The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 26 approved Special Use Docket SU24-0003, permitting establishment of a dog boarding kennel at 12350 Niwot Road (Huss Kettle), subject to conditions intended to preserve neighborhood compatibility.
The property owners, Garrett Hawes and Jessica Kittle, proposed to reuse an existing outbuilding as an indoor kennel and to operate fenced outdoor runs already constructed on the parcel. Staff and Planning Commission reviewed site conditions, wetlands and an intermittent stream bisecting the parcel, and referral responses from building, water resources, stormwater, and parks staff.
Key conditions adopted by the commissioners limit the total number of boarded dogs on site to no more than 20 at any time and cap the total number of animals allowed outdoors at any time at seven (including owner's household pets). The board added a schedule for outdoor activity: four outdoor periods within operating hours (7:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m.; 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.; 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.) and defined nighttime hours when dogs must be kept inside (9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.). The commissioners retained staff's recommended requirement that boarded animals be subject to the indoor-outdoor schedule described in the applicant's narrative and required noise-mitigation measures in the building permit process.
Staff had recommended, to preserve neighborhood compatibility, limiting the number of animals outside at any time to seven because the parcel cannot meet the land-use code's 300-foot separation requirement in the east-west direction; staff found mitigating circumstances because the exercise area is at least 300 feet from existing development on adjacent parcels. The Planning Commission had suggested a different drafting approach; commissioners accepted staff's revised condition that limits total animals outdoors to seven and the number of boarded animals on site to a maximum of 20.
During the hearing, nearby neighbors testified in support of the applicants, praising their neighborhood engagement and property improvements. The applicants said they live on-site, operate by appointment, do not plan doggy day care (daycare-only uses are not permitted in the Agricultural Zoning District), and would use grass varieties suitable for animal play, sound-dampening materials in the indoor structure, and conservative operating practices.
After discussion, a commissioner moved approval with the amended conditions; the board voted unanimously to approve the special-use permit as amended.