The Board of Supervisors voted to remand two special‑use permit (SUP) requests for commercial kennels back to the Planning & Zoning Commission after lengthy public testimony and staff revisions to recommended conditions.

County planners presented two related applications by members of the Abbott family to formalize existing breeding‑kennel operations: one on Jean Drive (a 3.3‑acre parcel) and one on Val Vista Road. Staff said one property had operated as a kennel for about nine years and the other site had activity documented for longer (staff cited a multi‑decade history). Planning staff reported receipt of multiple letters and petitions — roughly 30–37 letters of opposition and eight letters of support across the two cases — and said the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval with a set of stipulations.

After the Planning & Zoning recommendation, staff revised the stipulations substantially to add noise‑mitigation measures (bark‑management, insulation), limits on breeding adults, a requirement to maintain a valid county animal‑control license and a requirement to build a 7‑foot fence along certain property lines. Several supervisors expressed concern that the new stipulations were materially different from those the commission considered; one supervisor said the wholesale changes warranted returning the item so the Planning & Zoning Commission could review the revised conditions.

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing described recurring barking, dogs at large, property damage and safety concerns; some provided photographic evidence and petitions. Animal control staff said the kennel operator had passed most county kennel inspections and that recorded county complaints were limited (animal control cited two barking complaints in 2017–2018 in their records), but neighbors described more recent and repeated disturbances. After public testimony and board discussion, the Board remanded both SUPs back to Planning & Zoning for consideration of the revised stipulations (the motions passed by a 4‑1 vote each).

Why it matters: The board’s action preserves an additional review step for stipulations that neighbors say are inadequate to address noise and safety concerns. The SUPs would attach to the land if approved; remand keeps the public record open and lets Planning & Zoning revisit conditions before the board acts.