The Mecklenburg County Planning Commission voted to rezone property at 71 Saw Mill Road from Industrial M-1 to Business B-1 after an applicant told commissioners the intended operation will be a daytime dog daycare.
The change, approved by the commission during its public hearing, will allow commercial use of the parcel currently used as a warehouse by Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions (Vets Inc.). The planning office’s written application described the proposal as an "adult daycare," but applicant James Moody told the commission he intends to operate a dog daycare for about 10 to 15 animals during daytime hours.
Commissioners and staff said the rezoning would require the developer to meet commercial entrance standards; building code requirements and permitting for water and sewer connections will apply before any business starts. Moody said he has had the property surveyed, plans to divide off about an acre for the facility, and has purchased a prebuilt, 48-foot trailer structure that would be sited on existing concrete and fitted with electric, sewer and water connections.
"We own the property at Saw Mill Road, 71 Saw Mill Road. It's the old Morgan Lumber Company," Moody said. "...Katie wants to start a doggy daycare. They're doing about 10 to 15 dogs just during the day. So we bought a trailer, put it on there on the cement that's there and got it surveyed so that I could divide it off by an acre to put the facility on."
Moody told the commission the site currently functions as a storage warehouse for his business and that some daytime traffic already occurs as equipment and furniture are stored there. He said he spoke with neighbors and "they all seem to be okay with it, primarily during the daytime." When asked about regulation, Moody said he was told by the health office that only a sewer permit was needed and that the doggy daycare itself "wasn't regulated."
The commission motion to recommend rezoning passed on a voice vote after a member moved and Mr. Watson seconded; the motion carried.
Procedural next steps include formal site-plan review and review of building- and health-related permits before a commercial dog-care business may open. The commission transcript shows the discrepancy between the planning office description ("adult daycare") and the applicant’s description (dog daycare); commissioners did not request a revised application text during the hearing.
Moody and his family did not state plans for overnight boarding; he said the operation is intended for daytime-only care and that initial staffing would likely be limited to his granddaughter.