The Watertown Planning Commission/Board of Adjustment on Aug. 7 approved a conditional-use permit for a commercial kennel to operate at 1041 Tenth Avenue Northwest, a parcel within the city property purchased for a street facility project.
The decision secures permission for a dog-boarding business to operate on the site after the lot is replatted as Lot 2. The board approved the request with a condition that reserves the city’s right to require slats in the chain-link fence if future noise complaints arise.
The permit applicant, Mark Engen, told the board the company will use an 8-foot chain-link fence for outdoor runs similar to the operator’s Aberdeen location and that the building will be air-conditioned with indoor play areas. "I am Mark Engen. We, my wife and I are the ones that applied for the permit," Engen said during the public hearing. He said the operator typically uses synthetic turf over a crushed-rock base in outdoor runs and that solid waste is collected in a dumpster that is emptied weekly.
Planning staff told the board the site plan shows fenced dog runs along the north side of the building and that screening (vegetative buffer, type of fence or other measures) is something the board may require as a condition. Board discussion emphasized that screening and noise enforcement could be handled later if there are disturbances: a board member moved to approve the permit "with the following caveat that the city or the Board of Adjustment reserves the right to require slats in the chain-link fence in the event of complaints due to dog barking," a condition the board adopted.
Board members also confirmed parking shown on the site plan meets zoning requirements and that a building-permit review will verify final parking and setback compliance. Staff said the operator may lease space for grooming, but that grooming is not presently part of the applicant’s operations. The applicant indicated the facility could accommodate roughly 55–75 dogs at peak and that no one will reside on-site; overnight monitoring will use cameras and secure kennels.
The board took a roll-call vote and approved the conditional-use permit. The action allows the kennel to proceed through building-permit review; the city retains authority to require additional screening or fence modifications if neighborhood complaints about barking or other disturbances are received.
Next steps include building-permit review, final staff checks on landscaping and parking, and compliance monitoring if complaints arise.