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Planning board grants special permit for dog daycare and overnight boarding at 29 Messina Drive with conditions
Summary
The Planning Board granted a special permit and site-plan approval for a proposed dog daycare and boarding facility at 29 Messina Drive, approving daytime hours, an overnight boarding cap of 30 dogs and staffing ratios; the board included conditions for inspections, staffing and potential fee/licensing follow-up.
The Planning Board voted Oct. 14 to grant a special permit and site-plan review for a dog daycare with limited overnight boarding at 29 Messina Drive.
Applicant representatives (Ting Ting, Rashmi and Jennifer) presented floor plans and kennel layouts. The facility’s interior area is roughly 6,200 square feet and the outdoor enclosed play area is about 2,800 square feet, divided into three separate yards. The applicant said daytime hours will run roughly 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; overnight boarding begins after that period. The applicant reviewed equipment and kennel layouts, including stackable kennels for small dogs and single kennels sized for larger dogs.
Staff and board members discussed operational controls and inspections. The draft decision limited overnight boarding to 30 dogs and established a staffing ratio of 1 staff member per 15 dogs (day and overnight). Member McCombie recommended starting conservatively and reviewing the overnight cap later; several board members asked staff to research the common municipal approach to kennel licensing fees and inspections. Planning staff reported many Massachusetts towns use kennel-license fees in the $60–$160 range and that Braintree could route a licensing inspection through its usual animal-inspection process or licensing board.
Applicant said Midmark (equipment vendor) provided kennel-layout guidance and that although the design capacity included around 44–45 kennels (stackable and single), daily and overnight occupancy would likely be lower (applicant estimated roughly 20 overnight dogs during typical operations). The board included a condition allowing the applicant to request future increases by returning to the board for a modification after demonstrating successful operations.
The board closed the public hearing and voted to grant the special permit and site-plan review according to the draft conditions discussed at the hearing. Motion to grant by Member Kane; second by Member Conley; voice vote in favor.
