDO for special exceptions for kennels in the A2 zoning districts. Okay, there you go.

Anyone in the audience wish to speak for or against this petition? Please state your name and address.

Sorry. Uh right next to Josh there. Um he's come and talk to me about it. I really I'm not against it at all. But my only question is is you're giving him a permit to run this kennel. When if Josh moves in 5 years, 10 years, does the license leave with him? So the next person can't come in there without coming in here before you guys. Correct. So they'd have to come back. My only that's my only question that I got towards this. So the use would Right. Right. So the So if he leaves the kennels in the building, obviously the kennels would stay there, but the use itself, they'd have to come back. Okay. If they were doing it as a business, if they were if they happen to have 12 dogs.

Yeah. Then they could do that. But All right. All right. Thank you. Yep. Anyone else? Okay, public portion. We'll close that.

All right. So, we have prop proposed findings and uh in uh looking at this, let me see. Um the one I'm looking at has use variance at the top. That's that was the one on the one that I then I also have one that's uh I could go through the jurisdictional findings that are just with the packet. The title the title was the only thing wrong. Okay. higher.

No, no, don't. Everything else is correct except the top heading. So, I'll go I'll go based on the findings of fact then with the uh change to the title there. All right. Uh jurisdictional findings. And so, all of these findings are preliminary until they do a vote on them, but we'll go through them here. Jurisdictional findings number one, application completed and filed on July 28th, 2025. Yes. Legal notice published in the STAR on August 29th. An affidavit given to staff and receipt received. Yes. Certificate of mailing notices sent and receipts given to staff. Yes. Letter from the county board of health or Indiana Department of Health dated August 28th and August 22nd. Yes.

Letter from the county highway department dated July 31st of uh 2000. It should be 2025. Okay. Yes. And then letter from the soil and water conservation district dated July 31st, 2025. Yes. And then letter from the county surveyor or drainage board dated July 30th, 2025. Yes.

Uh and then letter from the Decau County Airport Authority not applicable. So then we have proposed findings of fact and we have uh I'll go around and uh or anybody can speak of course at any time on these but we'll go through these so that we have on the record a discussion of each one of these proposed findings. Number one is the proposed use consistent with the purpose of the zoning district and comprehensive plan. Yes, proposal is consistent with the zoning district and comprehensive plan of kennel is permitted by se special exception approval of the board of zoning appeals. Also see the from the county board of healthyway department soil water and conservation district and surveyor letter.

Number two, will the approval of this special exception request be injurious to the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the community? It will not. Number three is the proposed use in harmony with all adjacent land uses. Yes. Uh the proposal is harmonious with the surrounding community. The property is residential in use and adjacent parcels are residential and agricultural. Number four, does the proposed use alter the character of the zoning district? No. The proposal is residential in nature which is consistent with the surrounding community.

And then number five, the last one. Does the proposed use substantially impact the property value in an adverse manner? The proposal will not impact property value negatively. So then we go to the planning staff recommendations and comments. Staff is recommending approval. Correct. Yes.

And recommends the following conditions. Number one, the board retains continuing jurisdiction of this special exception to asssure compliance with all terms and conditions and/or impose additional conditions deemed necessary for health and safety. Number two, no offsite drainage crossing over said real estate should be obstructed by any development on the site. Number three, the special exception to allow for professional K9 boarding and kennel uh business is allowed. I think we would put there um add those words to number three. And then number four, zoning administrator is to determine when any conditions and all conditions have been met. I don't I don't think we need to.

Okay. There's no I just happen to read in it that there was a limit, but there's not no in this. So, let's just leave it as is. That way it's worry about it. Back to you. Thank you. Any more questions from anyone on the board? Uh, is there a motion to approve or disapprove? I'll make a I'll make a motion to approve petition 259. Second. We have a motion and a second. Rory Walker, yes. Andrew Proines, yes. Wayne Funk, yes. Jason Carneahan, yes. Frank Palver,

yes. You're good to go. Um, I'll send you a letter probably next week when I get back just so you have it official, but you're good to start. Yep. No worries.

Oh, there is no old business. Uh, I guess we're ajourned. I got nothing. Okay.