The Board of Adjustment voted to approve a design exception for 6545 Fourth Street Southwest that reduces the required front-yard setback from 15 feet to 7.5 feet so the applicant can construct an 8-foot wooden privacy fence around a front courtyard. Development services staff recommended approval, and the applicant said the reduced setback will provide shade from two nearby trees and about 800 square feet of additional outdoor space for patrons and dogs.

The request was presented by Dave Hogg, development services, who described the site as within an industrial mixed-use zone and said the proposed reduction would not conflict with adopted plans or the character of the area. Hogg told the board that staff found the change “represents the minimal practical deviation from the code” and recommended approval as a design exception.

Applicant Darren Zaff, who gave the business address as 6545 Fourth Street Southwest, told the board the front courtyard will be used as part of a combined dog park, bar, cafe, daycare, boarding and grooming business. Zaff said the additional square footage would keep patrons and dogs closer to the shade provided by two trees and generally “equate to a more positive experience overall.”

Board members had no objectors present and moved to approve the item (case referenced in the meeting materials as ADMD-000344-2025). The motion was seconded and the chair called the vote; the board recorded the motion as carried.

The decision allows the applicant to enclose the proposed courtyard with the reduced setback and an 8-foot fence. Staff advised the applicant to check with Development Services for final compliance and permitting steps.

Details recorded in the meeting packet include the required 15-foot front-yard setback and the proposed 7.5-foot setback for an 8-foot fence; staff characterized the request as a design exception rather than a rezoning. The board’s vote was a final action at the meeting; no additional conditions beyond standard permitting were stated on the record.