Board approves special-use permit for commercial kennel at 643 Shell Hollow Lane with annual compliance conditions

The Grayson County Board of Supervisors approved a special-use permit that will allow Wilson’s Black and Tans to operate a commercial boarding and breeding kennel at 643 Shell Hollow Lane in Elk Creek.

Planning staff told the board the facility has operated since 2023 but lacked the required permit. The parcel is in the rural-farm zoning district, which permits kennels by special use permit. Staff reported that the kennel is sited behind the residence, buffered by vegetation, and that, as presented, it lies roughly 200–650 feet from neighboring homes.

Planning staff said the planning commission reviewed the application and recommended approval subject to conditions: compliance with Virginia Code section 3.2-6507.2 for commercial dog breeding, a requirement that any expansion or modification of the eight-bay kennel require revision of the special-use permit, an annual compliance review (including kennel records to maintain a valid annual kennel tag) and automatic invalidation of the permit if the commercial operation ceases within 24 months.

A neighboring landowner, identified as Bill Baldwin, initially submitted recorded noise data and raised concerns about barking; Baldwin later retracted his complaint after speaking with the Wilsons, the planner said. Planning staff said animal-control records showed no violations. The board approved the permit by voice vote; the record shows an affirmative voice vote but not a roll-call tally.

The conditions placed on the approval require the owner-operator to comply with state commercial-breeding requirements and to submit records for annual review to the planning department.